Hello Japan experts,
I took my son on a fantastic tour of Japan when he was 11, staying in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara. Now he is 21 and spending a university quarter in Kyoto with a host family. He speaks quite good Japanese! He has asked me (mom) to come to Japan in June to celebrate this achievement. I know this is not the best time for weather but this is what I must do (we then go to Seoul where I will spend a few days and he will spend the summer working). I am not planning on a Japan Rail Pass because my son won't have one and I am not sure it is worth it for this trip. Question #1--I arrive at 3:10 pm at Narita and want to go to Kyoto as quickly as possible. Should I take the train to Tokyo station and get a train that evening to Kyoto, or stay at a Narita hotel and deal with getting to Kyoto in the morning (seems to me a better idea after a very long flight and cheapish to stay at Narita but then I have to take the train at rush hour to Tokyo?)? My son will have seen and done almost everything in Kyoto and Osaka so I will be on my own for a few days, and I do not speak Japanese. I have seen all the major tourist sights and want to see the more hidden gems for 3-4 days. I may try to go to Miho but it is a bit of an undertaking. Question #2--please suggest some of your favorite less known places for mom to go in Kyoto. I love museums and interesting gardens (I love Ryoan-ji!) Question #3: After Kyoto, my son suggested we go to Nikko, and then back to Tokyo with a day trip to Kamakura. I have read the threads on Nikko and I know they finished the construction, but wanted to ask if there were other suggestions, especially since I will be with a Japanese speaker. Question #4: Is Kamakura definitely just a day trip? Last time we went to Nara instead and loved it (stayed at the Imperial hotel). I am open to different ideas and am not trying to run around 12 hours a day, but more enjoy this experience with a 6 foot 3 inch blond Japanese speaker! Thanks and gozaimasu!

I should have said that we have 4 or 5 days to spend on our travels between Kyoto and Tokyo, between about June 21st and 25th or 26th. Also, one more Question #5, where is the best beef in Japan, Kobe or ? Thanks!

What airline will you use to get to Narita Airport?

Am not sure what to suggest if you getting to Miho is intimidating to you. I found some detailed directions there:
http://www.miho.or.jp/english/inform/train.htm

With that arrival time, I don't see any reason to stay in Narita. I would want to fly from Narita to Osaka. 2nd choice would be train to Kyoto. Maybe 3rd choice to go to Shinagawa for the night near a shinkansen station. Or maybe Yokohama.

I am flying on Air Canada to Narita. I was wondering if I should try to get a flight to Osaka. I will look into that. I would like to get to my hotel for the next 5 or 6 nights. I probably will get to Miho--it was the length of time to get there I am not sure I should invest.

Kanazawa would be a good choice for the time between Tokyo and Kyoto. IME, you can get more depth to your visit there if you are with a Japanese speaker. That would depend to some extent on the depth of your son's knowledge of Kanazawa, of course, so I suggest that he do some study of the place before going. It would be worth his time in any case.

Your flight is from Vancouver, I think. That is operated by AC and is an ANA codeshare. It connects to an ANA operated flight to Osaka Itami (ITM) that is an AC codeshare.

That flight might cost US $100 or $196 at fly-ana dot com. You probably can get that flight using FF miles (AC or other Star Alliance partner).

The trip would have two tickets, but they are codeshare partners on both flights, so I'm pretty sure that you would be able to check bags through and be protected if you miss the connection. The connection time is a generous 2 hr 50 min. You can call Ac about that. You would, of course, tell AC about the ANA flight when you check in at YVR.

>>it was the length of time to get there I am not sure I should invest.

Oh, that's the issue. Others have done it and loved it.

mrwunfl you have clearly earned your name. Thanks so much!!!!

Thanks for the Kanazawa suggestion. I have been looking at so many places and while Nikko looks interesting it seems on the beaten path.

WE arrived in Narita at 2:55 pm a month ago. Even including having dinner at Tokyo station, we were in our hotel in Kyoto by 8 pm.

mrwunfl, I have bought a ticket on the ANA flight you suggested for $134. According to AC there is still some risk in the connection but AC Flight 3 from Vancouver averages 27 minutes late when late, so I decided to try. There is a baggage agreement between CA and ANA but it may depend on the whim of the baggage clerk when I check in at 4:30 am at LAX. All this to fly Business! Silly me.
Thanks again.

You are decisive. Maybe I should have mentioned yesterday the downside to flying. You still have to get from Itami to Kyoto.

The whole trip, with the long layover, flight, and bus? to Kyoto, the trip will take longer than going by train. The money cost is about the same.

The train trip would be easy enough. You would get a reserved seat on the Narita Express and then transfer to the shinkansen at Tokyo or Shinagawa.

Yes, Tokyo station will be busy, but the transfer is the same with or without all of the other running around.

OTOH, this is the point where I think flying is easier and requires less brain cells. You just find the bus counter, get a ticket, go outside and wait for the bus.

Here is the timetable:
http://www.okkbus.co.jp/en/timetable/itm/t_kyt.html
If you scroll down then you will see that the buses in the evening make additional stops beyond Kyoto station. It would be a bonus if one of those gets you to/near your lodging.

In either case, flying or train, you would be able to send luggage from Narita Airport to your Kyoto lodging using the takkyubin service. You will have your bags in hand after I&C even if they were checked through to ITM.

I recently made the connection at NRT to ITM and had 90 min to do it. Long line at immigration but I still had time to use takkyubin (I didn't) and get to the gate.

