Japan Itinerary - 12 days, solo traveler
Feb 4th, 2007, 06:22 AM
#21
Join Date: May 2004
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kat,
Here is another vote for Nara as a day trip from Kyoto.
We did a day trip from Kyoto and we were in Nara a little over 5 hours which was enough time to walk and shop from the JR station through the town to the the park. Walked around the park and feed the deer. Visited the large Buddah and temple and watched a blessing by some monks.
Walked around for a while, then took a rickshaw to the opposite park entrance(near the Kintetsu train station).
There is a small mall there where we shopped and ate some lunch.
We then walked around the other side of town making our way back to the JR station to catch a train back to Kyoto.
We could have easily spent a night there though as Nara is a very beautiful and the cherry blossoms were just starting to bloom in the park.
Be sure to take the express and not the local from Kyoto station. The express stops ant every fourth stop or so and will only take about 40 minutes whereas the local will stop at every stop and take over an hour to reach Nara.
Either way don't miss Nara.....it is a very special place!
Aloha!
Here is another vote for Nara as a day trip from Kyoto.
We did a day trip from Kyoto and we were in Nara a little over 5 hours which was enough time to walk and shop from the JR station through the town to the the park. Walked around the park and feed the deer. Visited the large Buddah and temple and watched a blessing by some monks.
Walked around for a while, then took a rickshaw to the opposite park entrance(near the Kintetsu train station).
There is a small mall there where we shopped and ate some lunch.
We then walked around the other side of town making our way back to the JR station to catch a train back to Kyoto.
We could have easily spent a night there though as Nara is a very beautiful and the cherry blossoms were just starting to bloom in the park.
Be sure to take the express and not the local from Kyoto station. The express stops ant every fourth stop or so and will only take about 40 minutes whereas the local will stop at every stop and take over an hour to reach Nara.
Either way don't miss Nara.....it is a very special place!
Aloha!
Feb 4th, 2007, 12:08 PM
#23
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Kat,
I thought your original plan was pretty good, modulo adjustments to when you do Nikko to make best use of a rail pass. Rather than commute to Narita airport from Tokyo on your last night, you might consider staying in Narita itself--it's an old temple town.
I disagree with the posters who suggest Nara as a day trip from Kyoto--I might almost go so far as to reverse that and suggest making Kyoto a day trip from Nara. Nara was the capital before Kyoto and many of its sights are extremely ancient; they are also far less crowded and more pleasant to visit than most of those in Kyoto. It also has a major museum.
The hall of the Great Buddha at Todaiji is the largest wooden building in the world (though only 2/3 the size of the original), but the really interesting things are the outlying temples up the hill--the picturesque nigatsudo (on stilts) and the sangatsudo, which dates to around 850 and houses magnificent statues (no photos allowed). The neighboring Tamukeyama Hachimangu shrine is picturesque, too. There's a road of restaurants and souvenir shops just past this.
The deer park is of little interest, but it houses the Kasuga Grand Shrine, which is attractive (especially in the fall and, I imagine, the spring). On weekends there'll be lots of families with kids in traditional dress doing ni-san-go ceremonies at the Kasuga shrine. Outside the park is the Kofukuji (ji means temple) which has many ancient halls and statues and 3- and 5-story pagodas; there's a classic view of the 5-story pagoda from the nearby Sarusuwa-ike (ike means pond).
There's another pond (Sagi-ike) with nice views on way to Shin Yakushiji (shin means new--it was founded in 747). This temple is not that interesting from the outside, but houses really spectacular statues (again, no photos allowed).
The top sights of Nara, in my opinion, are the ancient temple complexes just outside the town. Horyuji has the oldest wooden buildings in the world (7th century), Toshodaiji has the "supreme example of Nara temple architecture" (the kondo) and the only example of Nara palace architecture (the kodo), while Yakushiji's pagoda is from 730. You can do a circuit of these three in a day.
Uji is between Nara and Kyoto; it contains the Byodoin (one of the most famous and beautiful buildings in Japan), the Ujigami jinja (oldest shrine building in Japan), and is the scene of famous battles and of the final chapters of Gengi monogatari (the world's oldest novel, and one of its greatest--written by a woman, by the way). It's also famous for tea, and you can sample and buy it there.
I should add that these sites repay a bit of preparation--old temple buildings look like wooden shacks if you haven't read up a little beforehand.
