Kyoto and Tokyo itinerary Dec/Jan
 

Hi,
Would very much appreciate advice for a first tome visit to Japan.
Dec 20 Arrive Tokyo. Overnight at airport
Dec 21 Train to Kyoto
Dec 21 -29 Kyoto with day trips to Osaka, Hiroshima
Dec 31 Train to Tokyo
Dec 31 -Jan 6 Tokyo with day trips?
Jan 7 Return home

Would you agree with this schedule and do you feel that a bullet train back to Tokyo on Dec 30 is doable or would Dec 30 be better?
Thanks so much for your advice

According to Hyperdia there are plenty of trains both days, but this suggests that Jan 1st might be better: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2276.html

There's no airport in Kyoto. It's either Osaka-Kansai or Osaka-Itami.

Happy Travels!

I agree that Nara is superb and, depending on your interests, it would be a better day trip from Kyoto than Osaka. In fact, I'm glad I spent 2 full days in Nara!

I also agree that an overnight in Hiroshima -- or perhaps even better, Miyajima -- is worth considering.

If you haven't already seen it, I encourage you to spend lots of time -- LOTS! -- with japan-guide.com

Enjoy!

I personally wouldn't consider Kyoto to Hiroshima a day trip from Kyoto as it takes over an hour and a half to get there on the Nozomi Shinkansen. I was just on the Nozomi Shinkansen going from Tokyo to Fukuoka, where I am now, and remember the stop in Hiroshima. It would probably be best to overnight there.

Happy Travels!

Yes, I am aware of that. But KIX is a d*** sight closer to Kyoto than is Narita or Haneda. And no one has ever complained that Narita isn't in Tokyo, which in fact it is not, and therefore shouldn't be referred to as "flying into Tokyo",

@ thursdaysd: :tu:

lol -- I get criticized all the time for choosing to spend a night in a place that is even 2 hours away from what could be a base!

When I was planning my first trip to Japan, over three years ago, and people were mentioning to fly into Kyoto, it was confusing as at that point of my planning I was thinking that there was an airport in Kyoto only to find out that the airport was either at Osaka-KIX or Osaka-Itami. I ended up flying from Haneda to Osaka-Itami and then taking a van for over an hour and a half to Kyoto. I only mentioned that there's no airport in Kyoto due to the OP and possibly other newbies out there being NEW to planning a trip to Japan and hopefully not causing any confusion to those who might possibly be reading this thread and who might not be "aware of that". It was not to be critical of you, etc. Period.

Happy Travels!

Kja: Who is criticizing anyone? And I didn't write my comment with an exclamation point ( #11-Quote). The OP has posted an itinerary and asked for opinions of which there have been several. That's all.

Happy Travels!

It's an easy day trip. Take the 7.20 am Hikari Shinkansen (or a Nozomi if you don't have a JR Pass) and you'll be in Hiroshima by 9.05. Visit the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Park and Museum, detour via the Shukkeien Gardens on your way back to the station, have a late lunch and get the train back to Kyoto in time for tea.....

If you want to go to Miyajima, then it's preferable to stay overnight.

Not if you do some minimal research. Getting from KIX to Kyoto (one hour twenty by train) is about equivalent to getting from Narita to Tokyo (just under an hour by train), did you find that confusing?

FWIW:

• I did not say that anyone on this thread criticized me.
• I did not criticize any one.
• I did not mean to suggest, in any way, that you should not offer your opinion. As I've said many times, I believe people benefit from a wide range of comments -- vive la difference!
• I simply made a comment about what struck me as an ironic situation.
• I did not mean to add an exclamation point to your words -- I failed to delete the one that followed "Happy Travels"
• I wish you well, Guenmai, and wish you many wonderful travel moments.

Hi RNigel,

I am planning a trip similar to yours, focussing on Tokyo and Kyoto. I briefly considered going over the new year but eventually decided on January instead. I did look into travelling over the New Year period and read on another forum and that train travel on 31/12 was best avoided as it was likely to be very hard to get reservations and standing room only on very crowded trains was alomost certain. 1/1 apparently is likely to be much quieter.

I offer some unsolicited comments only because our plans seem very similar.
I agonised long and hard as to what day and overnight trips to add. This is our second trip to Japan so in some respects we are covering places that we visited 12 years ago.
1. I did consider Hiroshima/Miyajima as a two night stay but decided that an Onsen experience was what we really wanted so we are spending two nights in between Kyoto and Tokyo.
2. We may well take a day trip from Kyoto to Hiroshima. Two hours each way on the train is no longer than my daily commute was into London so no big deal, but everyone has different travel tolerances.
3. Nara is easy day trip from Kyoto but werent overly impressed on our last visit there and don’t feel the need to return. In contrast, we spent 5 days in Kyoto and felt we shortchanged the place, hence the desire to return.
4. We have 4 days in Tokyo which is one more than we would have liked but that is the way the JR Pass worked for us. We will most likely take a day trip to Nikko where we haven’t been before.

