Reading54

"Reading54, do you think I should not go to Hakone?"

Depending on what you plan to do in Hakone. If the main purpose is to take in the scenery, ride cable car to Owakudani Valley, and do a boat cruise on Lake Ashi, then I'd say skip Hakone and go directly to Kyoto on Day 4 instead.

If you have a 7-day JR Pass, then you may do a day-trip from Kyoto to Kobe and Osaka for sight-seeing. I think that'll be more interesting than Owakudani Valley and cruise on Lake Ashi.

kja

> I stay in Nikko, Takayama and Miyajima/Hiroshima the accommodation will be cheaper and I will get to see 3 fab places.

Sounds to me like you will get to see a lot of the inside of trains and little of these 3 - or any of the other wonderful - places you are hoping to visit. And like Mara, I think you are short-changing Kyoto. It might be worth thinking about limiting the number of locations you are trying to visit in such a short time.

Hope that helps!

Mara

I agree with kja who agreed with me... ;-) You are planning much too much imo for that time period....you will see a lot of trains/stations.....please re-think your plans.....and if you use the railpass you cannot take the Nozomi...

hellopsz

Ok revised, questions in parenthesis.

Nov 21. - Land in Tokyo at 4pm, see the city at night

Nov 22. - Tokyo - Nikko - Tokyo

Nov 23. - Tokyo - Takayama (How long is this travel? shall we stay in ryokan or hotel? any suggestions)

Nov 24. - Takayama - Kyoto (How long is the travel?)

Nov 25 - Kyoto

Nov 26 - Kyoto - Hiroshima/Miyajima (any suggestions for places to stay inn Miyajima?)

Nov 27th - Hiroshima to Tokyo (can we take Nozomi?)

Nov 28th - Tokyo half day, evening flight back home.

KimJapan

Tokyo Station to Takayama Station best time looks to be 258 minutes using Nozomi to Nagoya and Hida Wide View to Takayama. You won't get there any faster than this, but note if you are using a JR Pass you cannot ride the Nozomi so it may take you longer.

Takayama to Kyoto 194 minutes using same trains as above. If you can't ride Nozomi it will take longer.

Hiroshima to Tokyo 245 minutes on Nozomi.

www.hyperdia.com will give you train information.

You are trying to pack in too much. You will not have much time at all in anywhere you are going once you factor in the long transport times, time to get to and from stations and check in and out of hotels.

You won't see much of Tokyo at all. Won't get to your hotel much before, if at all, before 7:00, and coming from the US? you'll be wiped out tired by then even if you sleep on the plane.

What your schedule gives you is a few hours sightseeing in Takayama, A day plus a few hours in Kyoto, a few hours in Hiroshima, and a few hours in Tokyo. A lot of travel time and expense for such a limited experience.

I would pare it down and stick to two places to save the moving around time and spend it enjoying where you are.

hellopsz

OK, all of you seem to think the same. So here I am revising my itinerary and have removed Takayama. My questions are in parenthesis.

Nov 21. - Land in Tokyo at 4pm, see the city at night

Nov 22. - Tokyo

Nov 23. - Tokyo - Nikko - Tokyo

Nov 24. - Tokyo - Kyoto (Is it possible to take Nozomi? We want to save time)

Nov 25 - Kyoto

Nov 26 - Kyoto - Hiroshima/Miyajima in the evening (gives us more time in Kyoto. Any suggestions for places to stay inn Miyajima? How do we get there?)

Nov 27th - Hiroshima/Miyajima to Tokyo (can we take Nozomi? We want to save time)

Nov 28th - Tokyo half day, evening flight back home.

justshootme

Phew, I hadn't checked this thread earlier today and I'm glad I didn't; I agree with all the earlier comments about trying to do too much. Tokyo is a huge city and your previous itineraries didn't include much time there.

Based on your last post, yes, this is a doable itinerary. With only 8 days you really need to pick and choose what you want to see. I would encourage a visit to Mt Fuji, don't expect to see it from Tokyo; but if Hiroshima/Miyajima and Nikko are more of a priority to you, then stick with the itinerary in your last post. You can't see/do it all in 8 days.

For the Nozomi trains just buy a ticket in advance. You cannot use these trains with a rail pass, and if you want to take them on Nov 24 and Nov 27 a rail pass may not be a good option. Look at the links provided by the other posters and check prices and train schedules to see how much time you save using the Nozomi. I haven't bought a rail pass recently as I prefered to travel on the Nozomi trains.
Sometimes the difference in travel time isn't much, it depends on the route. Only you can deceide what is more important to you, the cost or the time saved.

Which airport are you flying into in Tokyo, I assume it's NRT; which is far from the city. Even if your flight lands at 4 pm you really won't have anytime for sightseeing on the first day.

Nov 27 is a long travel day. The last time I was in Japan, I flew from NRT to ITM the flight prices were similar to train prices. If you fly from on Nov 21 to ITM or KIX and travel to Kyoto you'll give yourself an extra sightseeing day somewhere.

KimJapan

Looks better. But going to Hiroshima/Miyajima from Kyoto in the evening and then leaving the next day for Tokyo gives you no time in Hiroshima or Miyajima. Not worth the time or expence.

