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Need advice for 8 days itenerary 2012/2/26 00:56
My family ( wife and 2 teenagers ) and I will visit Japan by March 27 to April 4.
I plan to prepare JR Pass and visit with itenerary as follow : ( Please advice if you have better arrangement/itenerary )

March 26, arrive on midnight 11 pm at Haneda, I am thinking of overnight in hotel in Shinagawa.
Question : Is it still convinient to go with train in such midnight time ? Or better to take hotel arround haneda airport ?

March 27 - 28 plan to do sightseeing in Hakone and overnight there.

March 28 evening 6 pm back to Shinagawa
Question : Is it worth to buy Hakone Pass ?

March 29 : We want to play ski in Yuzawa area and back to Shinagawa.
Question : any ski school recommended for family ?

March 30 : Depart to Hiroshima, visit Miyajima and move to osaka in the evening and Overnight there.

March 31 : Enjoy Universal Studio. Overnight in Osaka
Question : Can I book ticket online ?

April 1 : Depart to Nara - Kyoto and back to Shinagawa.
Question : What is the most must see in Nara Kyoto with one day schedule ?

April 2 : Enjoy Disneyland
Question : Can I book ticket online ?
April 3 : Tokyo one day sight seeing

April 4 : Back to home country

I still feel my itenerary is not appropriate/systematic yet, any idea ?

Very appriciate for immediate advice since I have to book hotel in towns I will visit.

Thank you
by winchan (guest)  

Re: Need advice for 8 days itenerary 2012/2/26 09:06
Question : Is it still convinient to go with train in such midnight time ?

The last trains depart shortly after midnight. If your flight happens to be delayed, there is a risk that might miss the last train. I personally would rather try to stay at a hotel even closer to the airport.

Question : Is it worth to buy Hakone Pass ?

Yes, if you spend 2 days in Hakone, it is almost impossible that the pass will not pay off.

March 30 : Depart to Hiroshima, visit Miyajima and move to osaka in the evening and Overnight there.

You will be spending 8-9 hours on the train.

March 31 : Enjoy Universal Studio. Overnight in Osaka

Just be aware that this will be one of the busiest days of the entire year, because it is a weekend during the school holidays and a new part of the park will have opened just a few days earlier.

Can I book ticket online ?

Park tickets are discussed here:
http://www.usj.co.jp/e/ticket/index.html

What is the most must see in Nara Kyoto with one day schedule ?

Todaiji and Kiyomizudera. Visiting Kyoto in half a day is like visiting Paris in half a day. I would never even dream of it. But I understand that different people enjoy different travel styles.

Can I book ticket online ?

Disney tickets are discussed here:
http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/en/ticket/index.html
by Uji rate this post as useful

Re: Need advice for 8 days itenerary 2012/2/26 13:16
I think the Hacone pass and the JR pass will overlap. The benefit of the Hacone pass will not be the private train access, but the use of busses and ferries. I would also wait to go to until the end, to give the cherry trees time to blossom.

I would also suggest staying near the bullet train line, which you have chosen to do. Shiagawa is on the train line between Tokyo and Osaka.

You are booking during school break, so some Japanese families will be traveling too. The Japanese school year ends in mid March, and the new school year picks up in mid April.

I would consider going to Nagano for skiing. There is a bullet train from Tokyo to Nagano, that takes less than two hours. According to Hyperdia, it is possible to get on a 7:52AM train, and arrive at Nagano at 9:45AM. You could have a full day skiing, and then at 7:37PM take a train back to Tokyo, and arrive at 9:08PM. This would simplify your hotel reservations.

There are two disney attractions near Tokyo. I would also go to DisneySea instead of Disneyland. It is a more adult themed park, and I think your teenagers will enjoy it more.

My advise on a one day Nara/Kyoto would be to find a packaged bus tour with an English speaking guide. You may not get all the time at any one location, but you will get to many locations.

Use the evenings to travel from one place to another. Your daytime sightseeing time is precious, and try to maximise it. Most hotels will allow you to check out of your room and hold your bags. You can then go back to the hotel after sunset, and move on to the next location. Places like Disney, and Universal Studios will have evening hours, so plan to be at the same hotel when you go to these attractions.

For an addition theme park, you might consider Huis Ten Bosh, which is a reconstruction of a Dutch Palace, It is on the Southern Island of Kyushu. It recreates part of the palace grounds, complete with canals and windmills. You will be there during Tulip season.
by ebaychucky311 rate this post as useful

Re: Need advice for 8 days itenerary 2012/2/26 14:49
Don't waste your time trying to get to Kyushu for a theme park. You only have 8 days.

Don't worry about the Hakone free pass - you'll have the JR pass which covers a lot of that. Just pay for the rest.

A guided tour is going to take longer. Just pick what attractions you want to see and visit them. Many have English pamphlets.
by . (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Need advice for 8 days itenerary 2012/2/26 18:51
I think the Hacone pass and the JR pass will overlap.

No, not if you buy the Hakone Free Pass in Odawara!

