sandgroper

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and very glad to have found it
My husband and i are traveling to Japan for the first time in May 2017. I've researched a fair bit and am unable to find the answers to the following questions. Here are my travel dates and destinations:

5 th May late night arrival Haneda . Overnight airport hotel. Flight to Hiroshima 6th May arriving 2.30 pm Hiroshima airport
6 - 7 May Hiroshima 2 nights
8 -11 Kyoto 4 nights
12 - 14 Kanazawa 3 nights
15- 18 Nikko 4 nights
19 - 24 Tokyo 6 nights
Fly home 25th May

I've checked Hyperdia and think buying buying train tickets as needed will be approximately 41, 570 yen per person compared to a JR 14 day pass for 62.850 yen?
Looking at hyperdia I'm very unsure if 41,750 covers reserved seating? I'm unable to stand for longer than one hour.

Hiroshima : Is it possible to see a Kagura performance on the days/nights, Sat and Sun, that we will be there? Or are we able to see it at other locations we am visiting?
We are planning to visit the JMSDF Kure Museum, and Peace Memorial Park on the Sunday, and Miyajima on Monday before catching a train to Kyoto. I want this whole trip to Japan to be as relaxed as possible with time to just people watch and observe and no doubt get lost all over the place. Have i over-planned what we do in Hiroshima?

Kyoto: Do you think we will have time to see the Aoi Matsuri (Kamo Matsuri) and Azuma-asobi before taking the train to Kanazawa on the 15th May? I don't want to arrive in Kyoto in the dark.

Tokyo wish-list: But unsure if it's actually doable without rushing about, and allowing for time to get lost multiple times. Please can you help plan my days there?
We will be staying in Ryogoku.
Grand Sumo Tournament after 3 p.m.
Fukagawa fudo-do temple for goma ritual
Yasukuni Shrine ( closed on Mondays)
Tokyo Camii & Turkish Cultural Center
Banruku performance
National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) (Closed Tuesdays)
Single act Kabuki at Kabukiza Theater Ginza
Would love to try nagashi somen but I don't know if it will be too late in May for us or what restaurants without traveling out of the way
Seeing a karate tournament is very high on my list and I've read the best place to see it practised is Tokyo Budokan near Ayase subway station

Thank you for any help you're able to offer, it will be very much appreciated.

I've managed to make all our accommodation bookings more than 6 months in advance. It's a mix of private and hotel and one hostel and has averaged out at aud $150 for two people per night. All in locations I want to stay in each area. If this interests anyone I'm happy to pass on information.
Also a travel agent quoted about aud $350 per person to fly from Tokyo to Hiroshima but the
Japan Explorer Pass for 10, 800 yen each is a much cheaper option, and we booked this just over 6 months in advance

sandgroper

Apologies and lesson learned re reviewing posts before I send.
Kyoto question should read as, "Do you think we will have time to see the Mikage Festival before taking the train to Kanazawa on the 12th May? I don't want to arrive in Kanazawa in the dark."

thursdaysd

The price for a given routing in Hyperdia is given in the banner at the top. You should get five routings, the default is a reserved seat and the price is a combination of the base price plus seat price (even unreserved is an extra cost).

When I ask it for Kyoto to Kanazawa for Jun 1 2017, leaving at 8:00 am, the first three routings are direct for 6,700 yen. The heading also tells you how long the trip takes.

You can change from a reserved seat to an unreserved seat or a "green" seat on each of the five options. I've never tried a green seat, nor have I gone unreserved on a train with reserved seating as the price difference is very small.

That seems rather a long time for Nikko, most people do it as a day trip. I would (did) go to Matsumoto and/or Takayama instead.

kja

Re: Hiroshima – if I’m following your plan, it could be a bit challenging. For example, the MSDF Kure Museum appears to close at 5 p.m., so you’d have to get there from the airport, deal with your luggage, etc.

3 days is not much for Kyoto. I’m not sure about the Mikage Festival, but you will be in Kyoto during the Kamagawa Odori, which I strongly recommend.
http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/kamogawa-odori

Will there be any bunraku performances in Tokyo when you are there? I was there at a similar time of year, and didn’t find any. You can, I think, see a 20-minute bunraku performance as part of the otherwise very tourist-y show at Gion Corner while in Kyoto:
http://www.kyoto-gioncorner.com/global/en.html

Although I was glad I spent a night in Nikko, so that I had time for Kegon-no-Taki and a bit of Lake Chuzenji, I agree with thursdaysd that 4 nights is a lot for it. I also agree that shifting a few of those nights to Takayama might be worth considering.

