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Japan itinerary


neenee61
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Hi all, have booked for 11 night Japanese Explorer for 2020. Ports of call Mt Fuji, Osaka, Kobe, Kochi, Fukoaka & Aomari. We are planning on pre cruise in Toyko for 4 days and hoping to do land content of 7-10 days post cruise. Hoping I can get some help/suggestions on where to visit for post cruise time. I know everyone has different interests etc but we would love some help in deciding the best areas to visit in this time frame. Believe best way to get around are trains, and have no issues with this. Also think we would be looking at spending a day or 2 in each area. As for interests I suppose we would just love to see the 'sights' and take in this beautiful country. We do like to immerse ourselves in with the locals and try local cuisine. Many thanks in advance :)

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I'd recommend a couple of days in Kyoto, at least.

 

Also Hiroshima & Miyajima. Stay overnight on Miyajima in a ryoken if you can. It a very beautiful place, especially at night when the day trippers have gone.

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Thanks Oz, I’m normally good at working out pre & post touring but for some reason can’t get my head around Japan and best places to visit. Really looking forward to this cruise as I cancelled for 2019 to do Antarctica and Brazil instead. Have been looking at AirBNB for Tokyo as will probably stay there for 5 nights pre cruise. Also looking at tours with triplelights which seem to do good private tours in each city. Hiroshima is a must and will research Kyoto & Miyajima. Think I need to check out some maps to get some bearings. Thanks again, Cheers

 

 

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We will do our post cruise with a company we used before, excellent service.

https://www.uniquejapantours.com/

They have a small group tour that fits our time frame, but they also do the planning for individual trips. I can really recommend them. We did a combination of private bus, trains and other public transportation. The owner's Japanese husband travelled with us and took care of many small details we didn't even know needed to be taken care of. Accommodations were modern and traditional hotels.

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Some tours are a good idea.

 

A day tour to Nikko from Tokyo is worth doing.

 

A day tour around Kyoto is worth doing, a half day tour to Nara, and a half day and evening for wandering around the old parts of Kyoto city.

 

After Kyoto, go to Himeji, the castle is beautiful. You don't need to do a tour for this, the castle is an easy walk from the train station. You could do this on your way to Hiroshima. Express shinkansen from Kyoto to Himeji would be about 45 minutes I think (it was 30-35 from Osaka). Allow 4 hours to visit the castle, then get another express shinkasen to Hiroshima. Spend a night there and sightsee in the morning before getting the train and ferry to Miyajima. Stay a night in Miyajima. Allow time in the afternoon and the folloowing morning for sightseeing in Miyajima so you can go up the gondola and possible walk down. Then head back to Hiroshima. It takes about four hours on the express Shinkansen back to Tokyo so you'd have to decide if you want to do an evening train back or stay an extra night in Hiroshima.

 

If you decide on the whole 10 days, see if you can find a tour that takes up through the central mountains fro Nagoya to Takayama, and on to Shirakowago, and Kanazawa, before going on to Kyoto. We did this some years ago and it was fantastic. The tour we did also included Mt Fuji and Hakone but you might end up doing those as an excursion on the cruise.

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I just checked my trip notes from when we did a big Japan trip and the train from Hiroshima to the Miyajima-Guchi station took 25 minutes, Unfortunately I didn't note how long the ferry took but I think it was only 15-20 minutes.

Edited by OzKiwiJJ
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All good advice. Each trip to Japan we tend to stay in less places and travel out each day, Packing up every day or so plus the time of finding the new hotel can be saved . If you get a JR pass you can go almost anywhere in Japan. My must go to places when I take first timers to Japan is Hiroshima, Miyajima, Hakone area, buying a hakone free pass, staying in Gora. We also go to Kyoto and Nara, Takayama and if time allows Nikko. As you are planning on spending quite a long time in Tokyo you could do a day trip to Nikko from there. Also Mt Fuji can be done from Tokyo in a day but we prefer to stay in the area. The free pass allows transport on the trains, cable car, ropeway and boat trip on lake Ashi.

You dont need to go on a tour unless you particularly want to. The Japanese are so kind and helpful and will go out of their way to help you with directions and more.

