santamonica

We had some great responses from y'all on beaches in Japan. Our boys are 15 and 13. Any suggestions on this schedule? Is Ogimachi a good idea? Not enough time in Koyoto? Is the rail pass a good idea?
july 4: Narita (Holiday Inn)
july 5,6: Hakone (Fujiya Hotel)
july 7,8: Takayama (Antique Inn Sumiyoshi)
july 9,10: Ogimachi (Koeman)
july 11,12,13: Koyoto, w/day trip to
Nara (Hirota Guest House)
july 14,15,16,17: Tokyo (?)

Florence

Bonjour Santamonica,

By all means, try to be in Kyoto between 10 and 17th for the Gion Matsuri, culminating in the parade on the 17th. There's a lot to enjoy, by day or night.

http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/visitkyoto/...kyoto_city/02/

http://www.kawamata.com/GionMatsuri2003.html

http://gojapan.about.com/cs/japanese...otogionfes.htm

angethereader

I'm so happy to see that you are staying at Hirota Guest House while in Kyoto.
We stayed there for five days in March and she was a wonderful host.
Use her for planning your days, she will tell you the best route and even what bus or subway to take.
Are you staying in the cottage out back?

angethereader

We ate breakfast at Cocofu - which is a couple of blocks east - a couple of times. The food was good and they charge 530yen for a cup of coffee, but 640yen for breakfast including a cup of coffee. The food was good. They are attached to a bakery and the smells...
Also, one of our best dinners was at the Spanish restaurant - Antonino's - which is another block or so east of Cocofu on Nijo Dori (your street!). We had tapas one night and some excellent Spanish wine.
I cannot remember the name of the French restaurant, but we ended up having another wonderful meal on our last night. If you go east on Nijo-dori until the road does a little jog, the restaurant is right there on your left.
Please post after you get back.

mrwunrfl

I'm not sure how to read the dates of your itinerary. Are those dates the nights that you would spend in each place? I understand that you intend to stay the night of July 4 at the Holiday Inn at NRT. Then on the 5th you plan to go to Hakone and spend two nights there? Then on the 7th you go to Takayama for two nights? Is that how to read it? Then you fly out of Tokyo on the 18th?

Visiting Ogimachi, Shirakawago is an excellent idea. One night there would be enough. You could go from there to Kanazawa or on to Kyoto for the night.

You could go to Hakone on the day of your arrival and then spend two nights there. Unless you have your two days in Hakone planned out you could make it a one-night stop, going there from Tokyo or Narita on the morning of the 5th. That is, I am suggesting that if you go to Hakone on the 4th, spend two nights there otherwise spend one night.

You should get a 14-day JR Pass for this trip.

angethereader

I agree with mrwnrfl on the JR pass.
The freedom of always having a pass and not having to figure out tickets at each stop saved lots of time.
Have fun.

santamonica

Thanks for all the good advice. Is it too hard after the flight from DC to get from the airport to Hakone? Is the Flower Palace worth $287 per room ve $127 foreigner rate for another room at the Fujiya Hotel? I'll try this afternoon to get reservations in Kyoto (hope it's not too late with the festival). Great advice on Kyoto places, Ogimachi, and railpass. Do any of you have Tokyo hotel suggestions? Thanks again!

angethereader

If you did not yet reserve Hirota Guest house, call today. Her English is very good. Reserve the cottage in the back. That way you can have your own bathroom, tiny, tiny kitchen. Our son slept downstairs in the common room (with the tokatsu) and we had the small room upstairs.

mrwunrfl

Getting to Hakone from Narita Airport is not exactly easy. It is good that you would choose a regular hotel because you would be getting there too late to enjoy a ryokan (plus the western bed after the long flight).

You could use your JR Pass to take the Narita Express to Tokyo, Shinagawa, or Shin Yokohama and then a shinkansen (Hikari or Kodama) to Odawara. From Odawara you would take a bus for 30 minutes to get to the Fujiya Hotel.

The trip from NRT to Odawara would be about 2 hours, maybe a bit less.

We would need to know the bus schedule that would get you from Odawara to Miyanoshita where the hotel is. It's last run is probably not very late (9PM?).

Here is a WAG at the time frame involved, without looking at schedules. Arrive at 4PM, got bags by 5PM, got JR Pass by 5:30PM, on Narita Express at 6PM, arrive Odawara 8PM, catch bus and arrive at hotel by 9PM.