JoelCairo

Hi,

I know there are lots of these threads, but I thought I still might appeal to the board participants' helpful natures.

I am 40-ish, male, and will be traveling solo. I studied Japanese in school, but have never been to Japan - my Japanese is poor and rusty but not non-existent. I fly into Narita in the evening of Monday, May 19 and fly out of Osaka (KIX) late in the evening of May 31. If I am counting correctly, this essentially gives me 11.5 days on the ground.

My current thoughts run as follows:

1. I am traveling solo, but I would like to return in the near future with my wife. Knowing her, she would probably be less interested in Tokyo and more interested in Kyoto, Nara, and the Japanese Alps. Because of this, I am content to focus a little more time in Tokyo than I would otherwise.

2. I happen to be arriving when the sumo tournament is going on in Tokyo. It seems like to good an opportunity to miss - especially since I am not sure I could drag my wife there.
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3. I am interested in both the "modern" and the "traditional" Japan, but especially in how they overlay each other.

4. I am not much of a nightlife person, but I could certainly enjoy a walk to see the spectacle. One of my favorite activities in cities in general is finding an interesting neighborhood and strolling it, hanging out and getting a "feel" for it. I enjoy light hiking and strolls, but am not really looking for anything serious.

5. I only have 12 days and I am not interested in spending it all on trains and buses. That being said, I do want to get a little outside of Tokyo and Kyoto.

So, putting this all together, here is what I am currently thinking (Day 1 would be May 20, the day after I fly in):

Days 1-5: Tokyo
Day 6: Tokyo. Evening Train to Matsumoto. (Matsumoto)
Day 7: See the castle, poke around Matsumoto a bit, late afternoon train to Magome (Magome)
Day 8: Walk the Nakasendo to Tsumago. Afternoon train to Kyoto. (Kyoto)
Days 9-11: Kyoto. (Kyoto)
Day 12: Morning in Kyoto, Afternoon in Osaka. (Flight out of Osaka ~22:00)

I know this is pretty generic as a first-time trip and it might seem a bit "Tokyo-heavy", but I figure that I will start jet-lagged (and I seem to get hit pretty hard by jet-lag when traveling west) and that future trips are likely to be "Tokyo-light." I wanted to fit in an overnight in Koyasan (my last night seems to be the obvious choice for this) and I still might.

I am considering a day trip to Nikko while in Tokyo, but I am likely to wait until I am on the ground and see how I feel (and how the weather is) first.

After checking on Hyperdia, it seems obvious that a JR Pass is not helpful here.

If anyone has any advice or comments, I would be more than happy to hear them.

Thanks!

JC

kja

Given your stated interests (and thanks for letting us know what they are!), and your plan to return in the future with your wife, I think you've done a nice job in constructing a do-able itinerary! I trust the experts will weigh in with more detailed comments.

Language shouldn't be a problem -- at least IME, being able to be civil goes a LONG way and is all that is necessary.

It seems to me that your biggest challenge will be deciding, with your wife, which parts of the country to reserve for a joint visit and which you can see first to "scope out" in advance. I would think that Koyasan would be a nice place to explore for the first time together. Ditto (if less emphatically) for Nikko. If you do go to Nikko, I recommend an overnight so you can see not only its temples and shrines, but also go to Kegon-no-Taki and catch at least a glimpse of Lake Chuzenji.

Hope that helps!

aprillilacs

For Tokyo I recommend getting a copy of Insight Guides' "Tokyo Step by Step." I found it in my local bookstore, but it is likely also available at www.insightguides.com. It's a small book but includes walking itineraries to many different Tokyo neighborhoods and day trips to surrounding areas. I've followed many of the neighborhood itineraries on two different trips to Tokyo, which has allowed me to comfortably visit areas I might otherwise not even known about. You can easily fill 5 days in the city; if you run out of things that interest you, you can always head to Nikko or Kamakura and Enoshima for the day.

