Going to japan

[Promethium]

As a college student with very little to no income of my own I do of my own I don't know when I will be back in japan. thanks for telling me about the trains. That sounds very good. will I be able to take a train at night, explore the natural park during the day, then return on a night train? If so then what day should I cut of cut off from the other cities?

Shiretoko is on the northeastern part of Hokkaido, and Sapporo is on the southwestern part of Hokkaido, so it's impossible to do a day trip there using public transport, so I would save it for another trip.

Another nature option is Shirakami Sanchi, that spans Aomori & Akita prefecture on Honshu, the main island - it's also another World Heritage Site, but it still takes about 6 hours from Tokyo with all the transfers so it requires staying overnight too.

Kyoto-osaka-nara: 3 days
Takayama: 2 days
Tokyo: 2 days

This is already a super tight schedule with tons of things to see, so I really wouldn't cram in other stuff.

Also, some Buddhist temples & Shinto shrines open their doors to pilgrims and tourists for cheap - and you get to experience monk/priest life, so you might enjoy that if you're on a tight budget and if you're interested in that kind of stuff. (It's also veggie food only) It's called Shukubo (Temple Lodging) and there are a bunch of places in Kyoto.

[hgeek23]

Thanks prometheum. So to get to the natl park I have to go to Sapporo...
Guess the schedule seems pretty set.

Does it seem smart to head from narita to kyoto? It seems like that would be the way to go.

[cutiebunny]

I wouldn't push yourself to land in Narita on an international flight and then force yourself to travel to Kyoto. You're assuming that you're going to be ready and well rested when you jump off the plane (I never am, especially in economy class), your flight will land on time and you'll make it through immigration/customs in 15 minutes (I've spent about an hour in immigration before) and then you'll have to redeem your JR pass at the JR office near the Narita Express and navigate the train system.

Unlike the subways which have new trains every 2 minutes or so, the shinkansen revolves on a different schedule - something like, once an hour. And the train systems close at midnight. All of them. And then, when you land in Kyoto, you want to try making it to your hotel? Yeah, that's way too much for one day.

You are not going to be able to see everything that you want to see on this trip. Japan will still be around for when you get a job and are able to afford a trip back. Use this trip to get an idea of what Japan has to offer, and if you like any areas that you visited or want to see another region, do that next time.

I think you also need to take into consideration the cost of said trip and the in-country excursions you want to make. Japan is not a cheap country. Your JR Pass is going to cost you about $750 (either buy 2 7 day passes or 1 21 day pass..and then there's shipping). Lodging is very pricey in Japan (no $40 Motel 6s around) and food can be pricey as well, and this is coming from someone who likes to travel frugally. For a 3 day trip to Kyoto, I'd budget about $800 ($352 for the JR pass, $100/night for room, $150 on food/in town transport). For a 3 day trip to Takayama, I'd budget the same as well.

If you want to stay at a Buddhist temple instead, you need to make reservations with one prior to your arrival. I know of one in Takayama that's a hostel but you need to make reservations beforehand, and it is a long walk away from the station (about 15 blocks away from the station, mostly uphill). These places are cheaper, but you have to make reservations beforehand, and do the research. Also, you are booking this rather close to your travel date, so many of these places may already be gone. Some buddhist temples require that you attend their 5 am morning prayer service (the one I stayed at for a night at Koya-san did), so if that's not for you, you might want to look into something else.

[hgeek23]

800 dollars for both cities?!

Well, dealing with the costs later, if i land at 4:20ish in Narita on the 6th, why shouldn't I go to kyoto and check into a place and relax until the next day? If I budget 3 days for the kyoto region then that fits perfectly into the "first three days" after landing.
What do you suggest I do first then?

I appreciate all of your help.
Many, many thanks.
AJ

[Gonzai]

Fly into Kansai - very cool airport!!

http://www.pref.osaka.jp/en/attraction/ ... index.html

[hgeek23]

After arriving in Narita i should then take a flight to Kansai?
It looks like it's not that close to Kyoto either.

[hgeek23]

going through the japan-guide website, I am led to wonder if it would be beneficial to purchase a bus pass rather than the JR pass. I could take an overnight from Tokyo to Kyoto, but I guess the issue is that I need to get from Narita to somewhere, which probably requires a JR trip.
So the question regarding the itinerary is this: given that I allocated 3 days to Kyoto/Osaka/Nara, it seems like they would be a good fit into the first three days of the trip, then i could take an overnight bus to Tokyo the night of the 9th.
The one thing i'm unsure about is how to get to different places once im inside the city itself.

