We will be arriving in Tokyo (Haneda) on a late flight Oct 10 (arr 10:15pm). We plan on spending the first night near the train station - Toyoko Inn Tokyo Shinagawa-eki Takanawa-guchi, so we can get up the next morning and catch the bullet to Kyoto. We will most likely take a taxi from the airport to this hotel. Do taxis take credit cards? About how much will this ride be so we can have some yen on hand upon arrival?

I plan on purchasing my JR Rail voucher for 7 day pass in advance. Will I need to reserve seats or is unreserved adequate? From what I can tell (from hyperdia website) the train runs fairly frequently.

We plan on some days trips so figure the 7 day pass will make the most sense.

We will be spending 3 nights in Kyoto at Ryokan Shimizu, then will return to Tokyo (Century Southern) for 5 nights. Our 6th night in Tokyo will be near Haneda because we have a very early flight home.

I was in Tokyo about 25 years ago for business and remember eating at Curry, Yakitori and Shabu Shabu restaurants. I am looking for some recs for these and other types as well. Could be anywhere from very casual for a quick lunch, to places for a nice dinner (nothing too high end, but a little upscale would be nice for a meal or 2). 'Local', off-the-beaten path places are also welcome, and any "must eats". I need recs for both Tokyo and Kyoto.

I am not much of a sushi eater, but my husband is, and I'm willing to try if really good (and no radiation issues), so recs there as well.

Any other recommendations or advice in general is also welcome.

Thanks.

According to the Taxi Fare Finder, the after 10pm fare from Haneda to Shinagawa will be about ￥5,200 (US$53). There is an excellent alternative -- the Keikyu Airport Express train goes directly from the Haneda terminal to Shinagawa station in 20 minutes and costs ￥400/person; the trains run about every 12-15 minutes, and the last one leaves at midnight. The Keikyu station at Shinagawa is directly across the street from the Toyoko Inn.

If you're only traveling between Tokyo and Kyoto, you might want to consider the Tokyo-Kyoto flexpass, which gives you an unreserved round-trip seat (7-day max) for ￥21,000, which is considerably less than the JR pass. With this pass, you can travel on the Nozomi train, which you cannot do with the JR pass. (Info: http://www.japanican.com/tours/tourd...01TYOOVJOPENTK )

There is also a bus at forty minutes after midnight that goes to Shinagawa Station.....

http://hnd-bus.com/route/nightmorningbus.html#shinagawa

I came in on that plane the end of March and getting through immigration was a very lengthy process - I must say I was surprised as when I came into NRT which was in the afternoon it was fast...don't know if that happens all the time or if I was just lucky... ;-)

DonT, glad you mentioned this, the train schedule I was looking at was on Nozomi train.

What type of train pass make the most sense for a round trip tokyo-kyoto and maybe Nara day trip form Kyoto and Nikka and Hakone day trips from Tokyo?

yes taxis take credit cards but the less expensive modes of transport are mentioned above.

Aloha!

First, you do not "plan" on purchasing the JR pass voucher in advance, you MUST purchase it in advance. You cannot buy the JR pass in Japan. In fact, you cannot buy a JR pass directly. You must buy a voucher outside of Japan and exchange it in Japan.

Second, you need to hop onto the Hyperdia.com site and determine your pricing with and without a JR pass for the trips. It can tell you the Tokyo-Nikko and Kyoto-Nara costs. Using a shinkansen for part of the trip to and from Nikko will save a good bit of time, but cost another 2k yen per leg.

Remember, in Kyoto and Tokyo you can use the JR pass for local transport on JR lines in the cities. Same is true for Osaka if you decide to go there.

Third, the difference between a Nozomi shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo (and reverse) and a Hikari shinkansen is about 20-35 minutes depending upon the scheduling. If your costs come out close to the same, get the JR pass for the extra flexibility outside of the Tokyo-Kyoto round trip.

