Transportation and itinerary help
 

We are planning a few days through Japan prior to getting on a cruise April 23, 2017. This is our itinerary :

Arrive Tokyo late afternoon, spend the night
Train to somewhere for two nights ( this is where we need help)
Then train to Kanazawa for three nights
Train to Kyoto for four nights
Train to Tokyo three nights
Train to Yokohama port, board ship

We can't decide where to go for the two nights between Tokyo and Kanazawa where travel time will be the shortest. We considered Nagano for the Snow Monkeys but it is off season from what I have read, I looked into Tokoyama but the train route seems long for two nights, and I was advised to take two buses to Kyoto as opposed to the train.
Another idea might be to do day trips from Tokyo because we will have more time later to see the city itself. Can we day trip to Nikko?

Any ideas? Also, where can I pick up the bullet train between cities? Will a train pass cover any of my travels, inner and outer city's?

Thanks,
Alison

<<Can we day trip to Nikko?>>

Yeah, you can also do that on your three nights in Tokyo.

<<Also, where can I pick up the bullet train between cities? Will a train pass cover any of my travels, inner and outer city's?>>

You can't pick up a bullet train, they're exceedingly heavy. As for what portions of your travels are covered by the shinkansen, the answer is - a good bit.

Tokyo to Kanazawa = check.
Tokyo to Kyoto or reverse = check
Tokyo to Yokohama = you betcha.

Kanazawa to Kyoto = notsomuch, but there's an express train that will get you from one to the other in a bit over two hours.

Train passes can cover a lot of your travels. Just search around about the right one. In all likelihood, a two-week JR pass will do it. No Nozomi shinkansen with that pass, but there are others.

<<We considered Nagano for the Snow Monkeys but it is off season from what I have read.>>

What means "off season" - the monkeys live in their monkey park. Do you mean it's closed to the public? That's possible, but seems a bit late in the year for that to be true. And it's a bit of a pain to get to the park from central Nagano. You may be better off seeing the little monsters somewhere else - perhaps Arashiyama area of Kyoto.

Matsumoto would be a good stop especially if you want to see a great castle, but the train connections to Kanazawa aren't as good as you'd think - seems the limited express from Matsumoto to Nagano and the fast shinkansen from Nagano to Kanazawa don't align too well. But if you don't mind the layover (30-45min), it'd work. And, of course, train schedules change so this could resolve itself. Check the hyperdia.com website.

Consider leaving Tokyo immediately upon your arrival so you can eliminate one change of hotels.

4 nights is not much for Kyoto. Consider adding a night there.

Kanazawa is often paired with Takayama; IMO, an ideal stay is 5 nights for the pair, 3 nights in Kanazawa and 2 nights in Takayama; YMMV.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5900.html

I'm not sure where you got advice to take 2 buses to Kyoto, rather than a train, but it really depends on what your route is, what pass you have (if any), etc. Please consult hyperdia or jorudan; here's info on how to use those two sites:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2323.html
Also, check the "Getting there and around" tab (just click on it) for japan-guide's page on Kyoto:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2158.html

Yes, Nikko can be visited as a day trip from Tokyo, although I was glad that I spent a night there because I also wanted to see Kegon-no-Taki, a bit of Lake Chuzenji, etc.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3800.html

For other day trip options from Tokyo, scroll down through "outlying areas" and "side trips"
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.h...tion_whatToSee

I think you would do well to do some serious research with japan-guide.com -- the single best resource on traveling in Japan anywhere.


@BigRuss: Re: the bullet trains -- ;-)

<< I was advised to take two buses to Kyoto as opposed to the train.>>

I didn't even catch that.

Two buses from where to Kyoto? Tokyo? Kanazawa?

Who came up with that daft idea? If you have a JR pass (and you should), you take the train because it's quicker and direct and you can usually set your dang watch by Japanese trains.

Look: you need to familiarize yourself with the japan guide, which is excellent, and with hyperdia.com.

alisonmary, Takayama is not far from your route. Tokyo to Kanazawa goes via Toyama which is only 90 minutes from Takayama. The other route from Tokyo to Takayama goes via Nagoya which is about 2.5 hours from Takayama. The ride on the Takayama Line from Nagoya to Takayama to Toyama is scenic.

Your extra time cost, including transfer time, to visit Takayama would be 4 to 5 hours.

Whether or not you need a JR Pass (for inter-city travel) would depend on where you go for those two days and on what day-trips or side-trips you might take from Kyoto, if any.