[anyhowsaysay]

ash like snow wrote:

i heard potoncho is recommended for dinner?

1. My suggestion is to just stick whole day at Arashiyama. Arashiyama got quite a lot of stuff to see beside bamboo forest and Tenryuji

2. Omamori. Most temples got sell but they sell their own stuff. meaning Kiyomizu omamori is different from other temples. If your purpose is just get any Omamori regardless of specific tempels or shrines then ur first shrine Fushimi Inari also got sell

3. Is not exactly wet market but more like a dry market selling various ingredient to bring home for cooking etc. You can also find those chopsticks, knife, cooking pot. A lot of pickle stuff since japanese eat them often with meal

4. Potoncho. A lot of restaurants but i never eat there before. i think many tourists trap around there. In order to avoid falling into those traps, u need plan your meal beforehand. Look at Tabelog for rating, do the necessary reservations if needed.

[ash like snow]

anyhowsaysay wrote:

1. My suggestion is to just stick whole day at Arashiyama. Arashiyama got quite a lot of stuff to see beside bamboo forest and Tenryuji

what if i change it to below? will it be better?

Take Jr Kyoto Line to Kyoto
Nijo Castle (Nijojo) - early morning
Torroko Arashiyama (if no tickets) / Togetsukyo Bridge
Sagano road of bamboo forest
Tenryuji temple
Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street
Daikakuji Temple
Jojakkoji Temple


2. Omamori. Most temples got sell but they sell their own stuff. meaning Kiyomizu omamori is different from other temples. If your purpose is just get any Omamori regardless of specific tempels or shrines then ur first shrine Fushimi Inari also got sell

since kiyomizu main hall is covered up, maybe i'll just touch n go for this.

Fushimi Inari Shrine
Kiyomizudera Temple
Higashiyama district (if too crowded will skip)
Maruyama Park
Nishiki Market
Philosopher's Path
Ginkakuji
Gion district

3. Is not exactly wet market but more like a dry market selling various ingredient to bring home for cooking etc. You can also find those chopsticks, knife, cooking pot. A lot of pickle stuff since japanese eat them often with meal

oh so i doubt i'll spend alot time for this


4. Potoncho. A lot of restaurants but i never eat there before. i think many tourists trap around there. In order to avoid falling into those traps, u need plan your meal beforehand. Look at Tabelog for rating, do the necessary reservations if needed.

ok i'll ssrr first. if nothing attracts me, i'll go back KIX for dinner/supper

[IcYFl4mEz]

For Nara park, do you guys walk by foot or take the city loop bus? doable if all by foot?

[ah_leetw]

anyhowsaysay wrote:

The first route, at Aoto you will stay onboard the train and then alight oshiage. Need to exit from the Keisei station and then enter the metro station.

Then second route u stay onboard until nihonbashi then u exit the Toei station and enter the Metro Station.

get the IC Card at the airport (Suica Card) then it is easier to enter and exit instead of buying physical ticket.
For most train lines in Japan, as long as you switch between different operators, you will need to exit and enter again. in some stations, there are multiple operators. In Singapore, we got smrt and sbs and we don't need to exit and enter to transfer operator but in Japan tokyo they got metro, JR, Toei, Keisei, Tokyu, Tobu, Seibu, Keio, Odakyu, Keikyu etc

Alternatively as Gixxerfied mentioned, at 4:22pm there is a JR direct train Narita express which goes from T2 to Shibuya without any switching trains. Cheapest will be 3190 Yen and take around 76mins.

cpuer wrote:

dont forget about Bus ah
http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/

bring u straight to either Ginza or Tokyo stn. Take either from Tokyo yamanote line to Shibuya. Or Ginza to Shibuya, both also can, Ginza one is simpler for you. heard the Tokyo bus stop is away from stn, so maybe Ginza one is easier with luggage.

Look at these to decide where to alight:
http://accessnarita.jp/en/busstop/

Tokyo stn alight is better if raining as its covered all the way.

Thanks for the reply ...
ya .. bus seems to be a good choice also ..

[anyhowsaysay]

ash like snow wrote:

ok i'll ssrr first. if nothing attracts me, i'll go back KIX for dinner/supper

KIX? you stayed near airport? That is quite far from both Kyoto and Osaka.

[anyhowsaysay]

IcYFl4mEz wrote:

For Nara park, do you guys walk by foot or take the city loop bus? doable if all by foot?

Yes. I done walking by foot in Nara 6 times. Not far and very easy.

[IcYFl4mEz]

anyhowsaysay wrote:

Yes. I done walking by foot in Nara 6 times. Not far and very easy.

ok noticed that nara closed at ard 5pm. so roughly what time need to be by there in order to go all part of nara before it close? by foot

[anyhowsaysay]

IcYFl4mEz wrote:

ok noticed that nara closed at ard 5pm. so roughly what time need to be by there in order to go all part of nara before it close? by foot

Depends on what kind of nara u want to see. Most people just go Todaiji, Kofukuji, Nara Park those 3. Those don't take much time

If u want Kasuga Taisha, Horyuji, Nara National Museum, Isuien Garden, Yakushiji.
Then whole day also not enough.

I normally get to Nara by 8am. To avoid the crowd in Todaiji.

[ah_leetw]

I'm trying to find direct bus ride from Nagano to Osaka on the 31st March.

willerexpress.com does not have it on that day. any other bus service available ?

[anyhowsaysay]

ah_leetw wrote:

I'm trying to find direct bus ride from Nagano to Osaka on the 31st March.

willerexpress.com does not have it on that day. any other bus service available ?

