KimJapan,

OK, dont't mind spending first night in Osaka. So, only the three nights at the Kyoto Hotel is not that bad. Four would be better, but a longer trip from the airport that first night after a long day on the plane. It does sounds like a nice hotel. But, I think this might work too.

The big deal for us is trying to stay in an area that has some restuarants, neat shops, etc within walking distance for evening outings especially. We love to do that! Poster rizzuto on 4/5&6/2004 said that the Gion area is close as well as other spots. I know we will have to use taxis etc not only for distance, but to save time for many sites. Kyoto is a big city and things do look real spread out.

Thanks for the web site and you effort! I will look it over. I'm sure it will be useful.

Are you on the Sapphire Princess cruise. Just saw an article about it. Osaka to Seattle with a few nice stops.

mrwunrfl:

Yes, we will be on the Sapphire Princess in April. We had so much fun on the Nov Beijing to Bangkok, we booked this one before we got home.

JBT just informed me we have our four nights at Kyoto Hotel and for much less money than the three I had booked on my own, also cheaper than the Granvia.

We will definitely do the day trip Kyoto-Himeji-Nara-Kyoto now. Husband is looking forward to the bullet train ride. The ship will be at the Tempozan Pier. Now, if I can figure out the name of the closest train stop, I can figure the JR pass issue.

I also need to find out about train service in Muroran to Lake Toya and to Noboribertsu. We have found we can rent a car in Muroran. One of the guide books said driving in that part of Japan was much easier. We have driven on the left many times before. Suggestions?

Tempozan is the port area where the Osaka Aquarium is. There is no JR station so to speak....you'll need to take subway if you want it to be a train. If you pack light, no problem. If not, I'd recommend a taxi from Osaka station. The Tempozan area is quite nice....been twice to the aquarium and to have a look around. The giant ferris wheel is kind of cool.

http://www.tourism.city.osaka.jp/en/...raction/tempo/

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=48898

might both be useful for you.

You didn't book it through BETC, did you? For the benefit of the others on this thread: this cruise is Osaka - Pusan - Vladivostok - Sapporo - one or two stops in Alaska - Seattle. I think that's the order.

So you would be arriving at Muroran for your Sapporo/Hokkaido stop? That would probably be the very end of April, first few days of May, wouldn't it. What is the big, big, Japanese holiday season around that time? You'd be leaving Osaka before that time, but might be in Hokkaido during it, so you are probably not booking too early.

How long will you have in Hokkaido? I think it would be ok to drive up there, I don't know. I took the bus from Noboribetsu onsen to Toyako and then down to Toya station. I was suffering jet lag, maybe a bit road weary, so I didn't enjoy the ride as I might have on another day. Nice country out there, for sure.

Your DH isn't insisting on taking ALL of your bags, including your cruise stuff, to Kyoto, is he?

Mrwunrfl:

Of course he is! He man-handles the stuff and knows the drill. I haven't been able to change that even after Bangkok!

I'm not sure what the letters stand for. We booked this cruise while we were on the Royal in Nov. I now deal directly with Princess, airlines, etc as my long time TA retired a couple years ago, hence all the questions.

You are right about the ports plus Nagasiki. We will dock in Muroran on April 30. Don't need hotels, just transportation around Muroran area. Don't think we will go to Sapporo. Though the ship is offerring two day trips, one own your own and the other escorted. Think we would rather see some or the bueatiful scenery on our own steam.

Isn't there a train stop closer to the Tempozan area than Osaka station? Maybe on the loop line? Looks like it on the map.

The closest subway stop is Osakako (Osaka port) on the Chuo (green) line. This involves changing trains once from the main JR line to etiher a private line or the subway lines, and at least once more to get you to Osakako. You could take a train from Kyoto to Osaka, then change to the loop line. The Osaka Loop line will get you to Bentencho, then you need to get on the Chuo line subway for two stops to Osakako. Or, you could take a train to Osaka station, change to the subway system directly and change subway lines once to get to Osakako. Without luggage, fine to do. With luggage, I wouldn't do it. Stairs, people, station gates...I'd take a taxa from in front of Osaka station.

There is a map on page 6 of the Osaka practical travel guide from the JNTO:
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/RTG/PTG/pdf/pg-505.pdf

The map shows the Tempozan Passenger Terminal, the Ferris Wheel, Osakako station, and the Hyatt Regency.

