Travel Forum / Destinations / Asia / July 2003

You may want to consider a day trip to Nara from Kyoto or Nikko from
Tokyo. There is a government ran outdoor onsen a few train stop from
Nikko (need to change train tho). It can be an interesting experience
for the first timer(around 500 yen. men and womena are seperated).

For a 10-14 days trip in Japan and someone who has never been there,
I'd suggest going to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and their surrouding suburbs.
Tokyo and Osaka are somewhat similar - big metro-cities, while Kyoto
still preserves that old historic Japanese feel.  Travel is very
convenient in Japan, and you can zip from Tokyo to Osaka in a little
over 2.5 hours.

Lodging can be expensive if you stay in big hotels, around USD 120 -
150 per night, but smaller hotel or ryokan ranges from USD 60 - 90.
Check with a good local travel agency and see if they can give you
some good rates, if not, you'll find plenty on the web.

Overall, you'll probably spend USD 200 - 300 per day (depends on where
you stay and what you eat) in Japan for you and your daughter, not
including any shopping expense.

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Budget depends on how much you can sacrifice. You can very easily get
by with a food budget of Yen1500 per person per day, eating mainly
bento (box lunch, such as Kamadoya) and noodles (ramen and udon).
Figure Yen2000 and you've got a little extra. One bento of fried
chicken nuggets, rice, and some cabbage costs about Yen500, and it
fills me up (and I'm a big eater). You can get some great desserts and
great bread in Japan, and the donuts at Mr. Donuts taste better than
in the US (hard to quantify why), so plan a little for some good
snacks. You also should figure a few hundred yen (at least) per day
for drinks; it's probably not a good idea to drink the tap water
(depends on where you are). If possible buy your drinks in a Lawsons
or other convenience store; typically I've found the store brand
oolong tea (honestly all I ever drink) is about 20-30 yen cheaper than
brands (which are all you have in machines). If you want to splurge,
you might consider something like the yakiniku (fried beef) or shabu
shabu (beef dipped in boiling water, kind of like you do fondu but
it's not cheese; it's gooooood stuff). Ask around for a good
'tabehodai' (all you can eat) place, typically at around Yen2000.

Lodging depends on you. Go online and shop around. Personally I
suggest staying in a hotel, with some ryokan (Inn) vists. I tend to
spend more money on where I stay than where I eat. But you should be
able to stay for around US$100 per day if you do your homework and
reserve some good rooms. As I recently suggested to another poster
here, check the Shin Kobe Oriental hotel as an example of what you can
get online; they are posting a rate in a twin room that's only
Yen18,000. Youth hostel info is at www.jyh.or.jp/english (the Japan
Youth Hostel page). You should be able to stay for about Yen3000 per
person per night. However, you might find some are closed at New Years
(the one at Osaka Nagai is, for example), and like many hostels there
are certain time restrictions.

There are pros and cons to both times you've chosen to go. If you go
at New Years, then you get to see the Japan Alps and Fuji covered in
snow and can even go skiing if you want (probably the resorts will be
very crowded, though). There are also many interesting festivals at
that time of the year; if you check around you can find many online
guides to festivals to see a complete schedule. Also, while the cold
is a negative factor, it is good because it makes the onsen (hot
springs) feel soooo good. In March the weather is probably going to be
a little better (with typical spring rains and such), and probably
cool enough to still enjoy the springs. But the main thing about going
in March is that, at New Years, every Japanese is also going
someplace, so there is a good chance you'll experience crowds.

As for places to go, I think with that much time you'll be able to see
a good variety. Make certain you have a Japan Rail pass if you're
traveling to more than one region; go to hyperdia.co.jp to figure up
the route costs to see if it makes sense, but it usually does. I
personally think the Kansai region has a great deal to offer. Osaka is
a major city with some major shopping, eating, and entertainment
areas; Kobe is also a major city, but has a certain 'trendy' feel to
it. Himeji has one of the best castles in the country, and is a good
place in general (also you might find good inexpensive lodging in
Himeji). Kyoto is good for obvious reasons, as is Nara; yet I think it
might be best to visit Kyoto and maybe skip Nara, spending that time
doing other things. A good trip to Tokyo that I've done is to go north
from Osaka to Toyama and then along the Japan Sea coast, taking a
train from Niigata into Tokyo. In Tokyo make certain you visit
Kamakura, a very nice town with several good places to visit; at New
Years the big temple there has a major festival that's just awesome
(sorry I don't remember the name). If you go in March, you might
consider a trip to Disney or some other theme park; there are plenty
to choose from.

Good luck!

John W.