I thought your original plan was pretty good, modulo adjustments to when you do Nikko to make best use of a rail pass. Rather than commute to Narita airport from Tokyo on your last night, you might consider staying in Narita itself--it's an old temple town.
I disagree with the posters who suggest Nara as a day trip from Kyoto--I might almost go so far as to reverse that and suggest making Kyoto a day trip from Nara. Nara was the capital before Kyoto and many of its sights are extremely ancient; they are also far less crowded and more pleasant to visit than most of those in Kyoto. It also has a major museum.
The hall of the Great Buddha at Todaiji is the largest wooden building in the world (though only 2/3 the size of the original), but the really interesting things are the outlying temples up the hill--the picturesque nigatsudo (on stilts) and the sangatsudo, which dates to around 850 and houses magnificent statues (no photos allowed). The neighboring Tamukeyama Hachimangu shrine is picturesque, too. There's a road of restaurants and souvenir shops just past this.
The deer park is of little interest, but it houses the Kasuga Grand Shrine, which is attractive (especially in the fall and, I imagine, the spring). On weekends there'll be lots of families with kids in traditional dress doing ni-san-go ceremonies at the Kasuga shrine. Outside the park is the Kofukuji (ji means temple) which has many ancient halls and statues and 3- and 5-story pagodas; there's a classic view of the 5-story pagoda from the nearby Sarusuwa-ike (ike means pond).
There's another pond (Sagi-ike) with nice views on way to Shin Yakushiji (shin means new--it was founded in 747). This temple is not that interesting from the outside, but houses really spectacular statues (again, no photos allowed).
The top sights of Nara, in my opinion, are the ancient temple complexes just outside the town. Horyuji has the oldest wooden buildings in the world (7th century), Toshodaiji has the "supreme example of Nara temple architecture" (the kondo) and the only example of Nara palace architecture (the kodo), while Yakushiji's pagoda is from 730. You can do a circuit of these three in a day.
Uji is between Nara and Kyoto; it contains the Byodoin (one of the most famous and beautiful buildings in Japan), the Ujigami jinja (oldest shrine building in Japan), and is the scene of famous battles and of the final chapters of Gengi monogatari (the world's oldest novel, and one of its greatest--written by a woman, by the way). It's also famous for tea, and you can sample and buy it there.
I should add that these sites repay a bit of preparation--old temple buildings look like wooden shacks if you haven't read up a little beforehand.
Feb 4th, 2007, 07:14 PM
#24
Join Date: Mar 2004
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Kat please follow up with how the trip went. My daughter graduates highschool in May and she wants to go to Japan as her graduation present (rather than a car). We have traveled to Europe a bit and around the US, but never to Asia. I am really curious to know what your experience tells you. From the sound of the forum folks I think it will be fantastic.
Feb 7th, 2007, 03:32 PM
#25
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Thanks again everyone. I've made some adjustments to my initial schedule though I will stick with an overnight in Nara. I'm also considering some day trip options from Kyoto.
Tokyo/Nikko - March 17-21
Kyoto - March 22-26
Nara - March 27-28
Tokyo - March 29-30
Regarding booking a seat on the train ahead of time, is it possible to do this online?
Sward030, I'll definitely share my experiences when I return.
Thx everyone,
kat
Tokyo/Nikko - March 17-21
Kyoto - March 22-26
Nara - March 27-28
Tokyo - March 29-30
Regarding booking a seat on the train ahead of time, is it possible to do this online?
Sward030, I'll definitely share my experiences when I return.
Thx everyone,
kat
Feb 7th, 2007, 03:38 PM
#26
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No, you can't book train seats online anywhere. If you are buying tickets for each trip and you want to reserve ahead, JTB can do that for you 30 days ahead of time...they will charge a fee for the service. You can also purchase tickets right before boarding, or even after boarding if you are in a huge rush (just buy a cheap ticket to anywhere on a machine to get through the gate, board the train you want and pay on board). Seat reservations can be made at the time of purchase if available, or you can purchase a ticket with no reservation..price difference is about 500 yen.
If you are using a JR pass, you can reserve seats for no charge when you exchange your voucher...or you can reserve as you go along, or not reserve at all.
If you are using a JR pass, you can reserve seats for no charge when you exchange your voucher...or you can reserve as you go along, or not reserve at all.
