Hi guys, This itinerary is a work in progress, would like to hear all suggestions on how to streamline it. Or if I’m mistaken on how the rail line works.
Fly into Haneda April 4th
(Unsure what ward to stay in, Probably Shinagawa? Shibuya? Anywhere that the rest of the city is accessible from and is easy to get to from Haneda Airport.)
Spend 5 days In Tokyo visiting to Akihabara, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Ikebukuro, etc.
9th- Train to Fuji Five Lakes region, (Can I take the train to Fuji Five Lakes region, is a Ryokan the best idea for lodgings here?)
\-spend 3 days in Hakone, seeing Mt Fuji, Chureito Pagoda, lakes, Hanami, etc.
12th- Take train to Kyoto, spend 4 days in kyoto
\-see Kurama Dera Temple, Gion district, food and shopping
16th- Head to Osaka, 3 days
\-Universal Studios Japan, Osaka Temple, Dotonburi district
19th- Day trip to Hiroshima, that night, take train back up to Tokyo and spend last 4 days in Tokyo
\-2 days in business hotel, last 2 nights in capsule hotel.
6 comments
As for place where to stay in Tokyo, it depend on your priority, want to be close to the airport, close to the train/bus you will take to get out of Tokyo, close to the location you want to visit, close to nightlife ?
Yes, you can take the tain to Fuji Five Lakes region. From Shinjuku you can either take the JR Fuji excursion or Jr Chuo line to Otsuki, then Fujikyuko train to Kawaguchiko. For sure the Fuji Excursion is more convenient, but there is a really small number of train each day so you better check the schedule. You can also go by bus in the same amount of time and half the price as the train.
Is a ryokan the best idea for lodging ? I think it is a really good idea as it is a nice experience. I am not sure I would get the kaiseki meal for more than a day in row, but that is up to you, you can always check to book one night with meal included and one without.
But here you seems to start mixing things up. Chureito Pagoda is close to Kawaguchiko, so yes the Five lakes area, but Hakone is not. It is possible to take the bus between the two town, switching bus at Gotenba station or Gotenba outlet to continue toward Hakone. So if you plan to do a total of 3 days in the area, first can be Kawaguchiko, second move to Hakone (can likely spend a bit of time in either Kawaguchiko or Hakone) and third day visit Hakone itself. Obviously, this would mean changing accommodation for the two nights.
If you want to spend the 3 days in a single place, that is also possible. In that case, keep in mind that from Kawaguchiko, there is no direct train in the direction of Kyoto, you either have to take a bus to Mishima station of to partly backtrack toward Tokyo and take the shinkansen at Shin-Yokohama station.
Some people might tell you that you do not have to change accommodation between Kyoto and Osaka as both cities are relatively close to each other, that is true, if you do not mind changing, then it can also be an occasion to experience the nightlife of the two different cities.
If you are to do Hiroshima as a day trip, at least return to Osaka at the end of the day. This way you do not have to bring your luggage to Hiroshima and you do not have to spend at least 4h in the train at the end of the day to go back to Tokyo.
If you want to save money, like 15 000 yen by person, then consider cutting out one day in Osaka or Kyoto so you can use the 7 days JR Pass to go to Kyoto the 12 and be back in Tokyo the 18 (instead of 19).
Finally I would consider to spend less day in Tokyo at the start of the trip and move them at the end and leave as much as the area focusing on shopping for the end of the trip so you do not have to carry your stuff all the way to Kyoto/Osaka.
From the airport you can take the limousine bus to basically anywhere, but for your sightseeing in Tokyo and travel after that, I think it’s best to stay around the Shinjuku area
For areas to stay in Tokyo, I recommend Shibuya/Shinjuku area, Ueno, Asakusa, Akihabara, Ginza. I don’t think you should worry too much about staying somewhere in Tokyo that’s close to the airport. It’s all pretty accessible and you’d probably just have to spend an extra $2-5 on subway fare and an extra 10-30 mins traveling to airport if you stay in the main popular areas of Tokyo, unless you’re really far out like Setagaya.
If I were you, I’d put your capsule hotel experience at the beginning. Space is limited in those, so some well-packed luggage and no souvenirs will be beneficial. Putting it right at the end could be a hassle.
Your tricky parts will be Chureito from Hakone, Getting to Kyoto from the Five Lakes, and luggage space at the end of the trip.
You’re better off visiting Chureito while in the Five Lakes region. It’s easier and has a bus service to the bottom of the hill it stands at. Ryokan is a quintessential experience, but you do have much cheaper options to stay at near Kawaguchiko station if you choose to. They most likely also offer onsens in their premises, although I doubt there will be private ones.
Kawaguchiko to Kyoto there’s 2 ways, both needing bus transfers. One back to Tokyo and one to Mishima station. Both are able to get you a bullet train to Kyoto.
And then there’s the end of your trip. If you’re maxed out on luggage space, it’s a little cumbersome for a capsule hotel, but if you’re going light, pretty much no problems.
>(Unsure what ward to stay in, Probably Shinagawa? Shibuya? Anywhere that the rest of the city is accessible from and is easy to get to from Haneda Airport.)
If accessibility/train routes is your motivator here, I personally have always found Shinjuku to be a good basecamp for Tokyo.
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>12th- Take train to Kyoto, spend 4 days in kyoto
-see Kurama Dera Temple, Gion district, food and shopping
16th- Head to Osaka, 3 days
-Universal Studios Japan, Osaka Temple, Dotonburi district
As per the advice I always give, I personally would suggest staying in either Kyoto or Osaka (as there’s not a huge reason why you’d need to stay in both and it avoids dealing with check-in/outs, bag storage between (though Japan is one of the easiest places to find bag storage compared to other countries in the world IME), and the physical needing to move/take that time out of your day. Depending on what you’re after would dictate if it’s better to stay in Kyoto or Osaka, but I personally just don’t see the value in both (though some people like to move between so ultimately it’s up to you).
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>19th- Day trip to Hiroshima, that night, take train back up to Tokyo and spend last 4 days in Tokyo
If you’re taking a day trip there and will be going to Tokyo from there, I personally would suggest you cut out Hiroshima all together. I think it warrants at least 1 night over (you won’t have trouble finding things to fill the time – especially if you visit Miyajima). For the time you’ll spend on the train compared to the quality time you’ll actually get in Hiroshima, doing it as a day trip and returning to Tokyo just seems like a waste and you’ll be rushed. Just my 2p.
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>-2 days in business hotel, last 2 nights in capsule hotel.
As I think others have pointed out – you’ll need to make sure you have very little to make a capsule hotel work appropriately so you may want to rethink it. Are you wanting to stay at the capsule hotel for the experience or are you hoping to save money? (asking as it’d be easier to help and make a suggestion I’m thinking if I can understand the motivation).