Tokyo - Hakone - Kyoto - Tokyo
 

Hi Everyone, my first time posting. Question regarding transportation through the cities in Japan. We're planning to go to Japan for 1 week in spring of 2008. We'll fly to Tokyo first, then want to spend a night near mt. fuji, then 2 nights in Kyoto and then back to Tokyo for the rest of the week. What is the easiest and most convenient way to travel with this schedule?

By Japan Rail (JR) for most of it.

For getting from the airport to your hotel, ease and convenience would mean getting a limo bus from the airport directly to your hotel. Other options are by JR train or another company's train but the convenience factor would depend on where your hotel was.

For ease and convenience then for your Hakone trip you have three options:
1) Japan Rail to Odawara and then Odakyu train or bus.
2) Odakyu train from Shinjuku, convenient if you are staying in Shinjuku. And then bus, train in Hakone N.P.
3) Bus tour. If you can find a bus tour/package that picks up at your hotel and includes a night's stay then that might be most convenient.

For getting between Tokyo and Kyoto the best way is by the JR shinkansen.

By "1 week", what do you mean exactly? You arrive at Narita airport on Sunday and leave there on Saturday?

JR has a 7-day rail pass that can save you some money but you would sacrifice some ease and convenience (but not much).

How important is the ease/convenience? If travel cost is $250 and easier and more convenient costs $100 more would it be worth it?

khlvay,

mrwunrfl gives great advise as usual.

You might want to check these sites out for some detailed information on the transportation via rail in Japan. The JR train system is very easy to use.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5206.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018.html

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/tr...ion/index.html

Aloha!

Thank you so much!!

Your spring Japan trip sounds just like ours! We will be there at the beginning of April and plan to do 3 days in Tokyo, a day or two in Hakone, and 4 days in Kyoto. We will take the train back to Tokyo for our flight home. We plan to purchase the 7-day rail pass, but we won't use it the first few days of our trip.