"Osakako" can be used in hyperdia to search for schedules and routing. From Nara or Osaka you could get to Osakako with one stop at Bentencho, as Kim mentioned. From Kyoto you would go via Osaka and Bentencho.

When searching with "Nara" at hyperdia, note that on the Search Conditions page that you have to select the Starting Point drop down to select NARA. When searching, "Nara" becomes "NARAI" on that page by default.

If you are talking about packing all of the stuff you need/want for the whole cruise trip into two pieces of luggage that would fit into JR station coin lockers then I am impressed at your ability to pack light. It is also unnecessary because of the luggage shipping and storage available in Japan (if cost is an issue then justify it with the savings from JTB and your desire to travel comfortably and without hassle). It defeats one of the best aspects of cruising: you can visit several places while handling your luggage and unpacking/ packing only once. So, the clothing that you will have available to wear in Vladivostok or Noboribetsu or Seward is going to depend on, be restricted by, what you can carry from Kansai airport to Kyoto. I suppose you have tried those arguments. One that your husband has is that it would be unacceptable to get to the port and find that your shipped bags weren't there (if that happened, the stuff could be forwarded to Nagasaki or Muroran). You are going to be having laundry done on the boat a couple of times, I guess.

When you get to Kyoto station, you should make sure that your luggage fits into the small lockers as well as the large ones as you might find that only the small ones would be available at Nara.

In Kyoto, I stayed at the Gion Hotel. I arrived at Kyoto station at night and the taxi ride from Kyoto station to the hotel was uneventful. On another occasion, in the afternoon, I took a taxi from the station to the hotel and it got gridlocked in traffic on the east side of the river. The driver indicated that I ought to walk the last couple of blocks through Gion to the hotel and I agreed.

If you'd like to see a picture of the stairs at JR stations, go to www.billk.org, click on the lower button on the left, and on the next page scroll down and click on the photo at the bottom.

I chose to skip Sapporo, too. Will need to keep an eye on the cherry blossoms. If they bloom early in Hokkaido then you might be able to see them.

Thanks guys for all the information!

No, I don't think our bags will fit in a station locker or even several. The checked bags aren't that big, but bigger than Rick Steves ideal size. No way around that with the cruise. They aren't very heavy. My Husband has carried both up and down stairs many times. Even in the US many B&B's have only stairs. I can manage the two small bags usually. Otherwise he looks like a buro!

To make things as simple as possible, we will use the airport bus to Kyoto and then a cab to the hotel. That's not much different than what we normally do.

Back to the ship from Kyoto, there are seveal options based on your informatiom:
1. Taxi to station, train to Osako, change to Bentencho then taxi to ship.
2. See if we can get transfer on the ship's bus that leaves from Kyoto Rhiga Royal and take a taxi to hotel. There may be space available, but we won't know till we get to Kyoto. Hence, we need a back up.
3. I contacted a taxi company about a trip to the ship. They were offering Y4400/hr service. The port information said Kyoto was an hour by expressway. So anything around $120-$150 US would be as good as the ship's deal and easier since that would be at the time we wanted and door to door so to speak.

We will do the other day trip round trip Kyoto so no luggage problem there.

The JR 4 day pass is not much of a savings. There is a fee to mail the voucher to me and we still have to buy an up grade for the airport exp train, if that is what we use to Kykto. It is not good for reserve seats, though not sure that is a big dael for us. Husband wants to ride the bullet train to Himeji, though back to Kyoto through Nara woud be OK. Yes, I had figured out about Nara and Naria. The two plus hour trip for 30 miles the first time!

I hope we get a peak at the cherry blossoms in the north. It would be ashame to miss them both places. I hadn't even thought about seeing then in the north till I read another post, though!

Thanks for all the help! This is going to be a great trip. All the comments and suggestions enabled me to keep the problems at bay on our last trip. I always had a back up plan thanks to this board!

Hi, CWN.
My family is also on the Sapphire Princess Osaka to Seattle! I found your post trying to confirm from where in Osaka the ship leaves! Thanks for the info on Tempozan! :)

If you don't have all your travel plans figured out already, maybe this site will help. We live in Japan and I use it all the time to figure out what trains to take.
http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/

See you on board! :)

Hi, cs_japan,

Glad you are on the cruise. It ought to be neat! It is a great way to get to the US.

Where in Japan do you live? How are you solving your luggage problem? The car service I contacted wanted $400 for the trip to the pier! I'm not sure where the Y4400/hr was for. Guess we use the train and take a taxi from Osaka station or check on a taxi from Kyoto after we get there. I have desided against the ship transfer-think it will just waste the day! It did in Beijing in Nov.