I did the walk from Magome to Tsumago as part of a much longer Nakasendo hike. It's a nice walk that gets you into the lovely countryside. Not sure of the logistics before and after the walk, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the hike. Not too strenuous!

mrwunrfl

There are a lot of these threads, the more the merrier, and yours is quite good, well thought out.

You won't have any issue with language that you can't work around. Just make sure that when they print your train tix that they print it in English (eigo).

You are correct that you don't need a JR Pass. The only shinkansen ride you will have is Nagoya-Kyoto, so I suggest taking a Nozomi for that.

1. The 4+ days in Tokyo makes sense for you. You definitely can make a day trip (or overnight) to Nikko or Hakone.

2. Definitely go to the sumo tournament. You can get tickets at the arena. I will add more about this later.

-- It will also be baseball season

3. Good question. I will give it some thought. The sumo tournament fits this want to some extent.

4. My first thought is Kabukicho if you stay in Shinjuku, just for a stroll. There are other, better, options.

5. As a solo traveler, I quite enjoy spending time on trains and buses. It is an opportunity to interact with Japanese. I have several stories involving this.

You might want to use takkyubin to send a bag from Matsumoto to Kyoto and then take only what you need for the overnight. I understand that there is a service that will send luggage between Magome and Tsumago for Nakasndo walkers.

Am not sure how that afternoon in Osaka will work. You could just stay overnight in Osaka. One or two nights, as you will be returning to Kyoto on your next trip. Then pick up your bag at the Osaka hotel after seeing some of the city and go to the airport from there.

Sue_xx_yy

"See the castle, poke around Matsumoto a bit, late afternoon train to Magome (Magome)"

You can't actually take a train to Magome. You go to Nakatsugawa, and from there take a bus to Magome.

While the Magome-Tsumago hike is not long (we did it in 3.5 hours, and we took our time, had a picnic en route) the bus schedules from Tsumago to Nagiso - where you rejoin the local train line) and the train schedules could make for quite a late arrival in Kyoto. Use japan-guide.com to check bus schedules, hyperdia.com for the train. I think your timing might be a bit tight.

Sue_xx_yy

My bad. I should have checked the schedules myself, first.

You could actually arrive in Kyoto as early as 17:18 if you catch a 14:42 train out of Nagiso (which in turn requires catching a 13:51 bus to Nagiso from Tsumago.) So you have time to hike in the morning from Magome to Tsumago, no problem. However, you do need to consider the problem of getting your bags to Kyoto from Magome.

Do not rely on the bus schedule between Magome and Tsumago, as opposed to the bus schedule between either of those villages and the respective train stations that serve them. In other words, if you are counting on returning to Magome to pick up your bags, you will very likely have to hike it as despite what is posted online, the bus between the villages may not be running. (I have direct experience of this. )

As mrwunrfl points out, you can use the takkyubin service for most of your bags, but that does mean you will have to hike with your overnight stuff in a small daypack - which you may not mind doing. Just know that the hike is steep in some places.

Have fun!

JoelCairo

Thanks all. It helps me to see that I am thinking, more or less, in the right direction.

Do you all know when the baseball schedules will be posted? I would love to get in a game, if possible.

JC

JoelCairo

Also, I did know about the bus from Nakatsugawa to Magome, but I was under the impression that Tsumago to Nagiso was walkable if the bus schedule was not convenient for me.

I hadn't considered using the takkyubin between Matsumoto and Kyoto (although I was planning on using the baggage forwarding service from Magome to Tsumago). I do tend to travel very lightly when I go solo (I use a small bag which can be worn as a backpack) so I wasn't particularly worried about my baggage.

As for Koyasan, the comment above about it being a joint discovery is sort of where I was leaning already.

Thanks again all,
JC

pinkpeony

You can buy a Baseball ticket from below website

This web is official Tokyo dome web so you can buy only Gaiants game in Tokyo dome. They have English page.
www.tokyo-dome

This web doesn't have English page. I'm not sure your Japanese level but I just mention it for you.
You can buy different area game so when you are in Osaka, you can watch the game there.
www.eplus.jp

You can buy a baseball ticket in convenience store in Japan, too.