[Rekka Alexiel]

Kansas international airport is in Osaka, about 30 some minutes to Kyoto, maybe a little more since the airport is out to the southwest of the main area of Osaka--still much closer than Narita, which will take you over an hour to get into Tokyo station to take the 2.5 hour trip to Kyoto.

Traveling around inside each major city is easy if you buy a commuter pass or something like Pasmo or Suika. They are electronic cards that you charge money on for the train and public buses. You won't get any discount this way but it certainly is much nicer than having to calculate and purchase a ticket at each station.

[hgeek23]

So the JR pass doesn't work inside the city? In that case it would be much more economical to buy a bus pass and overnight to the different areas, correct? (though I would love to travel on a bullet train, saving the money for buying uniquely japanese items would be better in my opinion)
Is there no direct route from Narita to Kyoto/osaka?

[hgeek23]

For Kyoto I have determined to go to Nijo Castle, Kiyomizudera, Gion, Kinkakuji, and Fushimi Inari.
In Osaka I want to go to the aquarium and Minami (although maybe not the aquarium--I can go see fish anywhere)
Nara seems to just be full of a lot of temples and shrines. While I want to see some when I go I will already be seeing temples in Kyoto and I think that traveling from one place to the next to see ever many shrines may burn me out.
I want to experience a japanese hot spring, and I see that Arima Onsen is on the outskirts of Kobe. Perhaps I should travel to Kobe rather than Nara?

How long should I expect to spend at a temple or a shrine? It is deceptive having "4 things to do" in a day--they may take hours or just one hour, in which case i should look to fit more things into the schedule.

[cutiebunny]

The JR pass works on all methods of transportation owned by JR. This includes some subway lines, the shinkansen and some bus lines as well.

In Tokyo, you can use the JR pass on the Yamanote Line only. Not sure if you can use it on any buses since I've either walked or taken the subway to get around. You show it, and your passport, to the employee standing at the gate every time you're about to get on and off a JR train.

When you want to travel on the shinakesen, take your passport and JR pass to the ticketing office and they will book your ticket for you. This will allow you to sit in the reserved cars instead.

How long you spend at temples depends on you. I like to take pictures, so I'll spend hours scouting out things, especially if I think that a particular area looks best under certain light. Other people just like to walk in, offer a prayer and some coins and then head on their way.

If cost is a serious issue, I'd eliminate Takayama and spend more time in Tokyo. Travel is expensive in Japan.

[Rekka Alexiel]

If cost is a serious issue, I'd eliminate Takayama and spend more time in Tokyo. Travel is expensive in Japan.

I would concur with that. Going up to Gifu is a major detour that will eat a lot of time and money. I could also be biased because of my own trip there; I wasn't all that impressed. Maybe my travel buddy didn't take me to the right places, I don't know. :p

[hgeek23]

so 4 days in tokyo, 3 in osaka, nara, kyoto? I heard nara wasn't all that great.
will the jr pass cover a trip to takayama?

[cutiebunny]

Honestly, I wasn't impressed with Nara. It has a big buddha statue and deer. For me, it wasn't that exciting. I think what also killed it for me is that the lighting is very poor in the building, and it's swamped with tourists.

If you're going to be really tight financially, you could also consider skipping Kyoto/Nara/Osaka. There's a lot of things you can see/do on day trips from Tokyo. You could visit Nikko, Kamakura and Yokohama. These are day trips. Kamakura has a huge Buddha statue that's about 800 years old. Even Narita has stuff to see and do...it's not just an airport city. You could also see more of Tokyo, and you might consider seeing some of the places made famous in anime (like Kaminarimon in Asakusa, Tokyo Tower, Zojo-ji, etc.). With 7 days in Tokyo, you should have a good shot of getting to see the fish market, if you're interested in it (I've been twice...love it). And if you're not a temple person, you still have the option of shopping, eating, people watching, etc. since you're in a very large city.

By staying in Tokyo and its nearby cities, you can free your finances, spend less time traveling and just enjoy the experience.

[hgeek23]

So please correct me if i am wrong, but it would be incredibly economical to buy a bus pass on willers express and take an overnight to kyoto. A 3 day pass runs 10,000. I could get to and from Kyoto for the 10,000.
Does the Bus pass allow me to reserve Cacoon or sleeper bus seats?