Check out the website http://www.hyperdia.com for trains, it gives you times, train names and even the platform numbers. Stations are huge. It can take 15 mins to get out of many of the bigger city stations. Just make sure you choose the JR pass on the selection panel and untick the nozomi train as they cant be used on the JR pass.

Another thing to keep in mind is to travel as light as possible. If you have suitcases they can be a real pain, the local Japanese people dont take large luggage on the shinkansen. There are several transport companies that will take your luggage from one part of japan to another for a very reasonable cost. The company we used started with Y and had a black cat on the side of their vans. If you are at a hotel they will arrange for you otherwise go to one of the many convenience stores 7-11, Lawsons, family mart. We sent our luggage from the port at the end of the cruise to hotel in Okayama travelling to Hakone for a couple of days with hand luggage only. Also sent from Kyoto to hotel at Narita airport.

7-11, Lawsons, family mart will be your new best friend in Japan. They are everywhere and all very reasonable prices unlike convenience stores in Australia.

Business hotels are very reasonably prices and close to the stations. No room service but have all you need for a traveller.

Im not a big city person and would prefer to be out with the locals in a small Japanese town than spend a lot of time in Tokyo. If you have the time a trip to the snow monkeys in Nagano is enjoyable but I wouldnt say its a must see, and it is also a very long walk to get into the park, so no good unless you are super fit.

Opps better stop here, I can see I am going on and on.

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Thank you so much OzKiwi & Tara Jane. I have copied all your wonderful info and shared with my cruise buddy. Love the idea of forwarding on luggage and will research in luggage pick up to storage if possible for return flight home. Happy to travel with a small hand luggage for 7 days. I have everything booked and paid for Jan/Feb 2019 Antarctica & Brazil cruises so now will concentrate on Japan. Love to get everything arranged early and then sit back and relax.

 

Again many thanks and all info very, very welcome. Cheers, Denise

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Thanks Miaminice, already have your review in my travel file. A wonderful review and really enjoyed reading it. I also had a quick look at triplelights that you recommended. Have all info filed away and wont be doing too much for a few weeks as EOFY here in Aust and flat out with that. Many thanks. Cheers Denise

 

 

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Hi all, have booked for 11 night Japanese Explorer for 2020. Ports of call Mt Fuji, Osaka, Kobe, Kochi, Fukoaka & Aomari. We are planning on pre cruise in Toyko for 4 days and hoping to do land content of 7-10 days post cruise. Hoping I can get some help/suggestions on where to visit for post cruise time. I know everyone has different interests etc but we would love some help in deciding the best areas to visit in this time frame. Believe best way to get around are trains, and have no issues with this. Also think we would be looking at spending a day or 2 in each area. As for interests I suppose we would just love to see the 'sights' and take in this beautiful country. We do like to immerse ourselves in with the locals and try local cuisine. Many thanks in advance :)

 

Hello

 

In 2012 I went on a Japanese Gardens tour based for week at each Kyoto and Tokyo from which I made a series of videos, including trips away from our bases to places like Mount Fuji, Hiroshima and Miyajima, Kamakura and others which can be viewed from this

 

Our holiday was very garden and temple-heavy but they might give you ideas of some 'sights' you wish to see - or not see :) All the best, Tony

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Hello

 

In 2012 I went on a Japanese Gardens tour based for week at each Kyoto and Tokyo from which I made a series of videos, including trips away from our bases to places like Mount Fuji, Hiroshima and Miyajima, Kamakura and others which can be viewed from this

 

Our holiday was very garden and temple-heavy but they might give you ideas of some 'sights' you wish to see - or not see :) All the best, Tony

 

Many thanks Tony.

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Here is a link to the very detailed trip report I did of our Japan trip in 2006. https://www.dropbox.com/s/oz5ldqka4ms6i3v/Japan%20Trip%20Report%20May%202006%20with%20pics.pdf?dl=0

Warning - it's 57 pages long.

 

We cruised to Japan earlier this year, with port stops at Osaka, where we found our own way to Himeji and back for the day, and Shimizu. We spend a few days in Tokyo after the cruise. I think the 2006 report is still fairly relevant in terms of the places to see. Some parts of Japan are timeless.

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