Japan Sample Itinerary thread

[evilerniex]

Hi! Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, we've alr booked a full 14n accommodation in Tokyo so prolly won't be able to stay over in other places really like your suggestion on squeezing yokohama with tokyo, thank you!

u mean u are making day trips from tokyo to osaka, kyoto etc? it is 3hrs from tokyo to osaka or kyoto, which means 6hrs of travelling a day for day 2 to 4. think it is going to be very tiring to make such long journeys everyday.

mt fuji, and izu are still doable as day trip.

i would suggest dropping osaka and kyoto. there are many other places to go that are nearer to tokyo. if u are interested in temple and shrines, there is kamakura and nikko. for theme parks, can go disneysea and fuji-q highland

or see if u can can ur accom? most accom can allow changes if u do so in advance

 

[trojanguy]

hi evil u seem to know alot of japan, are you working there?

 

[evilerniex]

hi evil u seem to know alot of japan, are you working there?

no lah, I working in sg.
there is a thread on those working and living in japan though:
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/japan-271/people-living-tokyo-lip-lai-4122288.html
and there are many others here that have better knowledge of japan, such as dimitri_can, kifo, samtcy etc.

 

[YogurtIcecream]

Hi! Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, we've alr booked a full 14n accommodation in Tokyo so prolly won't be able to stay over in other places really like your suggestion on squeezing yokohama with tokyo, thank you!

Eh as someone said going to Kyoto/Osaka/Nara would be a problem due to the travelling time. You can either do one of the following:

- Drop Osaka/Kyoto/Nara for other places nearer to Tokyo. There is a lot to see in Tokyo.
- Schedule them into two-three days and find an accommodation in Osaka/Kyoto for one-two nights before going back to Tokyo. You might want to drop one of the places (like Nara). I don't think it will affect your other accommodation, though you waste part of the accommodation in Tokyo.

 

[xberri]

u mean u are making day trips from tokyo to osaka, kyoto etc? it is 3hrs from tokyo to osaka or kyoto, which means 6hrs of travelling a day for day 2 to 4. think it is going to be very tiring to make such long journeys everyday.

mt fuji, and izu are still doable as day trip.

i would suggest dropping osaka and kyoto. there are many other places to go that are nearer to tokyo. if u are interested in temple and shrines, there is kamakura and nikko. for theme parks, can go disneysea and fuji-q highland

or see if u can can ur accom? most accom can allow changes if u do so in advance

Thanks for your reply. My friend is pretty adamant on going Osaka so I don't think we'll drop it. However, we'll drop kyoto and kurobe gorge as per your suggestion we're working on the accomodation part in tokyo now, but it's going rough since we booked via airbnb and the host alr offered us a very attractive price for 14n! Worst case scenario we'll just forgo 2 nights

Eh as someone said going to Kyoto/Osaka/Nara would be a problem due to the travelling time. You can either do one of the following:

- Drop Osaka/Kyoto/Nara for other places nearer to Tokyo. There is a lot to see in Tokyo.
- Schedule them into two-three days and find an accommodation in Osaka/Kyoto for one-two nights before going back to Tokyo. You might want to drop one of the places (like Nara). I don't think it will affect your other accommodation, though you waste part of the accommodation in Tokyo.

Definitely dropping nara. There's rly nothing much to see apart from the deer park... which is silly to travel all the way there for

 

[Dusky01]

[/COLOR]
some comments above

thanks for your comments .. really appreciate it

 

[evilerniex]

Thanks for your reply. My friend is pretty adamant on going Osaka so I don't think we'll drop it. However, we'll drop kyoto and kurobe gorge as per your suggestion we're working on the accomodation part in tokyo now, but it's going rough since we booked via airbnb and the host alr offered us a very attractive price for 14n! Worst case scenario we'll just forgo 2 nights



Definitely dropping nara. There's rly nothing much to see apart from the deer park... which is silly to travel all the way there for

if u really want, u can take the 6+am shinkansen from Tokyo at arrive at USJ just after 10am, then leave USJ abt 7pm and take the 7:40pm shinkansen from shin-Osaka back to Tokyo.

a more comfortable pace will be to travel to Osaka in the morning, tour Osaka, then stay a night and visit USJ the next day. then either return Tokyo straight after USJ, or stay another night. if u stay another night, u still can visit Kyoto the next day before going back to Tokyo.

note that USJ opens at 10am so u will need to be there before that to queue if u want to chiong for the popular rides. buying the express pass will be good

 

[xberri]

if u really want, u can take the 6+am shinkansen from Tokyo at arrive at USJ just after 10am, then leave USJ abt 7pm and take the 7:40pm shinkansen from shin-Osaka back to Tokyo.

a more comfortable pace will be to travel to Osaka in the morning, tour Osaka, then stay a night and visit USJ the next day. then either return Tokyo straight after USJ, or stay another night. if u stay another night, u still can visit Kyoto the next day before going back to Tokyo.

note that USJ opens at 10am so u will need to be there before that to queue if u want to chiong for the popular rides. buying the express pass will be good

We've managed to make changes to our accommodation in Tokyo! Then taking your advice, we'll now be heading str8 to osaka after landing, then stay 3 nights there in this order: Osaka half day - kyoto - usj - osaka/tokyo! Sounds okay right?