Don't worry about the Hakone free pass - you'll have the JR pass which covers a lot of that.

No, the Japan Rail Pass is absolutely useless in Hakone.
by Uji rate this post as useful

Re: Need advice for 8 days itenerary 2012/2/26 20:44
My family ( wife and 2 teenagers ) and I will visit Japan

I suppose children's memories of trips to Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kyoto and Nara may easily fade if they are preceded or followed by playing in an amusement park; I suggest you discard USJ in Osaka.

And, please note that visitors may have to wait in a queue outside and/or inside an amusement park.
As to Tokyo Disney Parks, there are hotels whose guest holding a valid Park ticket is guaranteed admission despite the crowdedness, but it does not mean priority in waiting for a popular attraction inside the park.
- http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/en/about/rh/official.html

March 26, arrive on midnight 11 pm at Haneda, I am thinking of overnight in hotel in Shinagawa.
March 30 : Depart to Hiroshima, visit Miyajima and move to osaka in the evening and Overnight there.
April 1 : Depart to Nara - Kyoto and back to Shinagawa.

Considering that the travelers include children, I strongly recommend changing the order of places.
For example, you can spend one day in Tokyo, then go skiing, then tour Kyoto and Nara in two days, then visit Hiroshima in the daytime and Miyajima until the following morning, then stay in Hakone as a side trip on your way back to Tokyo.

Question : any ski school recommended for family ?

This website might help you.
- http://www.galaresort.jp/winter/english/lesson/lesson.html

by omotenashi rate this post as useful

Re: Need advice for 8 days itenerary 2012/2/27 14:54
Dear all,

Many thanks for your valuable feed backs.
I do concern of Uji's opinion of Kyoto sightseeing and also about Hiroshima travel which spend many hours in the train.

I also note for the busy period due to school holiday. That's why I am thinking of re arrange the itenary which includes night bus/train

Uji, how effective ( in terms of cost and time ) if I use night bus or night train to Hiroshima so I can arrive in Hiroshima in the next morning and then go to Kyoto with night bus/train again ?

What kind of night bus / train available and can I utilize JR Pass ?

If I can use the night bus/train, the itenerary will be :

March 27 - Tokyo sight seeing
in the evening I take night bus/train to Hiroshima
March 28 - Hiroshima / Miyajima sightseeing and in the evening go to Kyoto by night bus/train
March 29 - arrive in Kyoto and overnight there
March 30 - Osaka - USJ ( as strongly required by kids :-) )
March 31 - Hakone and overnight there
Apr 1 - Hakone and back to Tokyo
Apr 2 - Ski and back to Tokyo
Apr 3 - Disneyland
Apr 4 - Back home

Is there any feed backs for my new itenerary ?

Thanks a lot,.

by winchan (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Need advice for 8 days itenerary 2012/2/27 15:37
Here is the night train information. The combined Sunrise Seto/Sunrise Izumo train departs from Tokyo station at 10:00PM, and arrives at Okayama Station at 6:27AM then next morning to be split apart to procede to their final destination, neither of which is Hiroshima. You will then need to get on a bullet train for about a one hour ride to Hiroshima. According to Hyperdia, there is a bullet that leaves at 6:50AM and will arrive at 7:54AM at Hiroshima station.

Since the Tokyo to Hiroshima bullet train usually takes about five hours, the eight and a half overnight train saves you about four hours.

I did say usually, that's because there is one JR Bullet train in the morning, that leaves from Shin-Yokohama at 6:00AM and arrives at 10:01AM, which is a four hour ride.

It might be advisable to do the following:
March 27th
Tokyo 7:33PM Shinkasen Hikari 527 to Kyoto
Arrive at 10:15PM go to hotel.

March 28th Day trip to Hiroshima.
Kyoto 7:20AM Shinkasen Hikari 491 to Hiroshima
Arrive at 9:05AM

Visit Hiroshima

Hiroshima 10:01PM Shinkasen Hikari 490 to Kyoto
Arrive at 11:29PM

This plan gives you 13 hours in Hiroshima. You can start back earlier, but for a JR Pass, it will require switching trains. The JR bullet train service switches at Shin-Osaka between the Sanyo and Tokaido lines, and few JR trains go all the way through.

Staying near the Shin-Osaka train terminal might be better, It is the connection point of the Sanyo and Tokaido lines, and is 19 minutes away from Kyoto. You might find that hotels around the Shin-Osaka station will cost less than a Kyoto hotel. You plan to go to Universal Studios anyway, so why not pay less and stay in Osaka?

