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Travel by car to Takaragawa onsen 2009/10/8 15:41
Hello,

Day 1 - Were travelling to Takaragawa onsen by car. Can anyone advise if it will be a difficult drive to the onsen from Ikebukuro since we have never driven in Japan? Also, I heard that the tolls are pretty expensive, can someone advise about how much it would cost for the trip from Ikebukuro to Takaragawa onsen if we took the highway. And from the onsen to Odawara or Atami station.

Day 2 - We are also planning to drive around the area on our 2nd day there but don't know where we can go to stop by for a visit & have lunch before going back for dinner at the onsen. I was thinking of Nikko or Takayama or Nagano but seems like it would be too far of a distance to drive...? We would probably trek out from the onsen at 10 or 11am & would need to be back by 5pm? for dinner at the onsen.

Day 3 - checkout from the onsen and drive towards Mt. Fuji for a visit before dropping off our car at the Odawara Station or Atami station and then to Kyoto. Were hoping that we can use the car to roam around Mt. Fuji /Hakone/Atami area. Check-in at Kyoto by 8pm for the night. Is this doable if we left the onsen at 10 or 11am? Is it better to drop off the car at Odawara or Atami station and go straight to Kyoto? Or, should we stick around Hakone or spend some time in Gotemba or Atami or do all? Does anyone know a good place to have lunch in Mt.Fuji/Hakone area?

Were travelling 3 days by car & then 7 days by JR Rail pass.

Sorry, lots of questions. Any help would be much appreciated.
by kagari (guest)  

... 2009/10/8 19:05
Can anyone advise if it will be a difficult drive to the onsen from Ikebukuro since we have never driven in Japan?

Yes, it is difficult. Especially finding your way through the expressway jungle of Tokyo. Even with a navigation system, it can be challenging to find the correct lanes.

Furthermore, if you travel during winter, there is a risk of encountering snow on the road around Minakami, which can be dangerous if not used to it.

Also, I heard that the tolls are pretty expensive, can someone advise about how much it would cost for the trip from Ikebukuro to Takaragawa onsen if we took the highway.

About 4000 yen one way.

And from the onsen to Odawara or Atami station.

About 6000 yen one way.

We are also planning to drive around the area on our 2nd day there but don't know where we can go to stop by for a visit & have lunch before going back for dinner at the onsen. I was thinking of Nikko or Takayama or Nagano but seems like it would be too far of a distance to drive...?

Takayama and is completely out of question. Nagano is also too far. Nikko is only theoretically possible, being reached in about 2-3 hours one way outside winter.

More reasonable would be local attractions, as introduced on the following page:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7460.html

Is this doable if we left the onsen at 10 or 11am?

Yes, but you won't have any time to roam around Mount Fuji. You would have to travel more or less directly with little time to stop along the way.

Is it better to drop off the car at Odawara or Atami station and go straight to Kyoto?

I think you are better using public transportation for your entire trip, including Minakami. Or possible a rental car just in the Minakami area (from Takasaki or Jomo-Kogen Station).
by Uji rate this post as useful

3 day JR East rail pass better? 2009/10/9 14:22
thank-you Uji. Then would it be better & more cost effective if we got a flexible 3-days JR East Rail pass aside from our 7 days JR Rail pass for day 1-3 below instead of by car? Would you know roughly how much would it cost if we went with public transportation vs 3 day JR East rail pass vs by car?

We were planning to activate our 7 day rail pass on day 4.

We will be traveling in the last week of this month (Oct) for our 11 day trip. Our intineary is below:

Day 1 - Arriving Narita Airport at 1:30pm, stay in Ikebukuro (1 night)
Day 2-3 - Takaragawa onsen (stay 2 nights)
Day 4 - From onsen to Hakone/Mt. Fuji? then travel to Kyoto for the night
Day 5 - One day touring Kyoto (Fushimi Inari Shrine morning, Kiyomizudera, Nijo castle, etc..afternoon)
Day 6 - Travel to Himeji castle (morning) & Osaka/Kobe (rest of day), then back to Kyoto for the night
Day 7 - Travel to Gero onsen (Gifu) from Kyoto for the night
Day 8 - Gero to briefly visit Takayama?, then to Tokyo for the night
Day 9: Tokyo area
Day 10: Tokyo area or day trip to ??
Day 11: Tokyo area then catch the evening flight back home from Narita airport.

