Ideas for a relaxing end to a Japan trip
Feb 4th, 2014, 05:44 AM
#1
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Ideas for a relaxing end to a Japan trip
Hi there,
My husband and I are traveling to Japan in mid-May for 10 days. We plan on doing a couple of days in Tokyo and a couple in Kyoto. I wanted to finish the trip with something relaxing. Originally I was thinking of maybe a seaside ryokan. But the only place I really see close to Tokyo (since we have to fly out of there at the end of our trip) is Shirahama. So, here are my questions:
1. Is Shirahama a built-up city? I want a small, cute beachy scene or something with gorgeous turquoise water which I'm afraid I will only get in Okinawa (maybe next time!).
2. Should I consider mountain onsen/ryokan experiences instead of beach ones to unwind at the end of our trip? If so, what towns? It kind of sounds like Hakone is a good one except hard to get to.
3. Speaking of mountains, are there certain towns (I heard in the mountains) where it's easy to spot wild monkeys?
I'm trying to find a way to unwind that is somewhat nearby Tokyo as I want to spend a night or two of just relaxing before heading back on our flight and 20+ hours of travel. But, I'm not really into the cosmopolitan scene and we will have gotten our fill our city life from Tokyo in the beginning. Your suggestions? I appreciate any help you can give me!
My husband and I are traveling to Japan in mid-May for 10 days. We plan on doing a couple of days in Tokyo and a couple in Kyoto. I wanted to finish the trip with something relaxing. Originally I was thinking of maybe a seaside ryokan. But the only place I really see close to Tokyo (since we have to fly out of there at the end of our trip) is Shirahama. So, here are my questions:
1. Is Shirahama a built-up city? I want a small, cute beachy scene or something with gorgeous turquoise water which I'm afraid I will only get in Okinawa (maybe next time!).
2. Should I consider mountain onsen/ryokan experiences instead of beach ones to unwind at the end of our trip? If so, what towns? It kind of sounds like Hakone is a good one except hard to get to.
3. Speaking of mountains, are there certain towns (I heard in the mountains) where it's easy to spot wild monkeys?
I'm trying to find a way to unwind that is somewhat nearby Tokyo as I want to spend a night or two of just relaxing before heading back on our flight and 20+ hours of travel. But, I'm not really into the cosmopolitan scene and we will have gotten our fill our city life from Tokyo in the beginning. Your suggestions? I appreciate any help you can give me!
Feb 4th, 2014, 07:51 AM
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We ended our trip in Hakone. It's not hard to get to, you can do it all by train. Since it isn't far from Tokyo, you can catch an afternoon flight out of Narita after spending the night in Hakone.
Feb 4th, 2014, 08:46 AM
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I agree with Kathie's recommendation of Hakone. Lots of ryokan to stay in there and it will be very relaxing.
http://www.hakonenavi.jp/english/
1. Not worth the time imho. No turquoise blue water in the Tokyo area except in a few toilet bowls lol
2. Yes you should, Nasu-Shiobara, Nikko are close enough to Tokyo. If you want beaches check places in the Izu Peninsula.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6310.html
3. Monkeys are all over Japan but I suppose you are talking about these critters.....
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6028.html
Click on my screen name if you have time and read some of my Japan trip reports to give you ideas of what to do with your time in Japan. I haven't posted here in a while....
Aloha!
http://www.hakonenavi.jp/english/
1. Not worth the time imho. No turquoise blue water in the Tokyo area except in a few toilet bowls lol
2. Yes you should, Nasu-Shiobara, Nikko are close enough to Tokyo. If you want beaches check places in the Izu Peninsula.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6310.html
3. Monkeys are all over Japan but I suppose you are talking about these critters.....
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6028.html
Click on my screen name if you have time and read some of my Japan trip reports to give you ideas of what to do with your time in Japan. I haven't posted here in a while....
Aloha!
Feb 4th, 2014, 09:13 AM
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Many people find ryokans to be relaxing; some people don't. Among those who don't find them relaxing, some common gripes are the relatively inflexible schedules and the lack of comfortable seating. If you want to look at places other than ryokans, there are many places that combine great comfort and a relaxing setting, where the facilities and ambience are a combination of Western and Japanese.
In the latter category, an especially nice spot that's not far from Tokyo is Hoshinoya, in Karuizawa. This is an onsen resort in a beautiful part of the country, lots of hiking trails, and particularly nice accommodations. I've stayed there, and it's a great place to unwind. It's also extremely convenient when flying out of Narita -- about 1 hour from Karuizawa to Ueno station, and 40 minutes from Ueno to Narita airport.
KimJapan ([email protected]) has also been to the Hoshinoya resort near Kyoto, and she speaks well of that place, too. My understanding is that Kim can arrange for a decent deal at these places.
