Hi, I have been to Japan on tour group before. This time I am bringing my son (1st time) with me, and will be arriving at Haneda Airport on 23 August and depart from Osaka on 20 September.
Planning as follows:
Tokyo - 5 nights
Kanazawa - 2 nights
Kyoto - 5 nights
Hiroshima - 2 nights
Fukuoka - 4 nights
Osaka - 5 nights
Day 1 to 4 - Tokyo city
Day 5 - Tokyo Disneyland
Day 6 - Tokyo to Yokohama
Day 7 - Tokyo to Kamakura
Day 8 - Tokyo to Hokane
Day 9 - Tokyo to Karuizawa
Day 10 - Tokyo Nikko
Day 11 - Leave for Kanazawa
Day 12- Kanazawa to Shirakawago
Day 13 - Leave for Kyoto
Day 14 - Kyoto to Arashimaya
Day 15 - Kyoto city
Day 16 - Kyoto city
Day 17 - Kyoto to Nagoya
Day 18 - Leave for Hiroshima
Day 19 - Hiroshima / Miyajima
Day 20 - Leave for Fukuoka
Day 21 - Fukuoka to Kagoshima
Day 22 - Fukuoka to Nagasaki
Day 23 - Fukuoka city
Day 24 - Leave for Osaka
Day 25 - Osaka to Himeji and Kobe
Day 26 - Osaka to Nara
Day 27 - Osaka to Universal Studio
Day 28 - Osaka city
Day 29 - Back home at night from Kansai Airport
Please advise is the itinerary okay. Should I buy a 14 days JR pass starting to Kanazawa or any proposal you think is best.
Is there any other places that I have missed which worth visiting.
Thank you.
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Comments
Actually you could make a 3 week pass pay off well too, using it for Days 9-29 - the rounds trips by JR to Nikko and Karuizawa together total about 20,000 yen, and you can also use the last day of your pass to take the Haruka train from Osaka to KIX, saving you about 22,500 yen while only costing you about 13,000 yen more for the 3 week pass.
For Kamakura/Enoshima, look at getting a Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass:
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/enoshima_kamakura/
and for Hakone, use the Hakone Free Pass:
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/hakone/
For Day 12, you can see Shirakawago in just a few hours; there are nearby places like Gokayama you can see too.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5950.html
Staying in a farmhouse for the night is unforgettable and highly recommended.
For Day 20, take a few hours along the way to see Iwakuni -- it's just a bit south of Miyajima and the iconic bridge and mountaintop castle are very memorable.
For Fukuoka, one of the most comprehensive guides is at
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/fukpic.html
Be sure to see the Nanzoin Temple - it's one of those places you'll remember for the rest of your life.
You can reach Kagoshima in about 90 minutes by bullet train from Hakata Stn. The 3 big places in the city are of course the Sakurajima volcano, Senganen Garden, and Shiroyama Park.
Nagasaki is filled with great places. Be sure to try the chanpon and saraudon for lunch or dinner - they are absolutely terrific. If you wish to see Gunkanjima, try early since if the seas are rough the tours are cancelled. In addition, the Peace Park, Dejima, Glover Garden, Koshibyo, and Mt Inasa at night are the very best.
For other cities on what to see, look at:
www.japan-guide.com
www.jnto.go.jp
Thank you for your recommendation.
Plan to go Shirakawago and then to Takayama Old town and back from Takayama to Kanazawa by JR pass. We will need to take Noshi bus, one way ticket from Kanazawa to Shirakawago and then another one way ticket to Takayama. Is it right?
To Nagasaki, is it worth visiting Huis Ten Bosch?
Plan to include Fuji Q in Hakone. Is one full day enough to include the sightseeing?
Thank you.
Yes you're correct about the buses.
Also as said, Fuji Q Highland is not in Hakone - it's on the other side of Mt. Fuji in the Fuji 5 Lakes Area. You could see Fuji Q Highland for a day but there'd be little time left for all the other nice scenery there.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6900.html
So you could choose the amusement park or everything else, but in a day you really couldn't do both. And you certainly couldn't see both Hakone and the Fuji 5 Lakes area in just a day. One possibility is taking one of the days you have set for Tokyo and make it half a day for Tokyo and half a day for Yokohama. You'd still have time to see the main Yokohama sights (Sankeien Garden, Chinatown, Minato Mirai, pier area), and that freed up day you could see Hakone and the following day the Fuji 5 Lakes area. If so, a Fuji Hakone Pass can help.
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/fujihakone/
For Huis Ten Bosch, some people like it while others not so much. It really does look like a part of Holland was just laid out in front of you, and in tulip season it looks extremely beautiful. But aside from the appearances, some don't find it entirely satisfying, but you might.
Apart from the Fuji Hakone Pass and Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass, which other pass would be worth considering for me.
Likely will skip Huis Ten Bosch. Any more suggestions. Thank you.
To save time getting around within a city, you should always find the most convenient connections from one sightseeing place to the next. This means not relying exclusively on your JR Pass, but also using subways/buses. To make things easier, you should get an IC card such as Suica or Pasmo, instead of having to buy a ticket each time you take the subway.
If I use the Fuji Hakone Pass on the 1st day to Fuji Q from Shinjuku. How do I go back to Shinjuku from there. Likewise for Gotemba.
Is it a round trip pass or one way.
Can we go back from any of the stop.
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/traffic/railway/
I am still a bit confused. Pass say one way. I will start from/back to Shinjuku.
If I go Gotemba. I will have to follow the route to each stopover at Gora to Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara and then back to Shinjuku. Does the pass include ride back (normal train) from Hakone-Yumoto other than Romacecar.
If I go Fuji-Q, do I take the same bus back in the evening at the same drop off. Does pass cover bus fare back to Shinjuku.
What would be the itinerary, if I want to use the full 3 day pass visiting, Fuji Q, Fuji Five lakes, Gotemba and Hakone.
Thanks again.
You cannot do a round-trip the same way to Shinjuku, because the pass is intended for you to go directly to the Five Lakes from Hakone (or viceversa) via Gotemba, and then return to Tokyo on a different route.
I think this page can give you a very good understanding of what you can do with the pass: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_014.html
As you can see, you do not have to stop at Hakone-Yumoto on your way to Odawara from Gora. You're supposed to validate your trip to Shinjuku from Odawara Station, not from Hakone-Yumoto.
About possible itineraries. The thing is that it depends on where in the areas you're going to stay. Ideally, it would be one night in Hakone and one night in the Five Lakes area. Some basic ideas include doing the standard Hakone Round Course. The Five Lakes area has its share of attractions, as you saw on the article linked a few posts ago.
I hope this helps!
Thank you very much.
Am very clear now.