Hope that helps!

Kathie

I agree with others that you don't have enough time in Kyoto. You might transfer one or two of your nights from Nikko to Kyoto. But if I have understood you correctly, you have all of your hotel reservations already, which may making that kind of shift not possible. Or, perhaps you can shift a day to Kanazawa from Nikko.

tower

https://goo.gl/photos/nUmmdaMMQfATMmvv6

suggest you try to fit in a remarkable site...The Miho Museum, architect, the famous I.M. Pei. Unlike anything I have seen in all my travels as far as presentation and surroundings go.

You hop a 15 minute train ride from Kyoto main station to the town of Ishayama. You then walk downstairs and outside and the Teisan bus awaits you for a 40 minute scenic rural drive to the remote and hidden Miho. See pix for more! We had lunch there and returned to Kyoto by 3:30...astounding sights.

I have several more sheets of Kyoto pics if you wish. I had the unique pleasure of seeing Kyoto in 1946 when it had been spared destruction by an agreement between US and Japan. Of course, it was ghostly with very few citizens walking the streets. We GI Occupation troops were given full reign to visit all the temples and landmarks and proud to say there were no moments of teen age horseplay. Never saw teen-agers so well behaved (including me!).

Kathie

Hey, Stu, I'd love to see your 1946 photos of Kyoto if they are available!

Great pics of the Miho Museum. It's on our list for our next trip to Japan.

sandgroper

Hi all, thank you so much for your very helpful replies.

Hi Thursdaysd – Your help with train travel is very reassuring. The reason for 4 days in Nikko is i thought as we arrive in Nikko from Kanazawa on the 15th it would give us the 16th to look around perhaps see Kegon-no-Taki and a bit of Lake Chuzenji as Kja suggests, and then the Toshogu Grand Spring Festival is on the 17th and 18th before we leave for Tokyo on the 19th. It looks like we'll be needing some books to read in Nikko

Hi Kja - You're right about Kamagawa Odori as that's one of my main reasons for going to Kyoto on those dates.
As we arrive in Hiroshima on the 6th mid afternoon, I thought on the 7th we could see the Peace Memorial Park and JMSDF Kure Museum, and then on the 8th go to Miyajima before catching the train to Kyoto which is also on the 8th. Do you think this is too much for 2 Japan newbies and I should remove one of these activities or rearrange them somehow?

Hi Kathie, yes you are correct I have already reserved accommodation, some have deposits, and the Kanazawa accommodation is already paid in full. One of the reasons for 2 days/3 nights in Kanazawa is I’m hoping to hear Gojinjo Taiko drumming in Wajima, and I think it might take up a fair bit of daytime travel to get there from Kanazawa?
From what I’m reading here we will be really wanting to return to Kyoto at another time.

Hi Tower , How amazing to have seen Kyoto in 1946.
The Miho Museum looks absolutely beautiful and definitely has my interest. I’m going to try very hard to get there, thank you! Would love to see your pics.

I’m finding my biggest hurdle of all is trying to understand wether all the things I ‘d like to do and see in Tokyo are even possible. What site is situated next to what site on same train line has me absolutely bamboozled. We’ve never been in such a big city before and though i'm really looking forward to it, i'm definitely on the scared side.

kja

IMO, whether your plan for the 9th will work or not depends on what, exactly, you want to do in Miyajima, how long you want for the museums in Hiroshima, and how the ferry schedules fit with your plan.

Maps should help you plan your time in Tokyo. You can use googlemaps to identify locations and routes between them. Or see if you can get a copy of the long out-of-date <i>Japan Solo</i>, which has excellent maps. Once you have an idea of what things are near what, you can prioritize -- if you really want to see it, see it as early as you can and be willing to let other things go.

One thing that helps me: I identify one thing each day that is my highest priority and remind myself that everything else is "icing on the cake." ;-) (I usually manage a LOT of icing when I travel!)

While in Nikko, you might consider visiting the Nikkō Tōshō-gū Museum of Art, which has a small, but exquisite, collection of sliding doors and screens. Also, the Kanmangafuchi Abyss can be a pleasant place for a walk.

Re: Kanazawa: It can easily take 2 or more days to explore just the highlights of the city. If you are planning for a day trip, you might want to think through your priorities in advance.

Kavey

You could use one of your Nikko days to visit Mashiko, a well-known pottery producing village nearby. We had a rental car but you could look into public transport options if you don't want to drive.

