Hello All,
I am finally doing my dream trip with my partner.
I have some questions in the end would appreciate it if they can be answered:
**Tokyo April 20th till 24th**
Landing in Narita 18:00 April 20th at the Hotel, relax explore the area around it
April 21, DisneySea. If time allows, evening Jazz Bar or Izakata
Weekend of 22-23, Harajuku, Shibuya, Akihabara, various quirky cafes, panchinko, shopping
**Ginzan Onsen 24th till 26th April**
Activate JP Rail pass and go to Yamagata. Rent a car and go to Ginzan Onsen (hotel booked) OR use free shuttle from hotel.
April 25th, take the car and visit Okama crater and surrounding areas OR just relax at the onsen and dont rent a car in the first place.
April 26th, check out, return car if applicable and train to Osaka
**Osaka Base – 26th April till May 4**
Use Osaka as base to visit Nara, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Kyoto (with the Geisha performances), Universal Studios with finishing evenings in Osaka.
May 3rd, Fukuoka for the Dontaku Matsuri
**Return to Tokyo – May 4 till May 7**
Various Tokyo activities, too many to write here.
**Question:**
1. We plan on activating our JP Railpass on 24th april for two weeks each. We lose one day but we feel is worth it. We discussed using only one week but unsure if it makes more financial sense. Any tips on this?
2. Ginzan onsen is a deviation but is a once in a lifetime experience I think. Worth it?
3. Will we waste too much time in trains?
4. Golden week, we would like to be in Tokyo and have done theme parks and major attractions before the golden week. Things to avoid?
5. Is the Fukuoka Matsuri worth it?
6. How do we lug luggage on the high speed trains? We will need to lug them from Tokyo to Ginzan Onsen, then back to Osaka. For our Osaka day trips we will have the luggage in the hotel. I heard conflicting information if we are allowed to have luggage or not.
Any other tips welcome!
1 comment
Depending on where you’re travelling from Tokyo DisneySea may be a bit of a push to do on your first day if you’re jet lagged – there’s obviously a lot of walking/waiting around involved, although I understand your reasoning of scheduling it outside of Golden Week. You should be okay travelling back to Tokyo on May 4th (as most people leave Tokyo during Golden Week), however, just be aware that it may be more difficult than usual to get reservations on trains as services will be busier. If there’s anywhere you want to eat that weekend in Tokyo as well, I’d definitely reserve in advance (most places allow reservations ~2 months in advance).
For your luggage, look into TA-Q-BIN (the most popular company being Yamato). They’re a same day or next day delivery service and can transport your luggage for a small fee. It’s something your hotel reception can organise and will save you lugging luggage on trains.
I don’t think there’s such a thing as wasting too much time on trains in Japan – it’s definitely a part of the experience. I’d recommend using the Navitime App to make sure you’re taking the most efficient route to your next stop and you should be fine!