Rail Travel

Does anyone know how long it would take to travel by train from Nagoya to Tsu? Many thanks for this information.

Rail Travel

Anywhere from 45 to 72 minutes. If you take the Kintetsu Express, it%26#39;s the second stop and will only take 45 minutes. If you take the Kintetsu local, it%26#39;s 11 stops and will take 72 minutes.

You can also take the JR Rapid Service (Kaisoku) Mie which will take 51 minutes.

This is a good site to keep on your computer. Train route finder.

http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/

Rail Travel

Another train finder site. (More colors!)

http://www.hyperdia.com/

having trouble finding a hotel

I%26#39;ll be in Tokyo for a week at the end of this month and I%26#39;ve been told to visit Kyoto. I%26#39;m planning on going for a night or two, but am having trouble finding availability in the hotels.

I%26#39;d like to stay from March 26th to 27th or 28th. If anyone has any advice about finding a reasonably priced place to stay that would be great. My budget is around $150 per night for two people.

Thank you

having trouble finding a hotel

After trying others, you might try this new hotel that charges by the room, not by PP. It is a bit higher than your budget for the busy cherry blossom season.

http://www.hotel-village.jp/kyoto/eng/

having trouble finding a hotel

Selection is indeed extremely limited. Available as at posting time, per room, double occupancy.

9500 http://www.guest-inn-kyoto.jp/

9200 http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~p-koto/

14000(on Rakutan Japanese website, higher rate and no vacancy on its own website) http://www.apahotel.com/~language/en/hotel/kyotogion/index.html

You could also consider staying in Osaka. Hotels are better value and it is an easy trip to Kyoto by train.

Staying in Osaka is actually good option you should consider.

As more and more domestic tourists head to Kyoto these days, hotels are often fully occupied and more demands means more money(Higher rates)

Lesser Japanese travel overseas due to declining economy, more people head to domestic destinations. I think temples in Kyoto announced they had record high visitors last couple years. This means you will see more of those stupid monks drinking at expensive bars in Gion.

GpldenMango,

The mango turns golden when rotted. Tell me you%26#39;re not an American.

I am fairly sure Goldenmango is not American :-)

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294232-i525-k2616…

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Hokkaido in last week of June - too early for flowers...

Hi,

We would be in Hokkaido in the last week of June - I understand that is too early for flower season and lavender season - in light of such, which part of Hokkaido is better for us to explore, in a 4-day timeframe?

Since it is no need to roam the flowering districts, I am not sure if we still need to rent a car, or use a JR Hokkaido pass?

Hokkaido in last week of June - too early for flowers...

Actually, the end of June has a lot of flowers blooming. Lavender should be on display as well even if it%26#39;s not the very peak. I suggest you stick to your plans to roam the flower districts, preferably with a rental car. Remember to get your International Driver%26#39;s Permit from AAA or you may be refused rental at the counter.

Flower calendar (for reference only):

…hokkaido.jp/flower/…index.html

Hokkaido in last week of June - too early for flowers...

June is ideal for flowers. Sammy%26#39;s link is a good one.

Can you suggest a driving route based on the following:

We arrive Sapporo in the afternoon - may be we start next morning for 2 days / 2 nights in the ';fields';, back to Sapporo for the last day.

Sapporo to Biei. Stay in Biei and rent bike sor walk or drive.

Go to Furano too.

Back to Sapporo.

Once you are here you can get a ';Flowers'; leaflet and see smaller,local flower places too and see if you can visit them.

Good season for flowers.

Other than flower fields, what about non-flowerly part of Hokkaido, such as Hakadote?

I know we must make a choice - either visit the flower fields, or to visit other parts of Hokkaido, given we only have 4 days...

OTOH, Hokkaido is sandwiched between Osaka and Tokyo, on our trip, with Tokyo being the last stop of a very long trip. Both Osaka and Tokyo are revisits, currently I give 3 days to each city. We might cut a day in Osaka and a day in Tokyo, so to give Hokkaido 5 days...