Also, can anyone advise on our intinerary above. Were not sure what is more feasible to do or places to visit for our Day 4,8 & 10, any suggestions?
by kagari (guest) rate this post as useful

... 2009/10/9 16:17
Then would it be better & more cost effective if we got a flexible 3-days JR East Rail pass aside from our 7 days JR Rail pass for day 1-3 below instead of by car?

Yes, the 3-day pass will be cheaper than the round trip to Minakami by shinkansen or limited express train plus the train from Narita Airport into Tokyo.

Alternatively, I think that a 14-day Japan Rail Pass would also pay off.

Would you know roughly how much would it cost if we went with public transportation vs 3 day JR East rail pass vs by car?

Access to Minakmi and related costs are explained on the following page:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7461.html

A rental car typically costs about 5,000 to 15,000 yen per day not including gasoline and expressway tolls.
by Uji rate this post as useful

Driving in japan is a breeze 2009/10/9 22:35
Hi All. I drove 7 days in Japan late last year (1st time), aided by the Japanese GPS, and I found it to be a breeze. 2 of the 7 days was in Toyko. The GPS has made the driving fool proof.

Planning to be back in Japan this Dec and again doing it self-drive style !!

Regards
Soon (Singapore)
by gingkocs rate this post as useful

Take Public Transportation - Much Easier 2009/10/10 05:02
Make your live easy. Just take public transportation. For directions to Takaragawa Onsen see
http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/db/gunma/osenkaku.htm
by ryokans rate this post as useful

.. 2009/10/10 13:35
hello all,

thank-you so much for all your responses, they were very helpful. there are actually 5 of us traveling together so we thought we could save some money traveling by car for 3 days to & around the onsen since we would have the 7 day rail pass for our 11 day trip.

I also heard from my friend that there seems to be a promotion for a 3 day JR East Special Pass which costs $10000 yen? Can someone confirm this? If that is the case, then it looks like its cheaper than driving.

gingkocs, was it hard to follow the directions using a Japanese GPS assuming if you don't know Japanese? (one of my friend can read some chinese characters if that helps)

many thanks.
by kagari (guest) rate this post as useful

driving to Takaragawa 2009/10/11 01:22

I drove to Takaragawa a couple of years ago - with no GPS - and found it pretty straight-forward. I was coming from the southwest side of Tokyo, so went through the city. The trick to driving in Tokyo is to know that name of the highway you are looking for. Here's a map of the metropolitan expressway:
http://www.shutoko.jp/english/map.html
I think in your case you're looking for the Kan-etsu. Do you see how the road leading up to the Kan-etsu is labelled, '5'? All the 'spokes' from the central ring are numbered, clockwise. You'll follow signs for '5' and then signs for Kan-etsu. It's just not as hard as it looks. The signage is way better than it used to be, and is all in romaji (English) as well as kanji.
Once off the Minakami interchange you'll follow directions to Takaragawa. There are ski areas up there so that's the main complication.
by Spendthrift (guest) rate this post as useful

Wonders of GPS 2009/10/11 08:48
This is my third try on posting an answer cause the first 2 did not went thru.

U only need to key-in the destination telephone number and U are all set. We also got the car rental co to show use how to use it.

Try Tocoo rental for GPS instruction
http://www2.tocoo.jp/?file=rentcar_inbound/navi/navi_top

Once the GPS shows the route, it will be best to compare it against a map. This is to ensure U are heading generally in the correct direction.

Dear Japan-Guide moderators, a permanent topic on how to do self-drive will be good.

Regards
Soon (Singapore)


by gingkocs rate this post as useful

Road toll charges 2009/10/11 08:53
Oops, here is the link to road toll charges
http://www.navitime.co.jp/en/



Regards
Soon (Singapore)
by gingkocs rate this post as useful

Thank you! 2009/10/16 12:18
Thanks to everyone who responded to my questions, they were very helpful.
by kagari (guest) rate this post as useful

. 2011/5/10 18:20
To those who have driving from Tokyo to Takaragawa, how was the drive (Difficult, tiring)? It's about 3hrs on toll road if i am not wrong?

