Also, since you are swinging down around the approximate area, look into Huis Ten Bosch and consider if that might be something you'd want to see.

It's certainly different from anything else you will see on your trip!

 

A nice day trip from Kyoto, if you want to get out of town, is Hikone, on the shore of Lake Biwa. Hikone is a pleasant little town, somewhat off the regular tourist routes, that is home to one of the few remaining original construction feudal era castles. From the castle, there is a beautiful view out over the lake and the town has some nice places for a casual lunch. Since the more famous Himeji castle, between Osaka and Hiroshima, is under scaffolding and tarps during renovations, Hikone makes a good substitute.

 

Thanks. I'm making a note of these tips and have booked my first hotel but still I was not quick enough to get a reasonably priced place in Takayama for the festival so we are staying in Gero Onsen, a bit cheaper and a short train ride away.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions what we could do between Osaka and Hiroshima? Are there any particular towns or sites we should be seeing as the head south?

I was wondering if a stay in a nice Onsen town would be a break from Kyoto and the assorted day trips we will be doing around there.

 

The trip between Osaka and Hiroshima doesn't take very long. In some years, I would have recommended stopping off at Himeji to see the marvelous castle, but the castle is undergoing repairs, and most of it will be closed till 2015.

But really, we're talking about a couple of hours at most.

 

Putting together my own trip now, and wondering whether it makes sense to return to SFO on a nonstop from Osaka or Nagano, rather than back thru NRT. It sounds like there are many places to see in that area (beside Kyoto) and I gather the train tickets to Tokyo are not inexpensive.

 

Before trying to answer, we need clarification on a few things.

Are you flying into KIX? If so, how long is your stay?

Assume you mean departing to SFO from KIX or Nagoya? There are no international flights to SFO from Nagano.

Assuming that you are arriving in Japan at KIX, which is near Osaka and is the most convenient for Kyoto, a stay in only the Kansai area (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara) is certainly a possibility. I did that years ago - SFO-KIX-SFO, with a week stay in Kyoto. For much longer, a move to Tokyo is pretty traditional, with departure back to the states from NRT or HND. Nagoya doesn't really add much to the conversation unless you can find a great flight deal that would make up for the rail trip to get there. UA used to fly non-stop SFO-NGO but stopped that route a few years ago. Now they connect through NRT.

It is really up to you. If you are ok with skipping Tokyo, you can make a very nice visit to Japan in Kansai alone. UA flies non-stop between SFO and KIX. If you decide to do the open jaw SFO-KIX-(rail to Tokyo)-NRT/HND-SFO, the shinkansen ticket from Kyoto to Tokyo will run about $140.00 (13,320 yen) or a bit less if you forego the Nozomi and use Hikari.

 

Kurashiki is a nice town with a historic district complete with canals and old-looking buildings. Korakuen is one of the three famous gardens of Japan, in Okayama. Kobe is one of my favorite Japaneses cities... within a short stroll of Shin-Kobe bullet train station, you can visit the hilly, quaint Kitano district (Westerners may not find it all that interesting, though) or ride the ropeway up to the Herb Garden which is a relaxing place with a very nice view. I would've said Himeji, but someone above said the castle is closed (I didn't know that). Shodoshima is a peaceful island off Okayama that's a got a bit of Mediterranean feel and a lot of interesting history rolled into one, although a bit off the beaten path for foreign visitors.

There's a lot of little onsens between Osaka and Hiroshima, but the really good ones will actually take a bit of a detour from the direct route from Osaka to Hiroshima. Kinosaki Onsen is good, but that's up on the Sea of Japan coast of Hyogo. May still be worth the detour to visit. Or from Osaka, you can backtrack a little bit and head up to the coast of Fukui where there are some quality onsen towns.

 

Sadly, Hattoji and the rooms at Shiraishi island are all that remain of the venerable Okayama international villa scheme.

Hattoji itself is a very special place to stay, and a real bargain
http://www.international-villa.or.jp

 

Sorry, you are correct, I meant NGO (Chubu). We are actually flying UA nonstop into Tokyo, and will have 10-14 days (haven't booked the return yet). So about half as long as OP's trip. The plan was to start in Tokyo and then head south to Kyoto, and then ??? We can return from KIX, NGO or NRT.

Should we do this in reverse? A relaxing stay at a ryokan might be a nice way to start the trip, though probably a nice way to end it, too. I'd like to see some villages rather than cities - though looking forward to spending 3-4 nights in Tokyo.

 

No, I don't think there is a pressing reason to change your plan to start in Tokyo. The idea to arrive at NRT and depart from KIX is rather a classic and the way I'd do it. Spending your first several days at a nice hotel in Tokyo would be a good way to get over the time change and get comfortable with the new environment. There is plenty to see and do in and around Tokyo for the first several days. I'd suggest at least half of your stay be devoted to the Kansai region - Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe/Nara. Day trips from Kyoto abound, as they do from Tokyo. By leaving for home from KIX, you avoid the long backtrack back to Tokyo.

