Please Comment on My Japan Itinerary (Jan 2018)

John on 30/03/2017 - 04:30
Last edited 30/03/2017 - 08:59 by 1 other user

Hi all,

Planning to do a trip at the New Year. We're gonna be stopping over in Singapore for a week (staying in my in laws place to save us accommodation) then heading off to Japan on the New Years Eve day.

Our current plan is:

Sun, 31 Dec: Depart Singapore to Tokyo, check in and rest

Mon, 01 Jan: Explore temple see the new year festivities

Tue, 02 Jan: Explore Yokohama

Wed, 03 Jan: Leave Tokyo, Go to Hakone, check in and rest

Thu, 04 Jan: Explore Hakone

Fri, 05 Jan: Leave Hakone, Go to Gotemba Premium Outlet (wife wants to shop) then continue to Kawaguchiko, check in and rest

Sat, 06 Jan: Go to Fuji-Q Highland (son loves Thomas, dad loves roller coasters - if packed maybe just relax there)

Sun, 07 Jan: Leave Kawaguchiko, go to Matsumoto for overnight stay

Mon, 08 Jan: Leave Matsumoto, go to Takayama, check in and rest

Tue, 09 Jan: Explore Takayama

Wed, 10 Jan: Leave Takayama, go to Osaka, check in and rest

Thu, 11 Jan: Explore Osaka

Fri, 12 Jan: Explore Osaka

Sat, 13 Jan: Leave Osaka to Perth

Some FAQs:

This is our second time in Japan. Our first trip was mainly Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto-Hiroshima
We will have a 5 year old during this trip
We want a relaxed trip (so maybe a bit of sightseeing.. but more towards experiencing the quiet town)
We've been to Fuji-Q Highland before and i felt bad for rushing my son's day in Thomasland….

Let me know what you think!

Travel

Comments

Marcsie on 30/03/2017 - 08:25

Jan 2017 or Jan 2018 ?
- Baysew on 30/03/2017 - 09:00
  
  Have amended to 2018 - assuming that is what OP is looking for.
  - John on 30/03/2017 - 12:08
    
    +2
    
    Thanks! Yeah 2018, I couldnt get my flux capacitor to work!
sepa on 30/03/2017 - 08:39

To each their own, but you're packing in a lot of destinations in that short time frame and I'd skip some. For example, Matsumoto has a nice castle but attractions outside the city are more interesting and you won't have the time to see them. You don't say how you are travelling, but I assume train. Hire car can be very slow travelling. Kyoto is more interesting and a better base than Osaka.
- John on 30/03/2017 - 12:13
  
  Yeah I put Matsumoto just so we dont do a big transit in one go. I might need to see the possibilities if I can go from Kawaguchiko straight to Takayama. I will be taking trains and buses mostly. I've never driven in a snow (never even touched a snow) so I'm not taking the risk. I did like Kyoto but I was there few days last year and felt we've seen most of it, but i would consider it again since Kyoto in winter should bring different experience
nocure on 30/03/2017 - 08:57

+3

check in and rest

Sounds like my kind of holiday :)
- John on 30/03/2017 - 12:15
  
  +1
  
  Learn from last year. Tried to pack too much and wife wasnt impressed with it :')
altomic on 30/03/2017 - 10:34

+1

that sounds like a great itinerary.

though I'm not sure about the " see the new year festivities". this is Japan. I lived there for 4 years and new years was always dead. but temples are for the dead, so……

could I suggest "Tue, 02 Jan: Explore Yokohama"

in the morning get the train down to Kamakura (you pass through Yokohama) and then in the afternoon (on the way back to Tokyo) then stop at yokohama (there is/was a Sizzler in the Yokohama tower!!)
- John on 30/03/2017 - 13:00
  
  Hahaha ok. So I gather the trains and the cities are pretty quiet around that time? Except the temples will have some markets open?
  
  I checked Kamakura, looks like its mostly temples, which we weren't too keen in seeing many of. I'll probably spend more time on Yokohama to walk around, but probably not eat at the Sizzler though :P
pantsparty on 30/03/2017 - 11:02

Looks pretty good to me. Make sure you stay at a nice ryokan in Hakone. I did that last year - it was expensive but amazing.
- John on 30/03/2017 - 13:02
  
  Yeah that's the plan. But how early can you book them? I was looking at Odakyu and looks like they can only be booked up to Oct. And I read a lot of the nice ryokans can only be booked 3 months in advanced. Is that true?
  
  I've booked a ryokan there via Booking.com (can be cancelled for free) but it doesn't have private hot spring bath.. Planning to wait until early Oct before starting to book for nice ryokans.
  - pantsparty on 30/03/2017 - 13:14
    
    I imagine booking policies probably vary. I have just booked a ryokan myself for early December and that went fine. If this is a special occasion and the budget stretches far enough, I can strongly recommend Hakone Ginyu. We had a room there which had two private hot spring baths - an indoors and an outdoors. It was amazing.
    
    https://www.ryokancollection.com/ryokan/hakone_ginyu/
    - John on 30/03/2017 - 13:49
      
      Wow… how much budget are you talking about? Visited the website and it looks more like personal concierge rather than reservation web. I just wanted to see how much it cost to stay there.
    - pantsparty on 30/03/2017 - 13:57
      
      @John: For two people its probably about a grand a night, including a multi course breakfast and dinner. That website is just a company who helps English customers book into some fancy ryokans around Japan.
    - John on 30/03/2017 - 14:13
      
      @pantsparty: Yikes! Don't think I can stretch it that far haha..

Please Comment on My Japan Itinerary (Jan 2018)

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