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muroa
muroa
about 12 years ago
1 answer

Hello there!

Hoping to seek some advice from you forumers. :-)

I will be going on a 15 days trip to Japan in November and it'll be my first official travel, would be reaching around 6am in the morning at Kansai Airport.

Areas I am keen to visit in Tokyo(in order of importance) are:
Harajuku
Akihabara
Ginza
Shibuya
Shinjuku
Ometesando
Hachioji
Tokyo Solamachi
Ikebukuro
Tsukiji Fish Market
Tokyo Dome
Asakusa
Roppongi

Here are my questions, i need advice:

  1. Would really love to visit Okinawa too, but it seems pretty inaccessible. Is there a way?

  2. Planning to spend some time in Osaka, would it be better to stay 1-2 nights in Osaka first before going to Tokyo or proceed to Tokyo by train immediately once touching down and head back to Osaka for the last 1-2 days?

  3. What would be the best mode of transport for me? Would a Rail Pass be good?

  4. How should I go about alocating my time to visit these places?

  5. Any advice for accomodation would be great too, there will be two persons. :-)

Thank you so much in advance!

avatar
mari
1950 posts
about 12 years ago
Expert

Hi there!

Here are some answers:

  1. For Okinawa you'll have to take a flight. From Osaka you should look in to low cost budget airlines such as Peach or Jetstar, both of whome open low cost routes to Okinawa from October.

  2. I think I'd stay in Osaka for the first few nights to get used to the area :) maybe after that get the plane to Okinawa and back. If does depend on how long your flight is however - if you are on a short trip to Japan then travelling immediately up to Tokyo shouldn't be a big problem.

  3. The return trip from Osaka to Tokyo by JR bullet train costs around the same as a 7 day Japan Rail Pass. with a 7 day pass you can freely travel on any JR lines around Japan. You can also make good use of the JR Pass in Tokyo (here's a map of JR lines in Tokyo for reference). I'd recommend a 7 day pass in your case as you really gain a huge amount of flexibility and it is only ¥400 ($5USD) extra compared to a standard return ticket.

  4. As far as allocating time for these, I think you'll need at least 3 days of sightseeing to get the most out of your list. You could easily spend 5 days to be honest here! All locations are easily accessible within Tokyo either using the JR lines, or the Metro, so you should have no problems I think.

Hotels in Tokyo

Accomodation is always a tricky thing to recommend as it depends on so many factors! My main survival tips for Tokyo Hotel selecting though are:

  • Pick the right area - I really like the arty and cafe influenced Nakameguro, Aoyama and Daikanyama areas, but if you fancy a more 'downtown' location then Ginza or Shinjuku is hard to beat. For nightlife lovers, Shibuya is top of the list.
  • Check Tripadvisor a lot :)
  • For no-frills but clean budget hotels, check out the Toyoko Inn and Tokyu Stay chains.

Hope this helps!


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