Still, 4 nights in Nikko just seems sooooooooo long.

tower

@sandgroper....unfortunately I ran out of film the previous week. Film very hard to find...luckily back in Beppu where my regiment was bivouaced, there was a black market of pre-war film for my little Kodak brownie camera so I was able to shoot at will for a few years. Only a handful of GI's had any kind of camera.

tower

https://goo.gl/photos/3gbjvgEnf4hzy6vm8

This was taken about 6 months after the bomb..the remains were still "hot" so only could shoot from designated spot. Can you imagine a few hundred teenaged soldiers standing in dead silence overseeing this destruction?

mrwunrfl

Take the bus from Hiroshima airport. That would be better than the bus to JR train route. I suggest taking the bus to the city bus center. It is an easy walk from there to the Rihga Royal Hotel, which I recommend. It is an easy walk from the hotel to the Peace Park. Other option is bus to Hiroshima station and stay at there Sheraton or Granvia next to the station (and I think the airport bus stop is on the same side of the station as those hotels). Actually, I guess I should ask where you are staying before offering this advice

How interested are you in bunraku? A serious one or is this a general interest in Japanese culture thing? Same question for kagura. I have attended both. Do you have a specifice venue in mind for the kagura? You could save that for your next trip to Japan when you visit Takachiho.

I suggest that you get to the sumo tournament earlier. 1PM or 2PM. Have the chanko nabe (sumo stew) at the arena.

I think your day in Hiroshima with the side trip to Kure is doable. That and the Miyajima visit the next day with travel to Kyoto. Not exactly as "relaxed as possible". Am not sure how

mrwunrfl

Am not sure how - how I would do it. But the priority should be the Peace Park & Museum over Kure. You could get to the park for a couple of hours on your arrival day in Hiroshima and then go directly to the museum the next day and then Kure.

someotherguy

If you are up for renting a car (use Tocoo.com to book one from the Nippon place by the Tobu station and know that you need an international license) you can use one of your days in Nikko to drive some way along the "Romantic Road" (Google it). I've been as far as Fukiware Falls and it is a good day.

It starts with the lake and waterfall mentioned above (and the observation place that overlooks both). Then the Marunuma Plateau (moorland scenery, unusual in Japan), then villages selling local fruits (apples) and veg (I was there in Fall, I'm not sure what it's like in Spring), then the Fukiware falls. I've been to many of the famous waterfalls in Japan (I was at Shiraito yesterday) and this is the most unusual (though not the most impressive) I have seen.

someotherguy

Ah, I now see you have a plan for those days in Nikko, so ignore my suggestion (or save it for another time). The festival looks good.

sandgroper

More great replies, thank you!

Tower, I cannot even imagine what the thoughts of those teen soldiers might have been. Thank you for that pic.

Kja - Thanks to your reply I’m now ready to attack working out getting around Tokyo . I loved your advice to, ‘’ identify one thing each day that is my highest priority and remind myself that everything else is "icing on the cake’’ Perfect.
After reading replies i'm giving the day trip in Kanazawa a miss

mrwunrfl - We’re staying at the Hiroshima International Youth House (it has great reviews and a twin room and bathroom there is our most inexpensive accommodation) It's above the Aster Plaza. My understanding is that it is within short walking distance to the Peace Park. Still get bus from airport?

Very serious about seeing Bunraku. I’ve never visited an Asian country without seeing at least one cultural puppet performance . They fascinate me. I will be very disappointed if I leave Japan without seeing Bunraku

Have done more googling and there might be a chance of seeing Kagura in Tokyo

Do they make vegetarian chanko nabe? Or fish, It’s the only kind of meat I eat.

Re Kore I’m taking your advice to make the Peace Park and museum my priority and everything else is ‘’icing on the cake"

Someotherguy - That drive sounds wonderful. We don’t have time for it unfortunately, however there will be more than a few fortunate forum readers who will be able to take advantage of your post about it. How could they resist?

mrwunrfl

>>Still get bus from airport?

Yes, take it to the Hiroshima Bus Center and then walk to your lodging. You could take a tram part of the way.

I was going to recommend the National Bunraku Theater in Osaka but it apparently is not open in May according to this:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4003.html
but you should check on that.

I saw a kagura performance in Tokyo. It was free or cheap and held in auditorium. The performance area was a bit overwhelmed by the size of the stage and the curtains behind. The kagura performance at the shrine in Takachiho was much, much better, as it was more intimate (tho painful sitting on the hardwood floor).

mrwunrfl

The chanko nabe is what it is. No options, I think, so you can skip it. Not a big deal.

tower

sandgroper...our feelings were most likely all the same...if Truman hadn't dropped the bombs we were slated to be part of the many waves of troops to attack Japan at a very bloody expense.