IS parking free at Takaragawa?
And are there any good stop offs along the way?

Thanks!
by Amelia (guest) rate this post as useful

... 2011/5/10 18:40
To those who have driving from Tokyo to Takaragawa, how was the drive (Difficult, tiring)?

Getting out of Tokyo can be stressful. It depends where in Tokyo you start. The expressway network is not straight forward. Once you are out of Tokyo it is not a big problem, especially if you have a car navigation system.

IS parking free at Takaragawa?

Yes.

And are there any good stop offs along the way?

Not really. Minakami itself has a few other spots of interest:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7460.html

And for more hot springs, Ikaho is interesting:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7475.html

Not along the way, but not too far away is Kusatsu Onsen, which has Japan's best onsen waters, in my personal opinion:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7400.html
by Uji rate this post as useful

update 2011/9/7 14:50
hello, i know its been quite a while since i originally posted my question but had to share some of my experience regarding this topic.

- yes, we did end up driving from Tokyo to Takaragawa Onsen and never regretted it because it was an experience the 5 of us never forgot. Here are some tips:
- when you reserve your car rental online, request for an English GPS beforehand don't wait until you pickup your car.
- when renting a car online, take # of passengers they indicate minus 1 person equals the number of ppl who will sit comfortably in the car unless everyone is small in stature or you have small baggages. (we rented a nissan van for 3 girls & 2 guys with 5 carry-ons & it was comfortable, any more would be tight for us). A nissan van in Japan is much smaller than a North American one! i think this is same for the other car models too.
- try to book your lodging if staying in Tokyo, along the route that would take u directly to entrance of the Kan-etsu expressway (if your taking that route)
- I believe the ramp we took to get onto the Kan-etsu expressway was only for ppl with an Express pass and so we got pulled over to the side. Unfortunately, none of them spoke any English but everyone was very polite, even ppl in the cars behind us (no hocking at all! unbelievable..so friendly). Well, if u ever get stuck like us, show them your car rental documents that you got from the rental company & they will figure out the rest. Apparently, our car was a rental & we were not provided with any Express pass & neither did the rental company advise us. So in the end, the booth ppl let us go through & after that episode, it was a breeze for the rest of the way (no problems going through the pay cash toll booths)
- when going through the toll booths, make sure you go through the correct gates to pay cash instead of the Express pass gates (we made sure we saw ppl in the toll booth collecting money before going in line =) most of the time the Express pass gate is on the far right side.
- there weren't too many Service station pit stops on our 3 hour road trip to Takaragawa onsen from Tokyo so if you see one, go for it. we stopped by one near the beginning of our journey on the expressway and it was very, very clean! food was good & cheap as well!
- we bought our road trip meal before going on the expressway and ate at the Service station pit stops.
- the scenery was very beautiful as we got closer to Takaragawa (up the hills). Make sure u have time to do some pit stops along the route (there are lookout points along the highway) to take some pictures, u won't regret it.
- around Takaragawa onsen, it gets pitch black around 4:00pm. we saw school kids walking home from school in a small town nearby & thought that they were getting off school at 10:00pm at night! yes, it was that dark. (this is in Nov when we went)
- have print out maps handy with you in case u need them.
- plan ahead the routes you will be taking!
- bring a Japanese translation book (it was soo handy for us. We were able to actually have a conversation with couple of nice ladies we met on our Gifu train ride. they were so nice that one lady treated all 5 of us to drinks!). I got the Point-&-Speak Phrasebook for Japan at the Narita airport, recommend it.
- don't forget to get your international license ($17, no test required in 2009)
- if you go in a group and like the freedom to explore around on your own, driving is not so bad in Japan for a road trip especially driving outside of the big cities for couple of days.
- if yur in Japan or at the airport, and you find a map book, i suggest to get it. wish I had time to find one for myself!
- next time, we will definitely consider driving in our intinerary again.
- by the way, Takaragaw Onsen was awesome! spent 2 nites there and really enjoyed it. (no one around, so book during non-busy days Tues-Thurs.

hope this helps!
by kagari (guest) rate this post as useful

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