Yet another itinerary thread - advice much appreciated.
Replies: 3 - Last Post: Jun 15, 2012 6:18 PM Last Post By: tone21
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Yet another itinerary thread - advice much appreciated.
Currently knee-deep in Japan planning and wanted to run the first draft of our itinerary by the discerning members of Thorn Tree. We're in Japan for just over 2 weeks in July.14th July: arrive Narita 9am, hotel in Shinjuku
15th July: Tokyo (Harajuku / Meiji-Jingu, etc)
16th July: Tokyo (possible day trip to Hakone/Nikko but probably stay in Tokyo)
17th July: Tokyo to Kawaguchiko, climb Fuji that night, stay at Kawaguchiko Station Inn
18th July: Kawaguchiko, finish Fuji and relax
19th July: Kawaguchiko to Kamikochi, stay at hotel
20th July: hiking in Kamikochi, stay at mountain hut
21st July: hiking in Kamikochi, stay at mountain hut
22nd July: Kamikochi to Kyoto, stay at luxury ryokan while in Kyoto
23rd July: Kyoto
24th July: Kyoto
25th July: Kyoto / possible Koyasan trip
26th July: Kyoto to Hiroshima
27th July: Hiroshima / Miyajima
28th July: Hiroshima to Tokyo (Fireworks Festival in Tokyo that night)
29th July: depart Haneda 6am
Questions:
1. Does it all look feasible in terms of transport, time spent in each place, etc?
2. Will I need a JR pass as I don't think it would be valid for most of my journeys, particularly in the mountains?
3. Do mountain huts need booking in advance in Kamikochi? Is the Hiking in Japan LP book the best source of info for Kamikochi 2/3 day hikes?
4. Would it be possible to squeeze in a trip to Koyasan while in Kyoto? Would love to stay in a Buddhist monastery at some point and Koyasan sounds ideal for this. Could I possibly sacrifice one of the Hiroshima days for this?
5. If I don't do Koyasan is the Kumando Kodo a feaslbe 1 or 2 day trip from Kyoto?
Thank you all.
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1. Kawaguchiko to Kamikochi will take some time I believe. I'd consider breaking the journey in Matsumoto, either A) by going to Matsumoto straight after the climb of Mt Fuji or B) spending the night on the 19th in Matsumoto instead of Kamikochi. Then take the first bus to Kamikochi and start walking. If you are a quick walker you can get quite far. For instance, I took an early bus from Takayama (about same distance from Kamikochi as Matsumoto) and managed to get to the hut at Yarigatake in one day (but didn't do any breaks while walking).2. Kyoto-Hiroshima-Tokyo costs the equivalent of the one week pass, so yes, a railpass would make sense as you could use it for additional trips such as Takayama-Kyoto. I'd also check whether a two week pass makes sense (I'd guess not), comparing costs with hyperdia.com
3. I believe a reservation is expected. I was hiking towards the end of the season and huts were relatively empty. Also in the huts I stayed you sleep on the floor so space was nearly unlimited. Still I'd reserve just in case. No idea whether the lp hiking guide is the best source. In any case I highly recommend the famous three day Yarigatake/Daikiretto hike mentioned in the book.
4. Koyasan needs some time to get to and the best things there happen in the late evening/early morning. That's why I would only go there as overnight trip. You can see the Peace Park + A-bomb museum and the famous shrine on Miyajima within one day. If you start early you could even do it as a (rushed) daytrip from/to Kyoto. A bit more relaxed you could leave Kyoto in the evening spend a night in Hiroshima, sightsee next day and return to Kyoto in the evening. With one day only you'd lose seeing some minor sites on Miyajima and will likely see the torii only at high or low tide (not both).
5. I'd leave at least two days for kumano Kodo, but probably I'd rather see Koyasan.
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On the day Kamikochi - Kyoto, you will need to go to Takayama, which you might as well spend the day at and arrive at Kyoto at night (or even spend a night in Takayama). That trip in itself is going to take you in total about 5 hours.Also, Gion Matsuuri is in Kyoto on the 17th. Not sure if you'd be interesting in rearranging your trip to be there during that time.
