Hello again! Posting after some refinement and more research about locations.
**Travelers:** Me and my husband (me coming from US, him in Okinawa already), early 30s
**Likes:** Food, nature, history, culture, tea, art
**Dates:** 22 Dec – 1 Jan (I arrive that evening of 22nd at Haneda, husband joins the next afternoon)
**Day 0, 22 Dec – Tokyo: arrival/sleep**
* My flight lands at 5pm, plan is to just pick up whatever travel necessities (train/subway cards? cash?) I need and get some food by myself and crash at the hotel
* Staying at the Celestine Tokyo Shiba hotel
**Day 1, 23 Dec – Tokyo**
* I’ll explore by myself, get food, maybe hit a museum or two
* Husband should be flying in from Oki sometime in the afternoon/evening
* Staying at the Celestine Tokyo Shiba hotel
**Day 2, 24 Dec – Leave Tokyo for Karuizawa**
* Hang out in Tokyo for breakfast/lunch
* Take shinkansen to Karuizawa, explore before dinner
* Special Xmas eve dinner at our b&b
* Staying at Hotel Wellies (British b&b)
**Day 3, 25 Dec – Karuizawa**
* Explore Karuizawa
* Staying at Hotel Wellies
**Day 4, 26 Dec – Leave Karuizawa for Hakone**
* Shinkansen back to Tokyo then on to Hakone
* Staying at Fukuzumiro ryokan (breakfast and dinner included)
**Day 5, 27 Dec – Hakone**
* Explore Hakone – I should get the 2-day Hakone Free pass, right?
* Staying at Fukuzumiro ryokan (breakfast and dinner included)
**Day 6, 28 Dec – Leave Hakone for Kyoto**
* Shinkansen to Kyoto after breakfast/lunch
* Explore Kyoto
* Staying at Cross Hotel Kyoto
**Day 7, 29 Dec – Kyoto**
* Explore Kyoto
* Staying at Cross Hotel Kyoto
**Day 8, 30 Dec – Kyoto**
* Explore Kyoto
* Staying at Cross Hotel Kyoto
**Day 9, 31 Dec – Kyoto**
* Explore Kyoto
* Pick up osechi to eat for New Year
* Midnight shrine visit? Don’t love huge crowds, but seems like a once in a lifetime experience
* Staying at Cross Hotel Kyoto
**Day 10, 1 Jan – Leave Kyoto for Tokyo (6pm flight out of Haneda)**
* Shinkansen back to Tokyo (what’s a ‘safe’ time to do this by? 11 or 12 pm at the latest?)
* Store luggage somewhere? Hang in Tokyo until we both have to go to the airport
**Questions:**
* I don’t think JR 7-day pass will work for me, since I really need 9 days of trains. If it was all within 7 days, then the calculators I used said JR would be worth it, by about 10,000 yen.
* What class/type of seat should we book on trains? Is splurging worth it?
* Hakone 2-day Free Pass – I assume yes we should get it?
* Day trips out of Kyoto: Nara, Kobe, Osaka? Or just stay in Kyoto (obviously so much to do there)
* Should we change Karuizawa to something else that makes more logistical sense? We don’t really want to even attempt to do a decent Tokyo experience, I know there’s not enough time. We really wanted to focus on Kyoto and surrounding area instead, plus Karuizawa as our little winter/Xmas feeling area (hoping for snow, but I know it might be too early)
* Any must-do restaurants/food experiences in Kyoto? Want to do a tea ceremony, any kind of food/farm/tea tours, omakase and/or Michelin place
* How can I order osechi for New Year’s in Kyoto? Just from a department store? I know there’s usually a pre-order window, right? Can I do it online anywhere (in English)?
Thank you!!