@crellston - Interesting that you weren't impressed with Nara. I spent a three (?) nights and had a good time. Some of that was an interesting saki tasting with conversation with locals. But also houses in town, gardens, and a couple of temples out of town. Can't say I cared much about the deer.

I agree that 5 days is very little for Kyoto, but like thursdaysd, I found Nara a delight -- particularly the temples just outside of Nara in Ikaruga, including Chugu-ji and Horyu-ji. In Nara itself, the sculptures in Kofuku-ji's treasure hall are some of the most beautiful I saw anywhere in Japan; the National Museum holds some amazing work, well signed in English and with an intent to inform about the evolution of Japanese art; the stone-lantern lined walkway to Kasuga-taisha is, IMO, glorious; and the views from some of Tōdai-ji's outlying halls are stunning. I spent 2 full days in Nara, and could easily have used more time there. In fact, for me, Nara was a highlight of a highlight-filled trip.

I'm very glad I spent a night in Nikko so that I had plenty of time for it's temples, as well as time for Kegon-no-Taki, a short walk along Lake Chuzen-ji, and a stroll through the Kanmangafuchi Abyss.

RNigel - I just noticed some missing words in my post above. I meant to say that we are spending two nights in Kinosaki Onsen in between our time in Kyoto and Tokyo.

Thurs & kja. What can I say? Sorry but Nara just didn’t do it for me although to be fair it was 12 years ago so my recollection may be a little hazy. it just doesn’t stick in my mind the way that Kyoto, Takayama and Koyasan do. I do recall a very nice minshuku we stayed at, run, somewhat surprisingly, by two English guys from Birmingham and their Japanese wives. Much sake was consumed!

thanks for the tips on Nikko kja. sadly time does not permit an overnight stay but I shall look up those places you mention

Dec 20 - Which Tokyo airport and at what time are you arriving? You could probably fly to Osaka for less than US $100 the same day or the next.

Or,, you could take the train to Shinagawa and find an inexpensive hotel, as good or better than an airport hotel, for the night of the 20th. You have to take at least two trains to get from the airport to Kyoto and you will be passing through Shinagawa. From there, you would just take one train, the shinkansen, to Kyoto.

My following comments are based on a visit at any "normal" time of year. Your visit is at a time of high domestic travel coupled with limited hours and closings at businesses and sights that would be of interest. For example, there would be not much point in going to Hiroshima if the museum is closed.

You've got 8 full days and two part-days in Kyoto. You've got 6+ days for Tokyo. If you have a good plan on how you will spend that time, ok. If not then I think it is too much time in both of those cities for a first time visit.

Instead of 8 and 6, I think 5 and 4 would be better, but it depends on your interests. If I had spent 5 full days in Kyoto on my first trip to Japan then I think I might have felt that I shortchanged the rest of Japan outside of Tokyo an Kyoto. My stay in Kyoto was 2 or 3 nights and I did realize that I shortchanged it. But, I think I made it up with my two night stay in Matsuyama where I fell in love with Japan.

There is much more to Japan than Tokyo and Kyoto. You could add stays in smaller cities or at locations that give you some experience with the abundant natural beauty of Japan. By "natural beauty" I am including the people as well as the landscapes. I believe that your experience would be enhanced by getting out of the big cities of Tokyo and Kyoto. Spending a night in Nara would be just one simple example of such an enhancement. It was one on my first trip.

I love that people have such different experiences and reactions, and that we are able to share and learn from each other without needing to agree with one another. :tu:

:tu:

Kyoto and Tokyo Itinerary Dec/Jan
 

Thank you all very much for your excellent responses and suggestions.
I apologise for my tardy post but have been offline for awhile.
I like the ide of reducing the time in Tokyo and Kyoto, but my wife is an Architect and she will thrilled at seeing as many Japanese architecture and shrines as she can. we will of course take day trips also, but I would like to explore going from Kyoto down to Naoshima and it looks like the Benesse museum will be open over the holidays. I am hoping that getting down there by train from Kyoto on Jan 1, 2 03 will be doable and then getting the train back to Tokyo Jan 5th
The more I, (this is a total surprise for my wife and will not know our destination until she is on the plane) look into this, the more I see and hear of places I should be looking into for one two or even three day trips
Thankss again to everyone

Interesting, as I would think that an argument for more time in Kyoto than in Tokyo. And an argument to keep your number of moves to a minimum, as time in transit (as interesting as it might be) is not time spent admiring architecture or any thing else. JMO.

Crellston
well we are in the middle of our first trip to Japan and this is what was decided on:

tokyo five nights
kyoto four nights
Takanatsu two nights
naoshima two nights
hiroshima two nights
kyoto four nights (day trips Osaka, Nara etc
fly home

so far so good.
i stumbled upon Shinkansen agency for booking tickets and they were incredibly efficient.
good luck with your plans
cheers