Willer don't run that route. U can consider Nankai bus but seems no english site
http://www.nankaibus.jp/express/04.html

They depart nagano station 23:15 and reach osaka station 6:22

http://www.alpico.co.jp/access/expre...a/#information
Alternative is this bus

[IcYFl4mEz]

Ok thanks, do you think the below itinerary is doable? or should seperate out some to other day if not along the route. Or any place not so worth a visit ? Thinking of going Gion, should insert at which part? Got a Day 2 at Kyoto not yet planned, whatever cant finish in day 1 will be shifted to 2, any suggestion?

Arashimaya
– In Arashiyama, visit Tenryu-ji Temple and the adjoining Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, then return quickly to the main street of Arashiyama (in front of Tenryu-ji).

– From here, you’ll head to the northwest corner of the city to visit Kinkaku-ji Temple (the famed “Golden Pavilion”). For this leg, a taxi is really the only way to go since there’s no direct/efficient public transport. A taxi from Arashiyama to Kinkaku-ji will take around 20 minutes and cost around Y1900.

– After visiting Kinkaku-ji, catch Kyoto City bus no 204 all the way east (make sure to take it east rather than south) to the Ginkakuji-michi Stop. Walk from the bus stop to Ginkaku-ji Temple and visit the temple.

– After visiting Ginkaku-ji, exit the temple and walk south along the Path of Philosophy to Nanzen-ji Temple (about 25 minutes at a good clip).

– Visit Nanzen-ji Temple and then walk west to Jingu-michi. Turn left (south) on Jingu-michi, cross Sanjo-dori, pass Shoren-in Temple and then enter Chion-in Temple via the enormous San-mon Gate.

– Exit Chion-in to the left, cut across Maruyama-koen Park and follow Nene-no-Michi and then Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka south to Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

– After visiting Kiyomizu-dera, walk down Chawan-zaka and Gojo-zaka to reach Higashioji-dori. Cross Higashioji-dori and walk west (downhill) on Gojo-dori to reach Keihan Kiyomizu-Gojo Station. Here, board any Keihan train except a tokkyu (limited express) and take it to Fushimi-Inari Station. From here, it’s a short walk to Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine, the last stop on this itinerary.

[[Audrey]]

have some directional problems with the gardens....


Tokyo - Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

Which station is closer to walk to here, and via which gate? Shinjuku-Sanchome Station or Shinjuku-Gyoenmae Station?


Tokyo - Imperial Palace

Which is the easiest way to enter the palace and via which gate? Japan Guide website said it is Tokyo Station, however when I use Google Map, it is 1.7km by foot! so Tokyo Station or Otemachi Station (from the map like closer, but I'm unsure)?

Also, is the Imperial East Garden more worthy or Imperial Palace? if do both together, which to visit first?

[anyhowsaysay]

IcYFl4mEz wrote:

Ok thanks, do you think the below itinerary is doable? or should seperate out some to other day if not along the route. Or any place not so worth a visit ? Thinking of going Gion, should insert at which part? Got a Day 2 at Kyoto not yet planned, whatever cant finish in day 1 will be shifted to 2, any suggestion?

Arashimaya
– In Arashiyama, visit Tenryu-ji Temple and the adjoining Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, then return quickly to the main street of Arashiyama (in front of Tenryu-ji).

– From here, you’ll head to the northwest corner of the city to visit Kinkaku-ji Temple (the famed “Golden Pavilion”). For this leg, a taxi is really the only way to go since there’s no direct/efficient public transport. A taxi from Arashiyama to Kinkaku-ji will take around 20 minutes and cost around Y1900.

– After visiting Kinkaku-ji, catch Kyoto City bus no 204 all the way east (make sure to take it east rather than south) to the Ginkakuji-michi Stop. Walk from the bus stop to Ginkaku-ji Temple and visit the temple.

– After visiting Ginkaku-ji, exit the temple and walk south along the Path of Philosophy to Nanzen-ji Temple (about 25 minutes at a good clip).

– Visit Nanzen-ji Temple and then walk west to Jingu-michi. Turn left (south) on Jingu-michi, cross Sanjo-dori, pass Shoren-in Temple and then enter Chion-in Temple via the enormous San-mon Gate.

– Exit Chion-in to the left, cut across Maruyama-koen Park and follow Nene-no-Michi and then Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka south to Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

– After visiting Kiyomizu-dera, walk down Chawan-zaka and Gojo-zaka to reach Higashioji-dori. Cross Higashioji-dori and walk west (downhill) on Gojo-dori to reach Keihan Kiyomizu-Gojo Station. Here, board any Keihan train except a tokkyu (limited express) and take it to Fushimi-Inari Station. From here, it’s a short walk to Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine, the last stop on this itinerary.

Very ambitious. U covering South, North, East and then back to South. Normally i cover them in 4 separate days instead of trying to make it 1 day

[IcYFl4mEz]

anyhowsaysay wrote:

Very ambitious. U covering South, North, East and then back to South. Normally i cover them in 4 separate days instead of trying to make it 1 day

How about Arashimaya , Nijo castle and Kinkakuji in one day, the rest in day 2? for Day 1 will be too packed or ample time??

[anyhowsaysay]

[Audrey] wrote:

have some directional problems with the gardens....


Tokyo - Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

Which station is closer to walk to here, and via which gate? Shinjuku-Sanchome Station or Shinjuku-Gyoenmae Station?


Tokyo - Imperial Palace

Which is the easiest way to enter the palace and via which gate? Japan Guide website said it is Tokyo Station, however when I use Google Map, it is 1.7km by foot!

Also, is the Imperial East Garden more worthy or Imperial Palace? if do both together, which to visit first?

Gyoen Mae is closer of course. The Mae in the word is In Front. Shinjuku Gyoen Mae -> In front of Shinjuku Gyoen.