calgary1989

My wife and I are planning a 10 day visit of Japan. I need help to allocate days in Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka. We are casual travellers. Just to see and a feel of the place is what we look for. We are open to cut 1 place. Just not sure which one since all have their merits.

Thanks in advance.

BigRuss

Can you be more vague?

State what you like, why you're interested in the three cities you've chosen, what draws you to Japan, and what you want out of your trip. You say "all have their merits" - so what are each one's merits to you?

And are you going to pitter around each of those three cities or will you also take day trips?

After that, you can get tailored advice that is more than just "I like Tokyo because it's ___" and "I like Kyoto because it is ____" or "I like all the touristy stuff in Osaka and want to see if I can tweak the yakuza and survive."

Otherwise, just pick the number of days from a hat.

Lolazahra

Hi - Start with Japan Guide at http://www.japan-guide.com/.

By looking up the cities that you have begun with, you will be able to figure out what you want to do and where to allocate the most time. You will also see possible day trips from all three.

Read a few Japan trip reports too. There are some really good, in depth reports on the forum. They will be helpful to you.

Then come back with more specific questions.

Good luck.

Kathie

What about your flights? Are you flying in and out of the same airport or into one city and out of another? And how many nights do you have on the ground in Japan?

For us, Kyoto was the heart of our trip to Japan. If it was me (and it isn't), I'd spend most of my time in Kyoto.

MinnBeef

I agree with the other posters comments about you providing more specifics, but at your very general initial level, I'd put 3 days to Tokyo, 5 days to Kyoto, a day trip to Hakone (depending on when you are going--you didn't say) and perhaps a day trip to Hiroshima from Kyoto.

Yes, we need more details from you to be of much practical help.

calgary1989

thanks everyone. barely sat in my office and just arrived from Europe and I get a call from my wife that japan is on sale. we just like to walk, eat, and people watch. In London, we always stay in SOHO. In Paris, Latin Quarter. I have realized that we are not big site seeing couple.

Why Tokyo? Because its there. We've been going to Europe the last 14 years and until this trip 2 weeks a go have not repeated a city. It's time for Asia and according to my wife Japan is on sale. So are we vague, extremely. We'll just wing it. I just wanted to know if in 10 days what I can potentially see. MiinBeef I like your idea.

Sorry for this difficult post.

Kathie

Start by taking a long look at www.japan-guide.com which is the best info on Japan on the web.

For a first trip - and when is it? - MinnBeef's idea is a good one. How many nights on the ground? And are you flying in and out of the same airport or different ones?

FromDC

If you need to grab tickets right away, you should think about flying into one (Tokyo) and out of the other (Osaka) so that you don't have to backtrack.

MinnBeef

If "Japan is on sale" means you'll be traveling in the summer, you'll want to consider what the high temps, humidity and rainy season will mean to your trip. While I have only been to Japan once (in the fall) those here with many trips to Japan speak of the high heat and humidity-making it sound comparable to, say Florida. I gather that you are both probably very much "Type B" go with the flow travelers, so maybe that won't matter. If so, you can probably just go with a barebones itinerary and still be able to love your trip. Not my style of trip planning but as kja would say, "YMMV".

Adastra2200

Every area has something to see, and as an academic exercise the answer would be to eliminate Osaka if you had to pick one, since it's more or less a clone of Tokyo. But the real truth is that you don't need to eliminate any of them. After the temples of Kyoto close down around 5PM, you can zip over to Osaka for the evening. At night the city comes alive and has some great places to see, such as Dotonbori, plus the night views from the Umeda Sky Bldg and Abeno Harukas Bldg are terrific.
https://goo.gl/glc1A9
Seeing Nara next to Kyoto is a must - you could see a lot of the best in half a day, by covering Nara Park.
https://goo.gl/Aw1y2o

Other possibilities as day trips include Nikko, Kamakura, Karuizawa, Izu, Hakone, the Fuji 5 Lakes area, and Kusatsu near Tokyo, and for the Kansai area you could see Himeji, Hiroshima/Miyajima, Kinosaki for hot springs, etc.

Most people generally split the time 50/50 between Tokyo and Kansai, but it is all up to your interests. A full JR Rail Pass, Tokyo Wide Pass, or even both, may be able to save you a lot of money. The truth is though, with cheap airfares for as low as $50 one way, even the most distant places of Okinawa and Hokkaido are easily within reach.

calgary1989

Thanks everyone.

diqiu

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http://rental.cdjapan.co.jp/contents...CustomerReview