Japan Travel Forum

Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo, staying at Westin

Day 2: Tsukiji Fish Market,Asakusa Shrine, Ueno district, Imperial Palace, Ginza

Day 3: Harajuku to see the Meiji Jingu shrine, go to Shibuya, Go to Shinjuku (if time go to Kamakura to see the giant Buddah and gardens)

Day 4: Day trip to Kamakura or Nikko

Day 5: Train to Kyoto (Westin Miyako)

Day 6: Nijo Castle, Ryoan-ji, Kinkaku-ji (temple of the Golden Pavillion) Ginkaku-ju, Kyomizu-dera, Sanjusangen-do, wandering the Gion district

Day 7: Day trip to Nara

Day 8: Day trip to Himeji

Day 9: OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS

Day 10: Depart Kyoto back to Tokyo for flight

Wow! rest up before your trip. That is a fast itinerary. I'm glad to see you kept day 4 for Kamakura. It is a lovely city and a walking tour has much more than the Great Buddha. It takes a full day with all the small temples and old homes to look at. There are many interesting little shops too. I hope you can see the lady who does etched glassware, stunning!

Hi there
I was just there and could give you my personal opinion on Tokyo itself. Depends on whether you are with a tour group, or making your way about on your own and what you might be interested in.

If you'd like, you could write me an e-mail and we can take it from there.
If not, then for an American view-visit Kdoc13's Tokyo page, also recommended are Jim Ellison's Tokyo pages.
Stonefree, Mori (oOOo) and Yen_2 live there and could help out if you send them an e-mail.
regards & have a nice trip
Orchid

Personally I would squeeze Hiroshima in on day 9. It`s not far away from Kyoto if you go by shinkansen and I found it very moving. It was one of the most memorable places I`ve seen in Japan.

U have a great trip,
Dorota

Kamakura is a day trip in itself so it is not likely you can accommodate this on Day 3 with the visit to Meiji Jingu Shrine. This would have to make you to decide between Kamakura or Nikko on Day 4.

You may consider to squeeze in Meiji Jingu Shrine in Day 2 so you will have a full day for the Kamakura area in Day 3. When I visited Kamakura from Shinjuku, I remembered I purposely took three different types of trains including a monorail train to get there and back. It was fun.

Your Day 6 is jam packed with activities and you will be very tired. I know you can buy a day pass for buses but if you get really tired, you might consider taking the taxi once in a while. It is not that expensive. That is what we did, a combination of taxi and buses. Another option for you is that you may transfer some of the activties in Day 6 to Day 7. If my memory is correct, Nara is really close to Kyoto by train and could be done as a half day trip. There is really not that much more to see in Nara except for Todaiji and that temple where all the deers roaming around.

I had one more suggestion. When you arrive at the Kyoto JR Station, there is a tourist information office staffed by English speaking agents. They can give you advice on public transit options and free maps that you need for your Kyoto visit. The travel office is just outside the Izetan Department Store after you exit the train station.

Also, don't forget to buy your JR pass outside Japan. It is much cheaper and should be available from your local travel agent.

Day 4 - I would consider skipping Kamakura & Nikko. If you really see as many castles & temples as you have planned, you will be puking your innards out by the time your trip is done. OK, maybe not that bad but you definitely won't appreciate Kyoto so much. If it were me, I would see one of the more modern sights. Maybe go to Odaiba, see the young people shopping, hang out at the waterfront and ride the massive ferris wheel or take a tour of the Fuji TV studios. Lots to do there.

It will be very difficult to see all those sights on Day 6 because all the temples close pretty early (around 5 I think). Therefore I suggest leaving as early as possible on Day 5 and catching one or two of the Kyoto sights that afternoon. Kiyomizu or Sanjuusangen-do perhaps since they are both close to Kyoto station. Don't forget to leave time for walking & shopping around Kyoto. Also make sure you get an early start on Day 6 to see as much as possible. Try to get to one of the temples you want to see by opening time. Kinkakuji perhaps, since it's the farthest.

Day 9 -slow down, hang out at the river, do some people watching, last minute shopping, etc. Or you could conceivably pop over to Osaka and take a look. It's not that far.

Have fun.

What time of year will you be in Japan?
You will be very busy. Day 6 in Kyoto will be a blast, but you'll be tired after all the walking. The temple complexes are not small. Nijo Castle you'll need at least 1 1/2 hrs. A good hour if not more at Kiyomizu Temple. Get up super early on this day. And make sure you get the 500yen one-day bus pass at JR Kyoto Station bus terminal. It's one of the best deals in Japan. They have an excellent map on how to get around to all the sites you are going to (English available) by bus.
I would suggest a day trip to Kobe on Day 9. It's a wonderful city to explore & if you are going in the winter you can stop by Arima Hot Spring & soak in the baths.
Check out my Kobe pages for more information. Also check out my Himeji pages. I lived there for 3 yrs.
Have a great time in Japan!!