Good Luck.
by ebaychucky311 rate this post as useful

Re: Need advice for 8 days itenerary 2012/2/28 01:38
As for now, Hyperdia does not reflect 17 March 2012 revisions of JR diagrams.

ebaychucky311: there is a bullet that leaves at 6:50 AM and will arrive at 7:54 AM at Hiroshima station.
This train is a Kodama train.
Also a Hikari train will be available: Okayama 07:16 -- 07:57 Hiroshima.
(Time might be changed a bit by the revision).

ebaychucky311: Tokyo 7:33 PM Shinkansen Hikari 527 to Kyoto
This train will become Hikari 529, which is to arrive to Kyoto a bit earlier.

ebaychucky311: Hiroshima 10:01 PM Shinkasen Hikari 490 to Kyoto
Arrive at 11:29 PM
It must be a typo. Hikari 490: Hiroshima 20:01 -- 21:48 Kyoto.

As to a ride on a sleeping berth, a Japan Rail Pass covers the base fare only and does not cover express or berth charges.
A Sunrise Seto / Izumo also has seats, but the number is only 60 or so in total and they may have been already sold out when you arrive to Japan.

If you use overnight highway buses for Tokyo -- Hiroshima and Hiroshima -- Kyoto legs,
it may save costs for transportation and accommodation, but the gap may not sound dramatically large to you.
Anyway, you will have to pay separately for transportation in a round-trip between Odawara and Hakone.
(I wonder whether a local pass will result in cost-saving in your Hakone trip.)

Here I show you a rough comparison.
[When you utilize a 7-day Japan Rail Pass]
: (28,300 yen + accommodation fees for the 2 nights) per person.
- http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en002.html
[When you utilize a flexible 3-day Japan Bus Pass and a flexible 3-day JR East Pass Special]
: (37,900 yen = 10,000 yen + 17,900 yen as regular fees (#) + 10,000 yen) per person.
- http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2369.html
- http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/eastpass_sp/index.html
Note that a JR East Pass Special is a seasonal rail pass which cannot be used in March 2012.
(#) 17,900 yen
= 1,100 yen as fares in a round-trip between Hiroshima City and Miyajima Island
+ 780 yen as a base fare for Kyoto -- USJ
+ 8,510 yen as a base fare for USJ -- Osaka -- Shin-Osaka -- Odawara -- Tokyo
+ 7,510 yen as charges for two Shinkansen trains to and from Odawara
You can save 3,550 yen person if you use this rail pass from Odawara.
but in that case you cannot take a Tokaido Shinkansen train from Odawara to Tokyo.

An overnight highway bus which will run via Hiroshima Station to Kamiyacho can be a good choice.
(I recommend reaching Shinjuku Station at least 30 minutes before the time of departure of your bus from Shinjuku West Bus Terminal.)
The bus will arrive to Shinkansen Entrance of Hiroshima Station,
but Hiroden streetcar terminal and Peace Memorial Park are located in other directions of the station.
Kamiyacho stop is nearer to the park. There are two Hiroden streetcar stops nearby.

Please judge which track is for streetcars running for the park.
To visit A-bomb Dome first, please take a streetcar on Line No. 2 or No. 6 and get off at A-bomb Dome [Genbaku dome-mae] stop.
To visit Peace Memorial museum first, please take a streetcar on Line No. 1 or No. 3 and get off at Fukuro-machi stop.
Note that Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is vast and the two facilities are located around its different ends.
(In asking local people about the streetcars, I recommend using "Hiroden" or "Shinai-densha," not "tram."
"Tram" may refer to another transportaion service operated by another company.)

It's a pity that you will have very short time for Miyajima Island.
When you come back to Hiroshima Station, you will go upstairs to the passenger bridge, walk a little and get out to Shinkansen Entrance in order to board your bus.
Please be careful not to pass through a Shinkansen Transfer Gate, making sure that a sign above the gate is saying "Exit."

Apr 1 - Hakone and back to Tokyo
Apr 2 - Ski and back to Tokyo

I suppose you can move from Hakone to Echigo-Yuzawa in the night
using Tokaido and Jo'etsu Shinkansen trains with a transfer in Tokyo,
which will take about 3 hours.
In that case, you will utilize your JR East Pass Special from Tokyo.

Good luck!

by omotenashi rate this post as useful

Re: Need advice for 8 days itenerary 2012/2/28 02:11
I just came back from Japan and I must say buying hakone free pass from odawara (although was there for 1.5 days) is worth the price ( i took the advice of the fellow forumer here), cos the ride alone with bus to my hotel already 1000 yen , and with that pass you can get to hakone ropeway, Hakone Sightseeing Boats on Lake Ashi and Hakone Tozan Railway . Bear in mind transportation in Japan is really expensive
by Jessying (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Need advice for 8 days itenerary 2012/2/28 02:17
I understand the corrections given. I was not aware that the software had not been updated.

The advise is still good, in that it may be better to take a bullet train to Kyoto OR Shin-Osaka station and find a hotel, rather than sit on a night train to Okayama. Then, without re-packing and lugging bags around, go to Hiroshima for a day trip.
by ebaychucky311 rate this post as useful

Re: Need advice for 8 days itenerary 2012/2/28 16:47
Thanks a lot for any informations and suggestions from you all, this forum really helps me and others as well.

I will be feeling secure to travel next month because of this forum.

Thanks again buddies,..
by winchan (guest) rate this post as useful

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