If you don't expect to travel much outside of Kyoto/Osaka, then a JR Rail Pass might not pencil out. The standard arithmetic says that the round trip TYO-Kyoto-TYO plus the Narita Express train out to NRT pays for the 7-day Rail Pass. The one way run on the shinkansen to Kyoto does not. However, having said that, the 7-day Pass still might make sense if you plan to take additional rail trips during a 7 day period, including the run down to Kyoto from Tokyo and such trips as to Hiroshima or up the coast to Kanazawa or into the mountains around Takayama. Just plan it out so your longer train trips all occur within the 7-day period. You can purchase a 1 or 2 day Kansai Area Rail Pass at Kyoto Station for the last bit of travel, including the airport express (JR Haruka) out to KIX. The 1-day Pass costs less than the Haruka so saves money even if you don't go anywhere else.

Unless you plan to really run around a lot from Tokyo, I don't think the 14-day Rail Pass will pay for itself. I'd just get the N'Ex+Suica package upon arrival, go into Tokyo on the Narita Express and use the subways to get around the city.

As I indicated in the previous post, UA doesn't fly the NGO-SFO route anymore. I don't really see any advantage in backtracking to Nagoya. KIX is a wonderful airport to leave from and the UA flights are convenient. You wouldn't have to shift hotels before departure. Kyoto-KIX or Osaka-KIX are fast, easy and you have plenty of time to depart straight from your hotel or ryokan in the city. I have actually departed all the way from Fukuoka to KIX on departure day using the afternoon UA flight.

 

If you like art, the island of Naoshima in the Seto Inland Sea is worth a stop. Rent a bicycle and visit the museums and art installations scattered across the island.

 

We are planning our first trip to Japan in October 2014 and this post caught my eye. We fly into KIX (from PEK) on Oct 19 and plan to stay in Kyoto until Oct. 23 (we are totally flexible - could be longer or shorter but heard there is a cool festival on Oct 22 so decided to fly into KIX to take advantage) and then onto Tokyo, flying home from NRT Oct. 27. We will be over by 1 day on the 7 day pass but arrive late on Oct 19 so could just buy a ticket KIX-Kyoto to have the 7 day still valid for our last day in Tokyo on Oct 27 if activated on Oct 20.

I had figured the 7 day JR pass was a given but after reading this, do we really need it? We only need transport from KIX to Kyoto, plan some day trips to Hiroshima/Nagasaki, Nara etc. then only doing one way Kyoto-Tokyo. Then travel around Tokyo, likely staying near Shinjuku station. Still looking at hotels in Kyoto and Tokyo but the front runners seem to be Westin Miyako in Kyoto and Century Southern Tower in Tokyo. Would love some advice/suggestions for hotels as well

Is the 7 day the best option or are we wasting money? Should we just buy the ticket to Tokyo and individual trips around Kyoto/Osaka/surrounding area (or will the Kansai area pass do all of this for us?)

Any help, suggestions, ideas on both transport and hotels is most appreciated.

 

I hope this is a mis-type. Unless you are planning to fly, Nagasaki is in no way a day trip from Kyoto. It is about 5-1/2 to 6 hours one-way on the shinkansen.

Hiroshima is better, about 2 hours one-way, but to see anything I'd suggest leaving pretty early.

As for cost, the total for Kyoto-Hiroshima-Kyoto + Kyoto-Tokyo + Tokyo-NRT adds up to more than the cost of the 7-day ordinary JR Rail Pass so I'd say it makes perfect sense. Plus, you can use it for shorter trips like Nara, Osaka or destinations in and around Tokyo on JR lines such as the Yamanote Loop Line but not for subways. Activate it as you suggest to cover the last 7 days, including the Narita Express out to NRT for departure. Rather than just buy a ticket on the Haruka from KIX to Kyoto after arrival, you can save a few bucks by purchasing and using a 1-day Kansai Area Pass for that trip.

The 7-day Rail Pass must be purchased outside of Japan before you arrive. The 1-day Kansai Area Rail Pass can be purchased in advance or after arrival. The Rail Pass can be purchased at a number of large travel agencies or on-line.

All that said, if you don't do the Hiroshima round trip, the Rail Pass might not pencil out. With that trip included, it definitely does.

 

Yes, definitely a mis-type of Nagasaki . I edited a few times for spelling and had the name of the hotel in Kyoto wrong so I think I messed up a copy and paste somewhere as I had been googling all sorts of things before I posted.

Thanks so much for the detailed info, abmj-jr. . Hiroshima is certainly on the to-do list so we will definitely get the 7-day pass, thanks to your help. And this thread was the first I had read about the Kansai Area pass so I am glad I found it.

I did end up booking the Westin Miyako with SPG points. Early, I know, but research is showing me that hotel prices in Kyoto double in October and the Kurama Fire Festival/Jidai Matsuri Festival on Oct. 22 had me a bit worried about availability. Indeed, room selection was limited for the week we were there as the hotel is already quite booked and I thought better to have something than get stuck with nothing. It can be cancelled if anyone has any better suggestions?