If it's within 24 hours, you could cancel & refund that ANA ticket. At $100 or for miles, I would think of it as a throw-away if I wanted to change my mind, but $134 is pushing it for me.

Did you pay $ or miles for that AC ticket via Vancouver?

That NRT-ITM flight would cost only 5,000 United MP miles!

That is if it is available and I would expect it to be available. I used such an award once and there were no taxes to pay!

Hi, I am flying business class on miles all the way to Narita, which is why I am bothering with the Vancouver leg at all. No mileage tickets are available on the Narita-Osaka hop (I checked online and with Mileage Plus), and I would not want to risk not having a ticket on that one single flight option. I haven't paid yet--I have until Thursday! I have done the train to Tokyo twice before and I thought it would take too much energy, not to mention the Kyoto shinkansen connection! I would rather make it to Osaka with a few more brain cells, as you aptly put it. Plus I don't think I am buying a Rail Pass because it won't pay (we are still forming plans, though). I see from your bus schedule that I could catch a 20:05 or 20:40 bus after my 7:25 arrival at ITM and take it to Kyoto City Hall, which is a 6 minute walk from my current hotel (cancellable--the Royal Park). How exactly does the luggage service work and how much does it cost? Thanks for this priceless info! Also, have you been to the Himeji Yukata Festival? It is the only festival I can find that I might be able to make. Thanks again!

You should find the address here:
http://www.rph-the.co.jp/kyoto/en/
The first Language option on that page is Japanese, so you could also get the address in Japanese, tho not really necessary.
'
Here is info:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html

A yukata festival sounds like fun.

I asked about how you paid for the ticket because if it is an award then you might be able to add the ITM flight to the award. That would probably cost more than buying the ticket unless you had status that would waive the change fee.

I am surprised that you could not find an award for the ITM flight. I would call though I think it would likely be in vain. I assume you searched for 1 ticket.

>>I haven't paid yet--I have until Thursday
It is good to know that they are still flexible with those fares.

I tend to underestimate the difficulty of finding a hotel that is "6 minute walk" away. You won't do that.

I am inclined to let the ANA ticket go for now and keep monitoring, because they are pretty explicit about the number of seats available. I can keep monitoring mileage seats. But there are no Narita-Osaka direct flights at all offered for miles, currently. I called and asked to add on the Osaka leg but no dice.

You are right that late at night after a long journey the hotel may be hard to find. If I miss the bus that goes to Kyoto City Hall or have other problems I can take a taxi. But the hotel looks very close to the City Hall.

Miho Musuem closes for the summer after June 18th! That may be decisive.

Stay tuned! Thanks

Richmond Hotel Utsunomiya Ekimae was the destination. I didn't take the walking directions, map, or GPS. But "ekimae" in the name means 'in front of the station', so how hard could it be to find?

mrwunrfl, because of you I am now very knowledgeable about this topic. The clincher was when I skyped with my son and he said Narita immigration took 2 hours. As a result, I rechecked mileage available flights and was able to change the entire trip to LAX-SFO-KIX with the long leg in Business, thus solving the entire issue. Now I will figure out the train from KIX to Kyoto station, but I arrive in Osaka at 3 pm so the whole thing is more manageable. Then will probably just do a taxi to the hotel. Plus I got myself a whole extra day in Kyoto! A thousand thank you's for starting me on this path! Also,we are thinking now of this itinerary after Kyoto, because my son wants to see Naoshima and Nikko most:

Kyoto-Naoshima 2 nights (guest house) --Himeji 1 night (Yukata festival)--then to Nikko 3 nights, then Tokyo.

Thanks!

Wonderful! I do have to disagree about the 2 hours for NRT I&C. That ITM flight is timed to collect international arrivals like that AC one and the ANA nonstop that I took from LAX to connect to that flight. Bit a late arrival would definitely hurt. Not connecting in Japan is better as long as you have plenty time for your connection at SFO.

You could use a 7-day pass starting on the day you leave Kyoto. It will get you to Tokyo on day 7. It won't save you a whole lot of money, though. Definitely less than $100. Maybe less than $50.

Train and taxi from KIX is a good way to go. Subway from Kyoto station to Kyoto City Hall station would be a hassle. There is probably a bus from KIX to city hall, but that is not in front of your hotel where the taxi would drop you.

Himeji to Nikko is a long haul. I try to keep to a limit of 4-hours of travel in a day. Max 5 hours, but only with a really good reason to do it or for a multi-night stay at the end - like your 3 nights.

With a JR Pass, it looks like you would have carefully plan that trip to keep it under 6 hours.

Without a JR Pass, i.e. using a Nozomi shinkansen, I found an itin that would take 307 minutes, for example, depart Himeji at 11:49 on Nozzomi 126. Change at Tokyo and again at Utsunomiy arriving JR Nikko at 16:56. There are other itins that are about the same but others that would take a good bit longer. So you will need to plan it.

Once again, very impressive, Mr.Wunrfl! I do have a nice long connection in SFO so no worries there, and am on a United Polaris cabin to Osaka so will feel no pain unless I am dragged off. It looks worth it to be able to take the Nozomi from Himeji. I am a little inclined to skip the rail pass so as not to be constrained, especially since my son is not eligible for one due to his long stay. Boy, lodgings in Naoshima and Nikko are a real challenge! So far I have taken a Japanese-style airbnb with 4 cats in a Japanese artist's house in Naoshima, and an onsen with breakfast and dinner and Western beds with private bath in Nikko, Nikko Green Hotel Natsukashiya Fuwari. There may be better out there but I do not wish to be in the $400/night category. I will keep looking because they are cancelable. Thank you!