What are you doing in Muroran? Have tried to rent a car, but haven't had much luck!

We live in Tokyo. We had intended to move back to the states this spring so the cruise was our trip home. Now we've extended for 2 more years but I wasn't going to give up the cruise!

We haven't booked anything for Muroran yet. I'm thinking of either Mt. Usu or the Sapporo on your own. I'm not big on tour buses... plus we're bringing our kids and if they're having a bad day, I just can't see subjecting a whole bus load of people to putting up with them. Maybe a rental car is a good idea.

I'm looking at shipping our luggage directly to the pier, but haven't gotten as far as any prices yet. My Japanese is pretty much limited to directing a cab driver to my house, so my husband's admin is checking on it. I'll post again when she gets back to me.

Have you asked the Hyatt if they will store your extra luggage while you are in Kyoto?

Hi,

In the final plan, we are staying at the Kyoto Hotel the whole time before the cruise and using a shuttle service to get from the airport to the hotel. We will go by train to Himeji one morning to see the castle. The rest of the time we will wonder around Kyoto. Sounds like a great place to explore. When I really looked at all the options that was the best for us. Plus it takes care of the luggage issue till we need to get to the ship.

I could see if the hotel could ship the luggage the night before, but don't know where to ship it too or how we would find it after we got to the ship. Do you have any details on that? My husband would be really upset if we lost our luggage!! But sending the luggage ahead would be the easist way. As we would like to visit Nara that day before going to the ship.

I understand people ship luggage ahead all the time in Japan, but this is a very different concept for us. Especially given the luck we have had with airlines keeping up with our bags!

I agree with you about the ship's tours. We like to do things on our own. We can see much more or what we like generally. I have a travel agent checking on things for Muroran. I have had no luck on the internet. The ships tour to Lake Toya area is the most interesting to us, but... I will let you know if I find out anything.

From what we found out, the pier is unable to accept the luggage shipment. Our revised plan is now to go to Osaka on the 22nd. That way we can ship the luggage to the hotel. Let me know if you find out anything different.

There is a neat pamphlet put out by the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau called BusNavi. It has a “fast transfer chart” which contains columns for "where you are now" and for "where you want to go." Where the rows/columns intersect the chart shows what bus or train you should take to get to your destination. It also has a large map of the bus routes/temples etc. on the back

I found it online as well, but it doesn't print out as large as the actual chart we picked up in Kyoto. The online one is only 8.5” x 11”, the actual flier is about 1.5 x 2 feet. Your hotel or an information booth should have one. Here are the links just so you can get an idea of what to look for:
(2 pages)
http://www.city.kyoto.jp/kotsu/broch...navi_en_p1.pdf
http://www.city.kyoto.jp/kotsu/broch...navi_en_p2.pdf

Hi,

Thanks for the luggage info. That is basicly what Princess told me when I called the main office in CA. They have been wrong before, guess because they are here and have no first hand knowledge of some things oversaes.

Ok, so I am back to taxi or some other transfer service arranged for at our hotel, Kyoto Hotel, using the Princess bus from their hotel in Kyoto or using a train & taxi/subway conbination on our own. The last might work if we can control the amount of luggage and my husband can handle it on the trip. That will have to be seen!

I have been told by a Kyoto contact that the taxi from Kyoto to the pier is ~Y13000 and MS taxi service has quoted Y28040, that is a big difference, so not sure the frist is accurate. Since the ship wants $190, either would be alright. We would like to see Nara bebore going on the the ship. can't do that with the ship option.

Haven't heard anything on the contact I have out for Muroran. A car seems ideal, but the US agency will not deliever to the pier or send the address in Japanese. Not sure how easy it would be to find the rental place without something in Japanese for the taxi ride.

As beautiful as the area sounds in the liturature, it is hard to believe there are no local day tour groups/guides!

Thanks again for the luggage info.

WE ARE ALSO TRAVELING TO OSAKA IN MID APRIL AND BOARDING THE SHIP. WE WERE THINKING OF STAYING AT THE HOTEL NEW OTANI. IS THIS HOTEL CENTRALLY LOCATED?
WHERE CAN WE ARRANGE FOR A CAR TO TAKE US TO THE PIER PRIOR TO LEAVING THE STATES? WE WOULD LIKE TO GO TO KYOTO AND NARA. PLEASE HELP WITH INFO ON GETTING AROUND. ARE THERE TOUR COMAPNIES THAT OFFER DAY TRIPS? WE DO NOT SPEAK JAPANESE. WE NEED ASSISTANCE AS THIS IS OUR FIRST TRIP TO JAPAN

Hi,

Read through this posting, you will see most of our plans- this is our first trip-no Japanese either. I will write a longer response on Fri -my two grandchildren 3 and 4 are staying with me right now. I should have my sanity back by Friday afternoon!

