Hi everyone,
Next month, as part of a 14-day trip to Japan, my father, my two 20-year old daughters and I will be traveling from Tokyo to Ubuya Ryokan for one night, and then traveling on to Kyoto the following day. After much research, it seems that our two best options will be either an express bus or the Fuji Excursion Limited. I am leaning toward the Fuji Excursion, part of which I understand can be covered with the JR Pass we intend to purchase. The tickets are only available 1 month beforehand, so I will be hoping to make that purchase in the coming days. If anyone has experience with the Fuji Excursion train vs. the express bus, I would welcome any views you can share.
The trip to Kyoto seems a little trickier. Bad on me, but when I booked Ubuya, I had not given sufficient thought to the logistics. I am considering taking either a cab or the bus from Kawaguchi to Mishima, and then catching the Tokaido shinkasen from there to Kyoto. If my research is correct, it appears that the shinkasen stops in Mishima. Does this sound like the best plan?
We cannot check-in to Ubuya until 3 p.m., and we have a dinner reservation at 6:50 p.m. sharp – cannot be later or no dinner/no refund. The Fuji Express will get us to Kawaguchi between 10:30-11:30, depending which train we catch. I was thinking of dropping our luggage at the ryokan, and then visiting Itchiku Kubota Art Museum for the afternoon.
On the day of our check-out, I am thinking of booking a car for a 2-3 hour tour around the lake area. This idea was recommended to me by an acquaintance from Kyoto. Following that, we would travel to Mishima (either by taxi or bus) to catch the shinkasen.
Any helpful advice related to this plan will be appreciated!
1 comment
Fuji Excursion has fewer time slots/availability (3 per day) versus the bus (every 30-60 minutes). Bus is direct, but can be longer than 2 hour if there happens to be traffic. I’ve seen groups with senior folks tend to lean toward Fuji Excursion/train to have that legroom and walk around.
For leaving Kawaguchiko, I did bus to Mishima mid-day, then Shinkansen down south. Bus was on time and transfer was easy since station was small.
There’s also night bus option… but that’s about it unless you want to detour back to Tokyo for more transportation options.