Japan Winter Itinerary - 3 weeks
Jul 10th, 2015, 09:33 PM
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Japan Winter Itinerary - 3 weeks
Hi all,
We're planning our first trip to Japan for winter 2016. We'll be travelling between the 19th January and the 6th of February.
I just wanted some input on our current itinerary since we're first timers. There will be 4 of us travelling, myself, my husband, our 16 year old son and my sister in law.
Our current itinerary is as follows;
Day 1 - Fly Brisbane to Tokyo - arrive 7.30pm (spend 1 night in Tokyo)
Day 2 - Travel Tokyo to Hakuba - Shinkansen to Nagano and then bus to Hakuba
- Spend 5 nights (skiing/snowboarding, visiting onsen)
Day 7 - Travel Hakuba to Kyoto - Bus to Nagano then catch the Shinkansen to Kyoto via Kanazawa.
- Spend 7 nights in Kyoto with side trips to Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima and Miyajima.
Day 14 - Travel Kyoto to Tokyo by Shinkansen.
- Spend 5 nights in Tokyo with day trip to Nikko.
Day 18 - Fly Tokyo to Brisbane - Depart 8.55pm.
Day 19 - Arrive Brisbane 7am.
We wanted to try and minimise changing hotels as much as possible which is why we've chosen 3 'home bases'. We want to end the trip with our time in Tokyo as we want to do some shopping while there and don't want to have to carry purchases for the whole trip.
We originally included stays in takayama/shirakawa-go/kanazawa in our itinerary but decided we didn't want to be moving around that much.
We're not sure if we really need 5 nights in Tokyo. Perhaps we could add a night to Kyoto? We're also not sure if it's possible for us to get to Hakuba the night we arrive (either via airport transfer or public transport) considering our flight doesn't land until 7.30pm which is why I've included 1 night in Tokyo at the start.
Any suggestions would be great!
We're planning our first trip to Japan for winter 2016. We'll be travelling between the 19th January and the 6th of February.
I just wanted some input on our current itinerary since we're first timers. There will be 4 of us travelling, myself, my husband, our 16 year old son and my sister in law.
Our current itinerary is as follows;
Day 1 - Fly Brisbane to Tokyo - arrive 7.30pm (spend 1 night in Tokyo)
Day 2 - Travel Tokyo to Hakuba - Shinkansen to Nagano and then bus to Hakuba
- Spend 5 nights (skiing/snowboarding, visiting onsen)
Day 7 - Travel Hakuba to Kyoto - Bus to Nagano then catch the Shinkansen to Kyoto via Kanazawa.
- Spend 7 nights in Kyoto with side trips to Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima and Miyajima.
Day 14 - Travel Kyoto to Tokyo by Shinkansen.
- Spend 5 nights in Tokyo with day trip to Nikko.
Day 18 - Fly Tokyo to Brisbane - Depart 8.55pm.
Day 19 - Arrive Brisbane 7am.
We wanted to try and minimise changing hotels as much as possible which is why we've chosen 3 'home bases'. We want to end the trip with our time in Tokyo as we want to do some shopping while there and don't want to have to carry purchases for the whole trip.
We originally included stays in takayama/shirakawa-go/kanazawa in our itinerary but decided we didn't want to be moving around that much.
We're not sure if we really need 5 nights in Tokyo. Perhaps we could add a night to Kyoto? We're also not sure if it's possible for us to get to Hakuba the night we arrive (either via airport transfer or public transport) considering our flight doesn't land until 7.30pm which is why I've included 1 night in Tokyo at the start.
Any suggestions would be great!
Jul 10th, 2015, 10:47 PM
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"Spend 7 nights in Kyoto with side trips to ... Hiroshima and Miyajima."
I wouldn't have thought of Hiroshima or Miyajima as "side trips" from Kyoto -- for my tastes, it would make better sense to plan on at least one night on Miyajima, and maybe two depending on where you will start and end and what your interests are. YMMV.
"We wanted to try and minimise changing hotels as much as possible which is why we've chosen 3 'home bases'"
That's completely understandable, but might not serve you well given the places you want to see. One of the things I loved about traveling in Japan was its baggage forwarding option, which made it SO very much easier to change hotels with some frequency! Again, YMMV, but if you haven't already considered this service, called "takuhaibin," you might want to give it some thought. It also means that you don't have to wait until the very end to buy gifts.
And that means that you don't necessarily have to end in Tokyo....
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html
"We originally included stays in takayama/shirakawa-go/kanazawa in our itinerary but decided we didn't want to be moving around that much."
These places are well worth seeing, but I don't think you have time unless you seriously restructure your itinerary.
"We're not sure if we really need 5 nights in Tokyo. Perhaps we could add a night to Kyoto?"
Your call -- do you want more of modern Japan (Tokyo) or traditional Japan (Kyoto and Nara)? As I see it, your plan, as outlined above, gives you about 3 days in Tokyo (there are 4 days between 5 nights, less 1 for Nikko) and 3 days in Kyoto / Nara (there are 6 days between 7 nights, less 2 days for Hiroshima and Miyajima and less 1 day for Osaka). That's WAY less time than I wanted in Kyoto / Nara (I spent 6 full days in that area and wish I had had more time there), but it really depends on YOUR interests.