In the latter category, an especially nice spot that's not far from Tokyo is Hoshinoya, in Karuizawa. This is an onsen resort in a beautiful part of the country, lots of hiking trails, and particularly nice accommodations. I've stayed there, and it's a great place to unwind. It's also extremely convenient when flying out of Narita -- about 1 hour from Karuizawa to Ueno station, and 40 minutes from Ueno to Narita airport.
KimJapan ([email protected]) has also been to the Hoshinoya resort near Kyoto, and she speaks well of that place, too. My understanding is that Kim can arrange for a decent deal at these places.
Feb 4th, 2014, 04:41 PM
#5
Hakone is not hard to get to. There are several nice ryokan that are not far from Hakone-Yumoto station. You can get to Hakone-Yumoto using an Odakyu train from Shinjuku. Or it is a very short hop from the Odawara shinkansen station.
I visited a nice onsen ryokan called Tenzan, for the nice baths and a Japanese style sauna (very hot, but you won't actually burst into flame). I did not stay there but it gets good reviews. There is a bus near the station that goes there and passes several other nice ryokan. Very pretty. A taxi ride would not be expensive from Hakone-Yumoto station and probably not too much from Odawara.
One option I have considered, but not yet taken, is to stay at the Hilton in Odawara before going to Narita Airport. Looks nice. Being in/near Odawara means that it would be convenient to Fuji-Hakone Natl Park (or just an traditional onsen visit to Tenzan) and then also convenient for getting to the airport.
I visited a nice onsen ryokan called Tenzan, for the nice baths and a Japanese style sauna (very hot, but you won't actually burst into flame). I did not stay there but it gets good reviews. There is a bus near the station that goes there and passes several other nice ryokan. Very pretty. A taxi ride would not be expensive from Hakone-Yumoto station and probably not too much from Odawara.
One option I have considered, but not yet taken, is to stay at the Hilton in Odawara before going to Narita Airport. Looks nice. Being in/near Odawara means that it would be convenient to Fuji-Hakone Natl Park (or just an traditional onsen visit to Tenzan) and then also convenient for getting to the airport.
Feb 5th, 2014, 03:36 AM
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mrwunrful, I've stayed at the Hilton Odawara. Depending on what you're looking for, it's a reasonable option.
It's a very large and sprawling hotel, set on a hillside with views over the sea. The rooms (or at least the room I had) was a typical Hilton room: very spacious by Japanese standards, with the usual creature comforts. The chief entertainment feature is their series of pools -- a connected variety of hot and cold water ones. They also offer hiking trails, some golf (driving range, putting green, instruction), and possibly other stuff. There's also a prominent chapel on-site, so weddings are apparently very much part of the plan. There's nothing in the immediate vicinity, so unless you have a car, eating anywhere other than at the hotel becomes complicated. The in-house food is about what you'd expect at a big hotel -- food is perfectly ok but nothing extraordinary, with prices not particularly modest.
It's a very large and sprawling hotel, set on a hillside with views over the sea. The rooms (or at least the room I had) was a typical Hilton room: very spacious by Japanese standards, with the usual creature comforts. The chief entertainment feature is their series of pools -- a connected variety of hot and cold water ones. They also offer hiking trails, some golf (driving range, putting green, instruction), and possibly other stuff. There's also a prominent chapel on-site, so weddings are apparently very much part of the plan. There's nothing in the immediate vicinity, so unless you have a car, eating anywhere other than at the hotel becomes complicated. The in-house food is about what you'd expect at a big hotel -- food is perfectly ok but nothing extraordinary, with prices not particularly modest.
Feb 5th, 2014, 07:52 AM
#7
Thanks, Don. Their website says it is a 20 minute taxi ride or free shuttle bus from Odawara station. That is the same as the travel time by taxi from a ryokan near Hakone town to Odawara, according to google. In 20 minutes, with good luck, you could travel by bus ¥160 from Ichinoyu to H-Y station and from there by train ¥300 to Odawara station. With bad luck, you wait at H-Y for 15 min for the next train to Odawara. So, the Hilton doesn't offer any time advantage for getting to the airport. But the shuttle is free and would make it easy. Dining options in Hakone would also be limited.
So I could still see a plan: arrive Odawara from Kyoto, have dinner at Odawara station area, stop at a Lawson's to pick up stuff for breakfast, then shuttle to the hotel. Have a soak, a nice western bed and room. Then out to Fuji-Hakone the next day. Dinner in Odawara, maybe, then back to the hotel for a soak. Splurge for Hilton breakfast next day, another soak, late checkout, then off to the airport. That would work for me - if the room rate was right.
So I could still see a plan: arrive Odawara from Kyoto, have dinner at Odawara station area, stop at a Lawson's to pick up stuff for breakfast, then shuttle to the hotel. Have a soak, a nice western bed and room. Then out to Fuji-Hakone the next day. Dinner in Odawara, maybe, then back to the hotel for a soak. Splurge for Hilton breakfast next day, another soak, late checkout, then off to the airport. That would work for me - if the room rate was right.