The JR Tokai Tours package that DonTopaz linked looks pretty good for the original itinerary (in the OP) which didn't mention Nikko and Nara. One problem for you with that package is your plan to go to Kyoto in the morning. The JR Tokai Tours office doesn't open until 11AM at Shinagawa station (10AM at Tokyo). Figure 30 minutes to get the tickets (their estimation) and you wouldn't get to Kyoto until after 2PM.

When you add in Nara and, especially, Nikko then I think the 7-day JR Pass makes sense for you. You won't be able to take the Nozomi trains but the Hikari trains that you can use depart Shinagawa every 30 minutes or so. The JR Pass will give you some flexibility for day trips and save a couple hundred yen on JR trains in Tokyo that you might take.

Office hours for JR Tokai Tours offices are shown here: http://www.japanican.com/misc/openticket_conditions.pdf

I'm also thinking of Kamakura and skipping Hakone/Mt. Fuji (been there years ago). I also have a local Tokyo friend who offered to take us to some of these places by car, but not yet sure of her availability, so not yet sure which trips we'll be doing by rail. Other than Tokyo and Kyoto, all the other trips would be for the day.

Those office hours mess up my plans! If that's the case, I may go a la carte with the train tickets. I want to get to leave Tokyo around 9am, which seems impossible with those office hours.

Thanks for the heads up.

My tentative trips via rail (cost in yen 1 way):
Tokyo>Kyoto - ~130 min on Shinagawa Shinkansen, cost 7980 fee + 5540 seat

Kyoto>Nara - ~45 min on Kintetsu express (690 fee + 500 Seat) or JR Nara Line rapid service (690 fee)

Tokyo>Kamakura - ~ 1 hr, Shinjuku JR > JY Yokosuka > Kamakura (1 transfer) or JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line, cost 890

Tokyo>Nikko ~118-137min, Tobu Asakusa > Tobu Nikko (w 1 transfer), cost 1320 fee + 1300 seat, or Asakusa - Tobu Sky Tree Line Rapid, cost 1320.

This info is from Hyperdia website assuming morning, weekday departures around 9-10am.

In Tokyo, we'll be staying near Shinjuku station (except for arrival night, when we'll be near Shinagawa).

I also just came across the Enoshima Kamakura Free Pass, which may be a good alternative for the Kamakura day trip.

The free passes are great deals,. We used an Izumi pass last year and it made it so simple,
especially since it included the local trains and bus once we got to the peninsula.

I added the fares you listed, which sound correct, and came up with ¥19,040. That would be each way, so total a al carte cost would be ¥38,080 which is a good bit more than the 7-day JR Pass at ¥28,300

The JR Shinagawa office for exchanging a JR Pass opens at 9:00 AM, so that might work for you.

There are two offices at Tokyo station for doing the exchange and they both open at 7:30 AM. It is only 7 minutes and ¥160 from Shinagawa to Tokyo.

http://japanrailpass.net/eng/en009.html

My post should have said ..."IZU" pass...

I counted both the Tobu limited express and rapid trains. Subtract the rapid train and the total is ¥38,080-2640 = ¥35440.

Turns out my Tokyo friend will be taking us to Kamakura so I don't need the rail ticket for that. Also I am reconsidering doing Nikko on my own (vs guided tour). It's a long hall, and to add to it, Asakusa Station is about a 1/2 hour from where our hotel is.

Any tour operator recs for this?

Also restaurant recs, please...

Thanks again.

I thought Nikko very easy to visit on one's own. Just be sure you have a good guidebook. Depending on what you want to see and experience, you can visit as either a very long day trip from Tokyo or spend a night there.

If you are interested in splurging on a meal in Kyoto, I had an excellent meal of French kaiseki some years ago at Misoguigawa.
http://www.misogui.jp/eng/

Enjoy!

In Kyoto Omen is a great noodle shop near Ginkakuji.

<<I thought Nikko very easy to visit on one's own. Just be sure you have a good guidebook. Depending on what you want to see and experience, you can visit as either a very long day trip from Tokyo or spend a night there. >>

Agreed.