Train schedules: hyperdia

Friday

transportation from airport

airport to hotel options

check into hotel, address: 1-9-2 Higashi Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0021, Japan TEL: +81 (0)3 3569 2220 FAX: +81 (0)3 3569 2111

Arrived at night. Took a while to take the train, find the hotel, and navigate the terrible, antiquated, and backwards address system in Japan. Difficult to find anything there even with an address and map.

After check-in, walked through Ginza. Lots of high fashion stores.

We got lost while trying to find HSBC, which at the time, offered free currency exchange. Starving, so we ate at Yoshinoya for dinner. Quite good. Better than the US. Food was very hot yet everyone ate their meals in a few minutes.

 

Saturday

tsujiki market (or monday)

optional: imperial palace (get [reserv http://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/order/index_EN.html]?)

optional: tokyo museum, ueno park

ryogoku (see sumo wrestlers at Tatsunami Stable west of Ryogoku Station and Izutsu Stable a few blocks south), oedo line to ryogoku

asakusa (sensoji shrine), continue on oedo line

akihabara (electronics district)

odaiba (might be crowded) instead of akihabara

or go to studio ghibli in the afternoon

shinjuku?

roppongi [beatles http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070703133559AAzFQkd]

shiodome or tsujikishijo to ryogoku by Toei Oedo y210, ryogoku to asakusa by JR Sobu Chuo y130, tawaramachi to ueno by Tokyo Subway Ginza y160, or tawaramachi to akihabara by JR Yamanote Line y130, or asakusa to akihabara by hibiya line

 

Sunday

no tsukiji as it's closed, but can go to the restaurants

harajuku after 11a; snoopy

shibuya [beer garden http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3028.html]

shinjuku

roppongi

 

 

 

Monday

no museums as most are closed on mondays

tsujiki

akihabara

odaiba: toyota megaweb; take Yurikamome elevated train from shinbashi or shiodome

[http://digilander.libero.it/joe.chip/ghibli_e.htm studio ghibli], train from shinjuku


cancelled yokohama: ramen house (closed Tuesdays), train from shibuya

 

Tuesday

activate rail pass

disney sea

- Journey to the Center of the Earth

- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

kabuki theater? [one act with english rental http://www.shochiku.co.jp/play/kabukiza/theater/single-show.html]

shiodome to TSUKISHIMA by Toei Oedo Line, to SHINKIBA by Tokyo Subway Yurakucho, to MAIHAMA by JR Keiyo Line. Or Shimbashi to Ginza by Tokyo Subway Ginza, to HACCHOBORI by Tokyo Subway Hibiya, to MAIHAMA by JR Keiyo Line. Or Shimbashi to Tokyo Station by JR Tokaido to Maihama by JR Keiyo.

 

Wednesday

tsujiki

kodama shinkansen to [hakone http://www.odakyu.jp/english/freepass/hakone_01.html]

[mt fuji from hakone http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+37635]

[Ichinoyu Honkan review http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+26296+1+jp+83+0] [pictures http://tokyofoodtrip.blogspot.com/2005/12/day-4-train-bento-and-370-year-old.html] [official site http://english.ichinoyu.co.jp/]

[loop http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5210.html]

[reviews http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g298171-i8260-k507576-Where_to_stay_in_Hakone-Hakone_Kanto.html]

Note that there is manned luggage storage at HakoneYumoto station. According to [this http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+26296+1+jp+83+0], you can leave luggage with the ryokan. Take the free Begonia Bus from Hakone Yumoto to Begonia garden, which is across from Ichinoyu Shinkan.

- Tokaido shinkansen to odawara, buy hakone free pass (2-day weekday) at station, then to hakone-yumoto

- Hakone-Yumoto to Gora (35 min)

- Gora to Sounzan by cable car (10 min)

- Sounzan to Togendai by ropeway (30 min), great views at Owakudani

- Togendai to Hakonemachi by boat (30 min)

- Hakonemachi to Moto-Hakone on foot (20-30 min, see the [checkpoint museum http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5205.html])

- Moto-Hakone to Hakone-Yumoto by Hakone Tozan Bus (35 min)

 

Thursday

Mt Fuji hiking:

- Take the bus to Gotemba Station from Hakone Yumoto station by Hakone Tozan Bus (25 min) and then a bus to Gotemba 5th Station by Odakyu Hakone Highway Bus (20 min)

- Odakyu Hakone Highway Bus from Togendai in the Hakone area


travel to kyoto

walk around kyoto

pick up city bus map and Kyoto Visitor's Guide at Kyoto Station

From [japan guide http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+26296+1+jp+83+0]:

If you do not return to Tokyo, then you should buy a Hakone Free Pass that is valid only inside the Hakone free area and does not include the round trip from Shinjuku, i.e. buy the pass at Odawara Station for use from Odawara Station:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_008.html

So, for convenience, I recommend to take the JR Tokaido Line from Shimbashi to Odawara and then use a Hakone Free Pass.

And here are details on how to continue to Kyoto:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5206.html?aFROM=2158_5200

Kyoto hotels:

[palace side http://www.palacesidehotel.co.jp/]

[ryokan shimizu http://www.kyoto-shimizu.net/], [reviews http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298564-d608088-Reviews-j4-Ryokan_Shimizu_Inn-Kyoto_Kinki.html]

Imperial Palace (near hotel)

Kiyomizu-dera (southeast)

Chion-in (southeast)

yasaka-jinja (southeast)

Shugaku-in Rikyu Imperial Villa (northeast)

Katsura Rikyu Imperial Villa (southwest)

Costume Museum (near Kyoto Station)

Kinkaku-ji (northwest)

Ginkaku-ji (east)

Path of Philosophy (east)

Honen-in (east)

Nanzen-ji (east)

Free:

temples: Tofuku-ji

Kamo-gawa

Gion (southeast)

shrines: fushimi-inari-taisha (far south), Heian-jingu, shimgamo-jinja (southeast)

Nishiki Market (downtown)

 

Friday

travel to himeji castle

osaka for umeda sky building, dinner, and shopping/nightlife (dotomburi, amerika-mura) at minami

[hello kitty http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+29759]

 

Saturday

walk around kyoto more

or osaka and himeji

 

Monday

[toyota commemorative museum http://www.tcmit.org/english/seeing/index.html]

fly out

take [meitetsu nagoya express train 1212 http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi?H_CMD=SHOW_TRAIN_INF&DEP_NODE=5225&ARV_NODE=5223&YEAR=2007&MONTH=9&DAY=10&DIAGRAM=36372563&LINE=555&JP_MODE=0] at 12:59 from MEITETSUNAGOYA to JINGUMAE and transfer to Meitetsu Ltd.Exp (train 9) at 13:06, which goes to CHUBU and arrives at 13:40. There's also a Meitetsu Rapid Ltd.Exp 332 at 13:32 which goes directly to Chubu and arrives at 14:00.

[toyota tour application http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/about_toyota/facility/toyota_kaikan/plant_tour/index.html]; can't make it

 

Sunday

head to nagoya early morning

meiji mura

[totoro house http://apike.ca/japan_aichi_totoro_house.html], closed Mondays

 

 

Things we missed:

Odaiba

Sony building

Shiodome Gardens

Kabuki

Second trip to Tsujiki Fish Market and nearby restaurants