Also, any idea if we'll be able to purchase the tickets over the counter in advance at usj? Planning to purchase in day 1! Unfortunately have no more budget left for express pass, so gonna cross our fingers and hope that there's not much crowd on Thursday

 

[evilerniex]

We've managed to make changes to our accommodation in Tokyo! Then taking your advice, we'll now be heading str8 to osaka after landing, then stay 3 nights there in this order: Osaka half day - kyoto - usj - osaka/tokyo! Sounds okay right?

Also, any idea if we'll be able to purchase the tickets over the counter in advance at usj? Planning to purchase in day 1! Unfortunately have no more budget left for express pass, so gonna cross our fingers and hope that there's not much crowd on Thursday

3 nights in osaka sounds good. wun be so tiring travelling back and forth from tokyo.

u can buy the USJ tickets from other places, need not go USJ
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4021.html
"Passes include unlimited rides and can be bought at the gate or at JR ticket counters, Lawson convenience stores, selected travel agencies and partner hotels. "

 

[sKeLeToN]

for 7 days, just stick to tokyo. u will not need to get JR pass if just going tokyo. just get their store-value card, SUICA to get ard

kyoto is very far from tokyo, and it take 3hrs by shinkansen to get from tokyo to kyoto. not going to be worth the time and cost to go kyoto just for 1 day. kyoto itself would require 2-3 days to cover properly, and there are other places such as osaka and kobe that is near to kyoto. so better to leave these places for another trip

u can check out japan guide for the popular places to visit in tokyo:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html

Gotta a similar dilemma....

I am still piecing my itinerary up and am still quite at a loss on the transportation arrangements...the basic skeleton of my travel plans:-

Day 1-7: Arrive in Osaka, will want to go USJ and day trip(s) to Kyoto
Day 8-14: Bullet train to Tokyo, will want to go Disneyland and etc.

I cant' quite understand which trains are covered by JR pass, coz there are just so many train operators (seriously, a noob here )!!!

Would it make sense for me to buy the JR Pass for 14days, a whopping $500++ per person? My gut feel tells me it is not, but I would really appreciate an expert's view on this...

When I am in Tokyo, I am considering a visit to Mount Fuji....I noted that there are some day trips conducted by tour operators....would it make sense for me to pay almost $200 per person to go, or is this somewhere i can make my way up myself?

A lot of questions, please bear with me....a super big thanks in advance!

 

[arhjaye]

Gotta a similar dilemma....

I am still piecing my itinerary up and am still quite at a loss on the transportation arrangements...the basic skeleton of my travel plans:-

Day 1-7: Arrive in Osaka, will want to go USJ and day trip(s) to Kyoto
Day 8-14: Bullet train to Tokyo, will want to go Disneyland and etc.

I cant' quite understand which trains are covered by JR pass, coz there are just so many train operators (seriously, a noob here )!!!

Would it make sense for me to buy the JR Pass for 14days, a whopping $500++ per person? My gut feel tells me it is not, but I would really appreciate an expert's view on this...

When I am in Tokyo, I am considering a visit to Mount Fuji....I noted that there are some day trips conducted by tour operators....would it make sense for me to pay almost $200 per person to go, or is this somewhere i can make my way up myself?

A lot of questions, please bear with me....a super big thanks in advance!

JR itself is a train operator with lines all over japan which the JR pass is used for. For non-JR lines, chances are you won't be able to utilise the JR pass except for a few special exceptions.

If your only travelling from osaka to tokyo and flying out from tokyo, the JR pass is not for you. Your only major cost will be osaka to tokyo at ~$180, definitely you wont be making your $500 worth

 

[cpuer]

Gotta a similar dilemma....

I am still piecing my itinerary up and am still quite at a loss on the transportation arrangements...the basic skeleton of my travel plans:-

Day 1-7: Arrive in Osaka, will want to go USJ and day trip(s) to Kyoto
Day 8-14: Bullet train to Tokyo, will want to go Disneyland and etc.

I cant' quite understand which trains are covered by JR pass, coz there are just so many train operators (seriously, a noob here )!!!

Would it make sense for me to buy the JR Pass for 14days, a whopping $500++ per person? My gut feel tells me it is not, but I would really appreciate an expert's view on this...

When I am in Tokyo, I am considering a visit to Mount Fuji....I noted that there are some day trips conducted by tour operators....would it make sense for me to pay almost $200 per person to go, or is this somewhere i can make my way up myself?

A lot of questions, please bear with me....a super big thanks in advance!

For Mt Fuji and surrounding, this pass is good
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/fuji/

But it usually selling during July till end Nov

 

[evilerniex]

Gotta a similar dilemma....

