Japan Itinerary - 12 days, solo traveler
 

Hello,

I am a 31 year old female and will be traveling alone to Japan for the first time. My interests are cultural (temples, museums), interesting architecture, general sightseeing and shopping. Here is my tentative itinerary - any critiques?

Mar 17 - arrive in Tokyo
Mar 18 - 21 - Tokyo
Mar 22 - 26 - Kyoto
March 27 - 28 - Nara
March 28 - 29 - Nikko
March 29 - back to Tokyo and depart on March 30

I am planning on purchasing a 7-day JR rail pass which would cover Tokyo-Kyoto-Nara-Nikko I believe. Does anyone know if getting from Nara - Nikko is possible in one day?

Regading the rail pass

Sorry for the double post - I posted before I had finished writing.

I am a 31 year old female and will be traveling alone to Japan for the first time. My interests are cultural (temples, museums), interesting architecture, general sightseeing and shopping. Here is my tentative itinerary - any critiques?

Mar 17 - arrive in Tokyo
Mar 18 - 21 - Tokyo
Mar 22 - 26 - Kyoto
March 27 - 28 - Nara
March 28 - 29 - Nikko
March 29 - back to Tokyo and depart on March 30

I am planning on purchasing a 7-day JR rail pass which would cover Tokyo-Kyoto-Nara-Nikko I believe. Does anyone know if getting from Nara - Nikko is possible in one day?

Regading the rail pass, is it best to reserve a seat ahead of time or do the trains not tend to fill up?

Thanks in advance,
Kat

A 7 day JR Pass is valid for 7 days only in a row, meaning if you activated it for Tokyo-Kyoto on March 22, the last day to use it would be March 28. You can check the train schedules and fares on http://www.hyperdia.com

Yes, that's right, activate your pass for the 22nd and it will expire in Nikko on the 28th. The trip from Nara to Nikko is about 5 hours and 40 min.

Yes, sometimes the trains fill up. You can get your seat reservations in advance.

You will see some interesting architecture on this trip including original sturctures from a broad range of Japanese history and style. You could consider a side-trip from Nara to Horyuji.

Bonjour Kat,

I suggest that you visit Nara as a daytrip rather than wasting 1/2 day changing hotels, etc., then go to Nikko from Kyoto, which will also save you one change of train and should be shorter than from Nara.

Personnally, I would do Tokyo -> Nikko -> Kyoto, Nara -> Tokyo/Narita, unless you really have to be in Kyoto by the 22nd, thus covering all train travels including return to Narita with the Railpass.

From my experience as a single traveller, you won't need to reserve seats long in advance. For Tokyo->Kyoto, 1 day ahead is enough, and you can do it on the spot for Nara and Nikko if you avoid going during the weekend.

I think your itinerary sounds great for your interests! As for Nara, I'm really glad that I stayed overnight there (actually, 2 nights) - I really enjoyed having the extra time to see it, and (like most places) it has a different feel in the evening after day-trippers have left. I don't find changing hotels to be particularly troublesome or time-consuming, but some people do. As mrwunrfl suggested, you might want to visit Horyuji - and Chuguji - from Nara. Enjoy!

Kyoto to Nara is only an hour each way, so a day trip makes sense too. It is a JR local so there are no reserved seats.

Thanks everyone. Tokyo - Nikko - Kyoto/Nara makes sense. Would anyone recommend Nikko as day trip from Tokyo or is the travelling time too long?

Nikko is about an hour and a half from Tokyo. We did it as a day trip.

I agree -- I would base myself in Tokyo and Kyoto, doing daytrips from both. Also, Osaka and Himeji (one of Japan's best castles) are worthwhile daytrips from Kyoto.

Can you return from Osaka or Nagoya, or does your choice of airline require you to backtrack to Tokyo.

I have to backtrack to Tokyo, and I don't believe I have much flexibility to change my flight. That's ok as it allows me to shop on my last day and not drag any purchases around the country :)

I also stayed overnight in Nara and enjoyed it. The hotel that I stayed at was on the way from JR Nara station to the area where most of the sights are, so I just rolled it with me. Instead of returning to Kyoto for the night and then going back to Kyoto station the next morning, I just left from Nara the next morning to go to Tokyo.

I rolled my luggage with me from the station and dropped it at the hotel.

From Tokyo to Kyoto, there's a Shinkansen bullet train called Nozomi taking 2 hours 20min. It runs every 30 minutes or so, but given that it's spring holiday season & Kyoto is a popular destination, I would reserve a seat in advance just in case--several days in advance? You can also change your reservation once, for free. If possible, get a seat facing Mt. Fuji, for nicer view. Nara-Kyoto is a local train (1 hour), and Tokyo-Nikko is another local train leaving from different part of Tokyo. So Nara-Nikko is possible in one day, but you'll be tired, especially given that it will be busy season w/ lot of people.

The Nozomi would be the best train to take but you can't use it with a JR Pass.

If you like to shop, especially at consignment stores and independent stores, you might enjoy staying in the Ebisue area of Tokyo. Your choices there are a business class hotel, called Hotel Excellent (around $100 a night) and some big, fancy hotel. I think the Westin. We loved Ebisu and the surrounding little neighborhoods. Ebisu is about 15-20 minute walk south of Shubiya. We loved Hotel Excellent. It isn't super fancy. It's basic. But the location is superb. I have a bunch of restaurant tips for Kyoto and Tokyo. I posted a lengthy trip report a while back that you should be able to locate. Have a great trip.

Hi

My wife and I went to Japan in May a couple of years back. I have posted a trip report with some pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/japan_tokyo.htm . Maybe you can find some general information that to start with. We went to Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Himeji etc. Get in touch if you have any questions :d

regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Thank you for the advice everyone. This forum is fantastic!

If you can't use Nozomi, I think you should make reservations in advance, as non-Nozomi trains run less frequently (they take a little longer, not much, though, to Kyoto).

I agree that Nara in the late afternoon/evening is very special. I saw it at that time with a few friends and we were the only ones there. It's one of my most vivid memories of Japan. I don't know if the train schedule has changed but we did it as an afternoon trip and took an evening train back to Kyoto.
Also agree that Nikko is an easy day trip from Tokyo.