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Travel in Japan

Hi
We are family of 4. 2 adults and 2 kids. Travelling in early May 2-11 .
This is our itenary.
2-7 May Tokyo-( Narita)- travel around Tokyo
Disneyland
7-9 Kyoto
9-11 Osaka
11-13 Tokyo (Narita) - considering stay around Narita area as we would have already spent a few days in Tokyo.
We plan to visit main attractions in each city.
I have looked in the previos posts but still confused with train system and tickets.
My question is what would be the best optios for us in term of train tickets.
I heard about JR pass and thinking of getting 7 day pass when we are going to Kyoto but not sure of what to get for times in Tokyo and from the ariport
Thank you

Comments

  • edited January 2018
    Hi,
    Well it's up to what you want of course, but if you're only going from Tokyo to Kyoto/Osaka within a week, the japanican ticket beats the pants off of the 7 day JR Pass.
    http://www.japanican.com/en/tour/detail/VJOPENTK1/
    http://www.japanican.com/en/tour/detail/VJOPENTO1/
    But the truth is, since you are already seeing Tokyo, you can largely skip Osaka during the day. After the temples of Kyoto close down around 5 PM, you can zip over to Osaka for the evening. At night the city comes alive and has some great places to see, such as Dotonbori, plus the night views from the Umeda Sky Bldg and Abeno Harukas Bldg are wonderful.
    On another evening, you could also go and see Kobe.

    Instead, I suggest you take at least half a day and see Nara - it was also a former capital and has some of Japan's best sights. Missing the Todaiji Great Buddha would be a tragedy. Nara Park has a lot of other great places, such as Kasuga Shrine, Kofukuji Temple, the Isuien and Yoshikien Gardens, and feeding the many deer in the area.

    You could also take a day and see Himeji, with Japan's best castle and Kokoen Garden next door. If you do that, then the JR Pass becomes a lot more attractive.
    Or if you are really ambitious, you can take a day and see both Hiroshima and Miyajima with an early morning start. You can cover the Peace Park/Museum, castle, Shukkeien Garden and Okonomiyaki-mura, and then go down to take the JR ferry to the island.
    Aside from the Itsukushima Shrine with the giant "floating" torii, the Daishoin Temple is also a must-see place. There are several other pagodas and temples, and climbing Mt. Misen offers a fantastic view over the island and whole area.

    For your time in Tokyo, typically 3-4 days are quite enough. You might take some day trips to see more and get a more well rounded experience. You'll be in Japan during Golden Week, which is a peak travel season in Japan. By all means you should get your hotels reserved as soon as possible. But that week has a lot of gems to offer. You'll be too late for the cherry blossoms (unless you go way up north to Hokkaido) but you can see the wisteria, which is equally breathtaking. The Ashikaga Flower Park is one of the best places to see them.
    https://goo.gl/YB6hfj

    Another jewel is the shibazakura.
    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6919.html

    And if you have another day to spare, Nikko is a great outing. The kids might like Edo-Mura for a real Japanese experience.
    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3800.html
    http://edowonderland.net/en/
    If you don't have some other pass for the area, get a Tokyo Wide Pass
    http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_06.html

    If you are leaving through Narita without any pass, the cheapest way is with the 1000 yen bus.
    http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/

    You can see regular fares, routes and schedules on Hyperdia.
    http://www.hyperdia.com
    Under "More Options", be sure to uncheck the Nozomi box since you can't ride that train if you are using the JR pass.

    You can see previews of some of the best places to see in Japan on:
    https://www.youtube.com/user/thejapanfaq/videos

    There are also loads of other tips on
    http://www.thejapanfaq.com/the-best-japan-travel-tips/

    Hope that helps.

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