Hope that helps!
I wouldn't have thought of Hiroshima or Miyajima as "side trips" from Kyoto -- for my tastes, it would make better sense to plan on at least one night on Miyajima, and maybe two depending on where you will start and end and what your interests are. YMMV.
"We wanted to try and minimise changing hotels as much as possible which is why we've chosen 3 'home bases'"
That's completely understandable, but might not serve you well given the places you want to see. One of the things I loved about traveling in Japan was its baggage forwarding option, which made it SO very much easier to change hotels with some frequency! Again, YMMV, but if you haven't already considered this service, called "takuhaibin," you might want to give it some thought. It also means that you don't have to wait until the very end to buy gifts.
And that means that you don't necessarily have to end in Tokyo....http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html
"We originally included stays in takayama/shirakawa-go/kanazawa in our itinerary but decided we didn't want to be moving around that much."
These places are well worth seeing, but I don't think you have time unless you seriously restructure your itinerary.
"We're not sure if we really need 5 nights in Tokyo. Perhaps we could add a night to Kyoto?"
Your call -- do you want more of modern Japan (Tokyo) or traditional Japan (Kyoto and Nara)? As I see it, your plan, as outlined above, gives you about 3 days in Tokyo (there are 4 days between 5 nights, less 1 for Nikko) and 3 days in Kyoto / Nara (there are 6 days between 7 nights, less 2 days for Hiroshima and Miyajima and less 1 day for Osaka). That's WAY less time than I wanted in Kyoto / Nara (I spent 6 full days in that area and wish I had had more time there), but it really depends on YOUR interests.
Hope that helps!
Jul 11th, 2015, 08:46 AM
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Kja has said exactly what I would.
Completely understand your desire to minimise changes, but it's good to balance that with giving yourself enough time in places like Miyajima and Nara to enjoy them.
There is plenty plenty plenty to see in Tokyo, but on a purely personal note, I found I wanted more time in Kyoto, especially when you are including Nara, Hiroshima and Miyajima in your Kyoto allocation. So yes, if it were me, I'd take a night or two from Tokyo and add it to Kyoto, and do an overnight in Miyajima, and an overnight in Nara (potentially two, in either, if you like).
Completely understand your desire to minimise changes, but it's good to balance that with giving yourself enough time in places like Miyajima and Nara to enjoy them.
There is plenty plenty plenty to see in Tokyo, but on a purely personal note, I found I wanted more time in Kyoto, especially when you are including Nara, Hiroshima and Miyajima in your Kyoto allocation. So yes, if it were me, I'd take a night or two from Tokyo and add it to Kyoto, and do an overnight in Miyajima, and an overnight in Nara (potentially two, in either, if you like).
Jul 11th, 2015, 11:01 AM
#4
Your itinerary is a good one for a home-base type traveler.
First night in Tokyo is the right thing to do. You can't get to Hakuba that night. It would be possible but risky to try to get to Nagano that night.
The January grand sumo tournament in Tokyo ends on the 24th.
First night in Tokyo is the right thing to do. You can't get to Hakuba that night. It would be possible but risky to try to get to Nagano that night.
The January grand sumo tournament in Tokyo ends on the 24th.
Jul 11th, 2015, 12:14 PM
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Mrwunrfl is correct, this itinerary is good for a group of four. That way, some people can stay behind while others go on excursions for the day. I like to travel that way as well, especially in Japan.
That being said, you might tweak your itinerary a bit here and there, depending on your interests. I do have two sons, and one likes temples and the other is bored with them. Are you sure your son would like Kyoto at all? And no, I don't think five nights is too much is Tokyo, as you can find day trips and fun stuff to do from there. My non-temple son loved the Odaiba area of Tokyo, which includes the Fujii tower, a Panasonic museum, and a Toyota showplace. Besides going to sumo tournaments, there are also baseball games around. You get the idea--lots of guy stuff.
I know alot of the Kyoto-lovers here are going to bash my statement here, but you might want to skip Kyoto, and substitute Nagasaki. It's my favorite city in Japan, and a good base to explore other sites in the area, and there are loads of temples there too. In any case, you have a good strategy here with the three bases.
That being said, you might tweak your itinerary a bit here and there, depending on your interests. I do have two sons, and one likes temples and the other is bored with them. Are you sure your son would like Kyoto at all? And no, I don't think five nights is too much is Tokyo, as you can find day trips and fun stuff to do from there. My non-temple son loved the Odaiba area of Tokyo, which includes the Fujii tower, a Panasonic museum, and a Toyota showplace. Besides going to sumo tournaments, there are also baseball games around. You get the idea--lots of guy stuff.
I know alot of the Kyoto-lovers here are going to bash my statement here, but you might want to skip Kyoto, and substitute Nagasaki. It's my favorite city in Japan, and a good base to explore other sites in the area, and there are loads of temples there too. In any case, you have a good strategy here with the three bases.
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