Transportation-
Air: http://www.travel-depart.com/ to check out prices.  There are
also "Open Jaw" tickets which allow you to fly into one city and out
another.  For example, you could fly into Tokyo and leave from Osaka.
RT out of SEA or YVR should run around $600 each.  Check
Cathay-Pacific to see if you can get to Tokyo without going through
Hong Kong first.
Railpass:  http://www.japanrailpass.net/  2-week is Y45,100 or $375.
12 years old is an adult unfortunately.  The price is just a bit more
than riding the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto and back, so you can
get your money's worth with a minimum of travel.  The convenience is
great.  It also includes reserved seats which you make at the "Green
Window" in the stations.

Where to Stay:  Hostels are cheap, around Y2800 to Y3200 per person
per night.  Some you need a hostel card for, some you don't.  Some
allow entry without a card for an extra Y1000, some don't allow entry
at all without a card.
http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/org/key-yh/nik.html
You can get the card at: http://www.hiayh.org/homenew.shtml  A
separate book is available that lists all the sites in Asia.  You can
also find many online.  I put my students in business hotels because
twins are often just a bit more than a hostel without the restrictions
of a hostel.  For example, a business hotel single that's Y4800 can
sell a twin (2 beds.  A "double" is 1 wide bed.) for Y6800.  The
hostel in Iidabashi Tokyo is Y3500 per night. You can check business
hotel prices at  http://www.e-hoteljapan.com/index.htm and even make
reservations.  One chain I use is the Toyoko-Inns.  Lists can be found
at  http://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/
You should stay in a ryokan at least once.  With meals included, you
should be able to find one for about Y6000 to Y7000 per person.  If
you decide to stay in one in Kyoto, the Tourist Information there will
help book a room in your price range.

Many hotels and hostels only take cash.  Be prepared.

Where to go:  2 weeks.  If you know you're doing the Tokyo Kyoto
route, here are some side trips:
Tokyo area:  Nikko to the north - Shinkansen to Utsunomiya and Local
(Track 1) to Nikko.  The hostel in Nikko on the hillside is very new,
has a great bath, and the dryers in the laundary actually work.
http://www.city.nikko.tochigi.jp/nyh/
Kamakura:  SW of Yokahama.  This is where the outdoor statue of the
Big Buddha is.  There are also a lot of walking trails to other
temples and shrines as well as the tomb of Minamoto Yoritomo.  The
Kinokuniya grocery store there has gorganzola cheese (or did).
Fuji:  You can get a bus to the 5th station on the side of Mt. Fuji
(Gogome).  If it's cloudy, don't bother.
Kyoto Area:  Mt. Hiie and Enryaku Temple.  The temples are on the top
of the mountain to the NE of Kyoto.  A bus from in front of the
station (Stand 6?) takes you to the top but the last bus is at 10 AM.
You can come down on a funnicular and end up close to Ginkakuji in
Tokyo.  Just look through the guidebooks for Kyoto and remember that
after a few temples, they start to seem the same.  Nijo Castle is a
must though with the nightingale floors and pine paintings.
Nara:  Nice walks in an older but smaller architectural setting.  Nara
dates from 710AD but the capital was moved to Kyoto in 794.

Other suggestions:  
Takayama.  You can pick up a train out of Nagoya and head straight
north to the small city of Takayama.  There are morning markets, an
Edo era part of town, a "Sturbridge Village" kind of museum where old
buildings were brought from all around the area and put in one place,
wooden carvings, and two kinds of pottery.  It's small enough to
easily get around on foot.  If you have clear weather, you can take
the bus up to the Norikura Skyline, Japan's highest road, and get a
good view out over the Japanese Alps.  If you want, you can continue
down into Matsumoto, famous for its castle.

Himeji Castle, a short trip from Kyoto by Shinkansen.  It's possible
to do Himeji in the morning and Hiroshima in the afternoon and get
back in the evening using the Shinkansen.  It would be pushing it
though (but I've done it).

I think you should at least include Takayama into a 2-week trip.  You
won't be dissapointed.

Food:  I usually spend between Y2500 and Y3000 per day on food.  You
can save the most money by eating out of convenience stores such as
Lawsons and 7-11s.  The food is Japanese, but much is visible for
selection (chicken, noodles, etc.).  An adventurous traveler wouldn't
have any problem.  There are many Family Restaurants (famiresu) around
that have picture menus and choices that run around Y800 to Y1000 for
a set course (Gusto, Bamiyan, Royal Host).

I just got back but I go over again in a couple of months.  If you
have any questions, you can contact me.  You can also check out a few
links about Japan at:
http://www.uwplatt.edu/~stradfot/japanlinks.html