I am still piecing my itinerary up and am still quite at a loss on the transportation arrangements...the basic skeleton of my travel plans:-

Day 1-7: Arrive in Osaka, will want to go USJ and day trip(s) to Kyoto
Day 8-14: Bullet train to Tokyo, will want to go Disneyland and etc.

I cant' quite understand which trains are covered by JR pass, coz there are just so many train operators (seriously, a noob here )!!!

Would it make sense for me to buy the JR Pass for 14days, a whopping $500++ per person? My gut feel tells me it is not, but I would really appreciate an expert's view on this...

When I am in Tokyo, I am considering a visit to Mount Fuji....I noted that there are some day trips conducted by tour operators....would it make sense for me to pay almost $200 per person to go, or is this somewhere i can make my way up myself?

A lot of questions, please bear with me....a super big thanks in advance!

JR pass is mainly to cover long expensive trips on shinkansen and ltd express trains. will not be worth it for travelling within the city. for ur case, u are only travelling one-way from Osaka to Tokyo, which will not be worth the price of JR pass, so just get single trip ticket

easy way to check if ur route is covered by JR pass is to search on Hyperdia, with the option for 'Private Railway' and 'Nozomi/...' turned off
http://www.hyperdia.com/en/#

if u are just going lake kawaguchi and mt Fuji 5th station, it is definitely doable on ur own. and the pass shared by cpuer will take care of all the transport. tour package may include meals and some other attractions that are less accessible, so have to look at their itinerary to see if it is worth it

 

[xberri]

3 nights in osaka sounds good. wun be so tiring travelling back and forth from tokyo.

u can buy the USJ tickets from other places, need not go USJ
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4021.html
"Passes include unlimited rides and can be bought at the gate or at JR ticket counters, Lawson convenience stores, selected travel agencies and partner hotels. "

Hmm... We're actually trying to use the birthday discount so I'm not sure if it can be purchased as above any idea?

 

[sKeLeToN]

JR pass is mainly to cover long expensive trips on shinkansen and ltd express trains. will not be worth it for travelling within the city. for ur case, u are only travelling one-way from Osaka to Tokyo, which will not be worth the price of JR pass, so just get single trip ticket

easy way to check if ur route is covered by JR pass is to search on Hyperdia, with the option for 'Private Railway' and 'Nozomi/...' turned off
http://www.hyperdia.com/en/#

if u are just going lake kawaguchi and mt Fuji 5th station, it is definitely doable on ur own. and the pass shared by cpuer will take care of all the transport. tour package may include meals and some other attractions that are less accessible, so have to look at their itinerary to see if it is worth it

Hey thanks guys for the advice, much appreciated!

Slight change for mount fuji - if i just want to have a good view of it and not climb it, what is my best bet?

From what I have gathered, looks like Fuji Five Lakes is where i can get the best view....Any better suggestions??

 

[Unravel95]

You can get a pretty nice view from Fuji Five Lakes or the onsen in Hakone (only one onsen has a view of Mount Fuji). However, ultimately it very much still depends on the weather conditions. So before you head down, perhaps you would like to check up on the weather in advance.

 

[stylux]

hi guys , can i check, how for the following, pardon me , first time here.

1) 1 day for disneyland is it too much ?
2) 1 day trip to mount fuji , 5 lakes , hakone ? (to what extend can i go up for mount fuji, im not climbing of course )

Im be heading from Marunouchi , so how should i go about from here to mount fuji ?

 

[cpuer]

hi guys , can i check, how for the following, pardon me , first time here.

1) 1 day for disneyland is it too much ?
2) 1 day trip to mount fuji , 5 lakes , hakone ? (to what extend can i go up for mount fuji, im not climbing of course )

Im be heading from Marunouchi , so how should i go about from here to mount fuji ?

You can go up till 5th stn of Mt Fuji. What is the nearest stn within Marunouchi? Its quite a big area where Tokyo stn is the centre.

 

[trojanguy]

Hi i got a question.

when i tried booking online on USS japan. i saw the price was 7,200 yen which is quite ok with me.

but i noticed there's an express pass with harry potter and spider man and etc.

you mean to say you need to buy entrance tickets and get an express tickets to get to experience the harry potter place??

i totalled it up and its aroun $330 for 2 people. WOW thats expensive.

is this normal? can i any means get it cheaper?

 

[evilerniex]

hi guys , can i check, how for the following, pardon me , first time here.

1) 1 day for disneyland is it too much ?
2) 1 day trip to mount fuji , 5 lakes , hakone ? (to what extend can i go up for mount fuji, im not climbing of course )

Im be heading from Marunouchi , so how should i go about from here to mount fuji ?

1 day for Disneyland is ok. u will need the whole day coz there is going to be a lot of queuing for rides. in fact, if u are going to take all the rides, 1 day is not going to be enuf

1 day trip not going to be enuf to cover mt Fuji, 5 lake and hakone. u can either do lake kawaguchi + mt Fuji 5th station, or hakone.