Susanita25

Good morning,

I have reservations at the Nagoya Marriott (I am using my points awards) and I will be arriving at Narita (I am using AA awards) at 2:35 pm, and leaving from Narita to Beijing 4 days later at 10:40 am.

Big questions:

1) Shall I take a train (JR pass, of course) from Narita to Nagoya or shall I spend the night in Tokyo at the New Otani?

2) Shall I take the train from Nagoya to Narita or spend the night before departure in Tokyo at the New Otani?

3) I can change the Narita departure time to 5:50 pm but that means getting into Beijing at 8:30pm, how bad is this?

I am stuck with the Marriott choice and the AA flights.

Thanks a lot. I did try to research this but cannot come to a satisfactory answer.

Susana

curiousgeo

I can't imagine why you would have to stay in a distant city like Nagoya, reward points or not. I spent several weeks in Nagoya once for work and can't recall very much about that city which I would consider appealing from a tourists viewpoint. Nothing against Nagoya, its just that there is so much more to see and do in Tokyo and its surrounding areas, like Nikko, Kamakura and Yokohama. Since you are already considering up to two nights in Tokyo, why not just stay four rather than shuttling back and fourth? That is what I would do anyway.

mrwunrfl

I don't understand. You are "stuck with the Marriott choice" but are wondering whether to choose to stay at the New Otani on arrival and/or departure from Japan?

Would you be staying at the New Otani for free with your awards?

Or is it that you have three award nights and are trying to decide what to do for the fourth night? And on the day that you don't use an award you would pay for the New Otani? Is that it?

3) You could take either of those JAL flights to Beijing. That later one means, of course, that it will be dark. And if it is winter then it will be cold and dark. I forget how long it took to get from the airport to Beijing, but guess it is about 90 min. So, you might be in your room at 10PM or so Beijing time which is 11 PM Japan Time. Is that right? If you are travelling from the US, then I would wager that you would be ready to hit the sack at 10PM Japan Time.

I don't think that you would be able to make it to NRT from Nagoya to make the 10:40 AM flight.

You can't use the JR East pass to get to Nagoya (for sure not on the shinkansen). So, you would spend about 27000 for tickets to Nagoya or 28000 for the 7-day JR Pass.

NRT to Tokyo costs 2000 to 3000 each way, say 5000 roundtrip. So, it will cost you an extra 22000 yen to get from Tokyo to Nagoya and back so that you can stay at your free hotel. You are willing to spend 25000 for one night at the New Otani? That means spending 47000 yen plus your 3 free Marriott nights for 4 nights in Japan.

mjs

I agree with CG and MRW. I do not understand these travel plans either. Could you please explain with further details as to why you wish to do things this way?

Susanita25

Good morning,

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experiences with me. My selection of Nagoya (besides the Marriott availability-it is free after all) is because a)proximity to Kyoto, Nara, the Miho museum and the Japanese Alps b)I am not into shopping or food and I hear that Tokyo is very similar to New York c) I am into nature and quaint or unusual surroundings, I may want to see cormorant fishing (Gifu?) just for curiosity d) I THINK THE JR 7 DAY PASS will allow me to jet(train) set anywhere in Japan, including from Narita to Tokyo, etc. AM I Wrong?

I do appreciate your advice. Thank you.

Susana

Florence

Bonjour Susanita,

Addressing your points

a) If you want to visit Kyoto and Nara, you had better stay there than train from Nagoya. There is terrific nature to be seen around Kyoto for a 45 minutes bus fare (less than Yen 500), like Ohara or Sagano. Getting to the Alps from Tokyo (Chuo line from Shinjuku to Matsumoto, for example) or Kyoto (Shinano line, platform 0, 08 h 35 direct to Matsumoto) is really easy and (relatively) not much longer than from Nagoya.

b) I've always heard Tokyo compared to New York, but never by New Yorkers who have actually visited Tokyo. There are still lots of traditional areas, temples, old houses, parks, crafts, museums and the pace of life is definitely Japanese, not Western. Are there "bonsai azalea festival" downtown, where people go by bicycle to buy their plants, or "Morning glory markets" in New York ? http://www.tcvb.or.jp/en/events/event_0407.html

Did they also recreate a Edo era bath town "Oedo Onsen Monogatari" ? ;-) http://www.tcvb.or.jp/en/hot/sizzling/0302/onsen.htm

c) If you're into nature, you'll see more of it in and around Tokyo than Nagoya.

d) you're perfectly right. It's a great bargain that allows you a maximum of flexibility.


Have a great trip and enjoy yourself.

deptrai

I'm a liitle confused with your itinerary, but the Nagoya Marriott is a fabulous hotel. It is extremely convenient as well...directly above Nagoya Station. The only thing of interest in the immediate area is Nagoya Castle.

In Tokyo there is a New Otani Inn and a New Otani Hotel. You want the hotel.

Dave

mrwunrfl

Ok, Susanita25, so you do have a plan for visiting Nagoya and it includes travel to Kyoto (and elsewhere). In that case, you are correct that the 7-day JR Pass is what you need.

Note that there is a Renaissance Hotel in Gifu that is a category 4 like the Nagoya Marriott. The Nagoya hotel sounds good if it near JR Nagoya station. It is only an hour by train to Kyoto. And you can get some nature and quaintness up the Kiso valley (e.g. Tsumago). You basically have three days to do your touring. It is ambitous but doable. You would have to hit the ground running, though, while coping with jetlag.

1) Straight to Nagoya
2) The New Otani or other hotel (maybe one at the airport) if taking the morning flight.
3) The later flight gives you more time in Japan and you would have more time to get to the airport from a farther distance (like Nagoya).

mrwunrfl

New York and Tokyo have approximately two things in common:
1) they are both mega-cities, among the largest in the world
2) Godzilla (Gojira) has visited both.