Tokyo and Kyoto Itinerary Questions
 

Hello -

I am a 35 year old single female and I am planning my first trip to Asia. I was actually planning a trip just to Thailand but when I found out that I had a layover in Tokyo I decided why not take advantage of the "free" trip to Tokyo. So, I actually hadn't even planned to go to Tokyo, then it turned into how about staying a couple of days, now I up to spending a whole week and have decided to visit Kyoto as well...you only live once . I'm using my United FF miles for the trip and currently my ticket is on hold. My current plan is to arrive at Narita on 4/17 at 3:05 PM and depart on 4/24 at 10:00 AM from Narita.

I plan to spend 5 nights in Tokyo (incl arrival day) and 2 nights in Kyoto - the evening of 4/17 and all day 4/18 in Tokyo and then spend 4/19, 4/20 and the morning of 4/21 in Kyoto and head back to Tokyo the afternoon on 4/21 and remain in Tokyo until my departure on 4/24. I have a few questions:

1. In order to minize train travel, can I just spend the first couple of days in Tokyo and then go to Kyoto and then catch an early morning train from Kyoto to Narita in time to catch my 10:00 AM flight to Bangkok? Or is it best to go to Narita from Tokyo?

2. I plan to get a 7-day JR pass, do you think I need it?

3. Is 2 days in Kyoto enough, should I spend an extra day?

4. Does Kyoto have a vibrant nightlife? The Ryokans that I am considering (Shimizu or Rakucho) have an 11 PM or 12 AM curfew, since I will be traveling alone I don't plan to be out until the wee hours of the morning, but I don't want to feel like Cinderella rushing home before midnight either. So I'm not sure if the nightlife in Kyoto is lively or not and thus the curfew may not even be an issue because there is nothing to do in the evenings.

I'd appreciate any feedback that you can provide.

Thanks!

IMO, you need more time in Kyoto to make going there worth it. You will spend a lot of time getting out of Tokyo and getting to Kyoto and settled in at the hotel (this really takes a half day), so you would only end up spending an afternoon (assuming you get up early and go from Tokyo) and 1 full day there now.

What time of day is your departure? You can check Al Nippon and Japan Airlines and see what their scheudles are from Itami airport (the domestic airport in Osaka) to Narita, and see if there is enough time to deal with taking the train or limosine bus from Kyoto to Itami (1 hr), be in Itami in enough time for your flight, and the flight itself, and get to Narita in time to connect to your departing flight. It may just take too much time and hassle; it can even take more time than just taking the train from Kyoto to Tokyo or Shinagawa stations, and then the Narita Express to Narita. I tried to plan this on my last trip with a noon flight out of Narita and was unable to do it- I would have had to get a 6 am limo bus from Kyoto to Itami (and if I missed it I was dead as next one would not have gotten me to the flight in time for the mandatory 1 hr checkin time at Itami), and even if I made the limo bus, if my flight from Itami to Narita had been late I would have missed my flight out of Narita.

Getting to Narita can be tricky on departure day by train (w/JR pass)also, although it can be done if you have late afternoon (2:30 or later).
departure. Remember you gotta make the connection from shinkansen to the Narita Express.

Kyoto does not have nightlife like Tokyo. In the central area the restaurants and shops are opne til 9-10 pm. I am sure there are some nightclubs (perhaps up by the university), but I didn't see them or go to them. You might check www.japan-guide.com's forum (younger audience) for info on that, or www.virtualtourist.com

Thanks for the info, its very helpful. It looks like it would be better for me to go to NRT from Tokyo rather than Kyoto so I'm going to head back to Tokyo the day before my deparature. I am also going to add a day to Kyoto so that I'll spend 4 nights in Tokyo and 3 nights in Kyoto.
Days 1-3: Tokyo
Days 4-6: Kyoto
Day 7: Tokyo
Day 8: Depart Tokyo for 10:00 AM flight

I am going to see if I can get a later flight on day 8 in order to give me more time to get to NRT.

Thanks!

If you can get a 3 pm or so flight, you'll have no trouble getting from Kyoto to Narita on departure day.

If you have to go back to Tokyo the day before departure, and you decide you want another day in Kyoto on that day, you could wait til later in the day to travel and then just stay in Narita town by the airport that night. Personally, I would not stay in Tokyo the night before if my flight was at 10 a.m. YOu're going to have to be at the airport by 8 a.m. and it generally takes two hrs. to get from your hotel to the airport from Tokyo. I'd stay in Narita close to the airport the night before instead.

Just fly into Osaka Kansai airport, spend the time in Kyoto, and then fly on to BKK from KIX.

We should point out that Asia (Japan, Thailand) is a bit different from Jamaica.

Looks like ANA has a nonstop from KIX to BKK. Thai has three nonstops and one flight that goes via Fukuoka.

Your flight to NRT is from Chicago. Is your travel originating there, or where?

Interesting. Jamaica is the only country I have ever visited that I have no wish to return. Take my advise therefore with a grain of salt. I suspect that it is diffficult to change your routing due to the use of FF miles. If there is a Star Alliance flight with ANA or Thai out of Osaka to BKK it would make your itinerary easier. If you cannot change your flight routing I would come up from Kyoto the night before your flight to BKK and stay at a airport hotel for your next day early departure.

Hi - I think your revised itinerary looks perfect for a first trip to Japan. I live in Tokyo and can say there's no problem getting to the airport for a 10 a.m. flight. It would be much more interesting to spend your last night in Tokyo rather than at an airport hotel. Kyoto is not famous for nightlife, but of course Tokyo is. Hope you have a great time.

Wow, thanks for the great recommendations. My flight originates out of NY with a connection in Chicago and then on to Tokyo. I'm using United FF miles so I'm flying United to Tokyo and then Thai Airways from Tokyo to Bangkok.

emd - great suggestion about getting a later flight. I was able to get a 4:55 PM flight from NRT to BKK so I'll just go straight from Kyoto to NRT.

Thanks for all your help!

It would be easy enough to change the routing, if seats are available. Yes there is in fact Star Alliance nonstop service from Osaka to Bangkok, as I mentioned, via ANA and Thai.

ANA has nonstop service from New York JFK to Tokyo Narita. This would be better than taking United via Chicago. You would be able to fly ANA with your United miles.

The ANA flight has a convenient connection from Narita to Osaka Itami. An option would be to purchase that segment separately and fly to Osaka on the day you arrive in Japan. Then take the train back to Tokyo and to Narita to continue on the FF award ticket.

Thai has a nonstop BKK-JFK that would be nice for the return.

If you decide to keep your current arrangements to fly out of Narita later in the day, look into taking the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Shinagawa station and switching to the Narita Express there, instead of going to Tokyo station. Shinagawa is a small station, and you can make a connection in 10 min. or more easily there. It is just one short flight of stairs between the Shinkansen platform and the Narita Express platform at Shinagawa. However, at Tokyo station it is a long haul btwn. the two tracks and you need much more time to make the connection.
And don't forget that you must have a reserved seat for Narita express. Last time I just got a reservation very quikcly at the window at Shinagawa station a few min. before the Narita express came.

It would be easier, take less time, and a lot cheaper (re train costs) to just fly out of KIX in Osaka rather than going back to Tokyo though, as others have said above.