If you use a JR Pass you can't ride Nozomi trains. If you pay for individual tickets you can ride any train you like. It is not at all cheap.

You would be wise to get to work on hotels as it is high season due to fall foliage.

mrwunrfl

No you can't use the Nozomi if you get a JR Pass. I recommend getting the pass for this itin. The Nozomi really won't save that much time (you would have to change trains at Shin Osaka if you don't take the Nozomi, on the way back. Nozomi wouldn't save much time between Tokyo and Kyoto as long as you get a Hikari train that goes the distance and don't have to change trains).

You won't get to see any of Hiroshima, really, with the last itin. You would really want to get to Miyajima by, say, 3PM, if you stay in a ryokan. This will be a little late for the peak fall colors there so you might not have trouble getting lodging there.

That weekend of Nov 27 is a holiday weekend.

The sumo tournament will be in Fukuoka during your time in Japan. It will be on TV.

I just saw that KimJapan gave some of the info in this post.

I see the point of not traveling from Hiroshima to NRT on your last day - a long train trip followed by a long flight. But you are just not going to have time in Hiroshima or Miyajima with your last itin. Something needs to give, I think.

mrwunrfl

I guess the last itin is do-able. But I think I would stay the night of the 26th in Hiroshima, e.g. at the JR hotel at Hiroshima station which is very close to the shinkansen tracks. I think it is a Granvia.

Next day, leave luggage at the hotel or in a locker below the shinkansen tracks. Then go out for a day of sightseeing and back to the station and on to Tokyo. It will be a busy day if you try to do both Hiroshima and Miyajima.

hellopsz

Why can't I use JR railpass from Tokyo to Kyoto/Nikko and Kyoto to Hiromshima and then Nozomi from Hiroshima to Tokyo. I rather spend the extra money and save time - especially considering the tight itinerary. Is this possible? Do any of these have to be bought before reaching Japan?

gearsau

RE NIKKO:
You can use the JR Rail pass to go from Tokyo Shinkansen station to Utsunomiya on the North bound Shinkansen line, then get off, and take the little JR train that takes you to Nikko station. Its a small train ( 2 or 3 cars ) and runs every 30 minute or hour( forget exactly)
Once you get to Nikko station, you could take a taxi up the the entrance of the main shrine. If you wanted to take a bus to do the whole sircuit up the mountain and down again, add in a few more hours. If its just the main shrine, that is easliy done.
I used to live in Japan in Nagoya (1993) and Tokyo (1994-1997), so do have the experience. I would often do a day trip from my apartment in Ogikubo in Tokyo to Nikko and return

Regarding Hiroshima, I suggest that you take a train from Kyoto to Hiroshima,see the A BOMB DOME , MUSEUM, and then take a ferry across to MIYAJIMA. A couple of hours there, and then ferry back to Hiroshima.
Stay the night at Hiroshima station hotel and then take the train from Hiroshima to Tokyo the next day. From memory, the Nozomi used to take 4 hours from Hiroshima to Tokyo, and a HIKARI was 5 hours.

You may note, that there may be a train transfer at Shin Osaka. I recall that south bound HIRAKI from Tokyo will terminate at Shin Osaka,and north bound Hikari from Hiroshima will terminate at Shin Osaka as well.
Therefore, you need to start early from Hiroshima to get to Tokyo. Normally 5 hours by Hikari. Once you get to Shin Osaka , there will be a train change, but, if you allow 20 minutes to get from one platform to another, you will be safe. You will not need 20 minutes, but, allow it to be safe.

This form of travel will enable you to get the best value out of you Japan Rail Pass, which MUST be purchased otside of Japan. If you have the funds, I strongly recommend the GREEN CAR.. So peaceful and you can relax.

I covered literally all of Japan during my living there, plus associated business from 2002 to 2008, and if possible would try to get green car.

As some contributors have stated, its a pretty hectic schedule for 7 days.

You mention that you want to save time, well, the NOZOMI is faster ( one hour) from Hiroshima to Tokyo, but, you cannot use the Japan Rail Pass on a Nozomi. So, to save an hour or so, you are up for lots of money .

The question is, how much time do you want in Kyoto? I have been there on a few occasions and, my picks were GION, GOLDEN TEMPLE,and the temple up the hill from GION ( forget the name).
Note .. Getting around in Kyoto is painful. Take the bus, as its cheaper. Taxis are expensive,and will cost you a lot more, and you will not save any time. At Kyoto station, they have a big tourist information center there.

Hope this helps, and I will try answer any questions.

KimJapan

You can use the JR Pass for your journeys, but not if you ride the Nozomi or trains that are not JR. If you ride the Nozomi, you pay full price with our without the JR Pass. It's no problem unless you mind spending the money, which is significant at ¥18,350 per person (over $200 at today's exchange rate) for just Hiroshima to Tokyo on the Nozomi. Takes 236 - 245 minutes. If you don't use Nozomi and use your pass, takes 295 minutes with a change in Shin-Osaka. Not sure less than an hour is worth $400...wouldn't be for me.