Where are you planning to stay? How long? We picked Kyoto- it seemed most interesting and if necessary we can use the ship's transfer on the 23rd.

Hi! - We are also on the Sapphire Princess cruise from Osaka to Seattle, April 23. There is a very active Roll Call for this cruise over on the CruiseCritic.com message board - why don't you all come over and join in and say hello to your fellow PAX? CWN has been posting - and I see cs_japan and NH are also on this cruise! I have most of my Shorex planned, I am however, waiting to hear from the Pusan GoodWill Guide Assoc. and also haven't decided what to do in Muroran. I would appreciate any help in contacting someone local to drive/guide us around Pusan and also Muroran. I understand the day we will be in Muroran, April 30 is the start of the big 5-day Holiday - will this be difficult for a private drive? Should we "swallow it" and take the Princess Bus Tour?? Anybody care to pass an opinon on what the roads and resorts will be like on that Saturday in and around Muroran and environs.?
Any thoughts on a "Hot Springs" bath experience? Any recommendations as to where?? Sorry this is SO long ---such a lot of questions.. I appreciate any/all help and info. GotToCruise (aka Renee)

That will be the beginning of Golden Week.

As far as hot springs go, one of the best onsen in Japan is not far from Muroran. Take the JR train from Muroran to Noboribetsu and then catch the bus to Noboribetsu Onsen. Go to the Daiichi Takimotokan hotel where they have nice onsen baths.

The train ride is 40 to 100 minutes and the bus ride is about 15 minutes. If you get off at the bus station then you can get a map of the town and directions to the Daiichi (dye eechee) hotel at the office in the station. It is uphill on the main road through town from the bus station. When you board the bus you can tell the driver where you want to go and he will drop nearby. There is probably a stop at the Daiichi hotel. Read up on how to go about enjoying a bath at an onsen. Should be quite busy.

HI,

Renee, Hi, as you figured out I'm the cwn on the CC board. This is a wonderful group on this board. They have hepled us on several trips! I knew about the several big holidays. just hadn't realized that might be the reason for so much trouble with the car rental and the cost of the only private car and guide I found. That was for an all day trip to the Noboribetsu Spa area for close to $1000 for two! It might be fun to do the hot tub experience for the PM, but really want to see some of the county side- Lake Toya area. Found someone's trip report on day trip from Muroan to Noboribetsu to Lake Toya and back by train/bus. Sounded beautiful! This area doesn't seem to be visited as much by tourist especially English speaking, said he found no who could talk to him. Our friend who was there in 70"s said it is fabulous county!

HN- we are doing our own thing in Kyoto, using trains, taxis and good maps. There is a site, JNTO that has tons of info and Hyperdia has train schedulas. Everyone has said the trains are easy to use. Even one Kyoto guide service I contacted said we would use the train and taxis as they were better than a car! To me the best option for this area of Japan is the Goodwill guide service. They will meet you at you hotel or the train-tourist station and spent the day showing the town's sights. Go to Goodwill guide Japan and read about it. We used A Korean GWG in Pusan and a friend used one in Nagasaki last fall. It is a great service. I know we had no trouble in Nagasaki last fall with taxis and buses on our own. We will also get the hotel to write the places in Japanese for us. We are going to Himeji by train on Wednesday and probably meet a good will guide for the Castle, then we have a reseveration for the Imperial Palace on Thursday morning. I want to go to the Toji-ji market as soon as we finish the Palace tour. It may be a little late as I think the market's offical hours are something like 7-3or4. Wednesday late , Thrusday late and all day Friday we will vivit a few of the places that sound really interesting maybe get a taxi for half the day. My husband can get burned out on shrines and temples very fast. He would rather just walk around, explore of the beaten path, try the subways, people watch and sample the different food. On Saturday we will go to Nara and on to the ship probably using a train, taxi combination. Depending on how the luggage works out, will determine how this day works out. There are lots of half and full day tours, visit the Tourist sites on the Internet. To me, they seem very costly and limiting for our interest. Go to the Cruise Critic Board and meet the group. See you on the ship!