Our tickets are award tickets, but I have a feeling the domestic JL flights are aplenty, so finding seats on different dates should not be too difficult, I hope.

Fll,

I would drop Osaka since it%26#39;s a repeat and stay another day in Sapporo. As Amanda says, look into more flowers there, then spend a half day in Otaru (40 minutes by train). The food and sights are awesome. It%26#39;s such a ways to go to reach anywhere in Northern Japan that in makes no sense to rush through it.

Mac

I agree with Macsubi that you should give Hokkaido more days. With a car, you can see Furano and Biei in one to two days. Otaru is basically a day trip from Sapporo. Sapporo is worth one day. Other choices include Lake Toya, Noboribetsu and Asahikawa. I think Hakodate is too far away and not worth the trip unless you can change your ticket to fly out there.

Speaking about award tickets, you should be able to get domestic award seats with relative ease.

Okinawa / Ishigaki

Hi all,

I am planning to spend 4 weeks (honeymoon) in Japan between 25th June and 24th July, and I was thinking of spending the last 4 days relaxing somewhere on Okinawa or Ishigaki.

I am looking for relaxing and enjoying the beaches etc. rather than %26#39;cultural%26#39; sight seeing (since I would have spend the previous 3 weeks sight seeing).

Where do you recommend that I stay (Okinawa / Ishigaki, any other island?) and which hotels/ resorts do you recommend?

I would also consider day trips to other islands so somewhere making them accessible would also be useful.

Okinawa / Ishigaki

Hi!

Congratulation!!

Okinawa is a great place to relax specially for honeymooners.

Ishigaki Island is a wonderful island and easy access to all small islands by ferry.

I do recommend Hirata Tourism for a day tour.

They have english speaking staffs and they are really great.

Jumbo Tours is a local Okinawa travel agent and has an English speaking staff. Contact Mr.Odanaka, he would be a great support for you.

Also this is a pure Okinawa website and it is really useful!!!!

http://www.okinawa-information.com/

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Cheers

5 days 4 nights with Kids in April

I have been reading some guidebooks about Okinawa, but besides the Aquarium, does anyone else have any suggestions what I can do with my kids there?

We would like to stay in Naha for 2 nights for eating, and walking around, shopping...

then we like to rent a car for 3 days 2 nights to stay in a beach resort. (Manza?) How long would the drive be?

Should we take the car, drive up north on first day, then come back on 3rd day, and return car, and stay in Naha, so we head to airport for departure on 5 th day?

Please advise!

THanks!!!!

5 days 4 nights with Kids in April

Have you thought about Club Med? There%26#39;s one on Ishigaki.

clubmed-jp.com/brochure/…081127kabc_eng.pdf

Are you looking for the Japan/Okinawa experience? Or someplace fun for the kids? If it%26#39;s the latter, children seem to love the planned activities and the parents can rest in the sun without much planning. When ours was younger, we used to go with another family and managed to keep everyone happy and well fed.

:-)

Type in Okinawa resorts on Yahoo or Google and take a look at all the hits you%26#39;ll get!

Happy Planning!

5 days 4 nights with Kids in April

Hello Katetam!

I talked to my friend in Okinawa yesterday and he said temperature is already over 25 degrees outside and it would be a great trip for you and your family!!!

I prefer Okinawa World. It is located in the southern part, takes about 30min by car.

They also have new place called Ganagala no Tani.

If you like trecking you might like that.

I found it really interesting.

I also enjoyed Neo Park. It is a zoo but you can touch animals and ride on it. It was a great fun!

This website is a pure Okinawa information.

http://www.okinawa-information.com/

If you are looking for a travel agent in Okinawa contact Jumbo Tours. Ask for Mr.Odanaka. He is really helpful!

If you need any advise let me know!

THANK YOU !!!!! Researching still.

Great to know the temperature is warm enough for beach and swimming.

Will contact you again if I have more questions.

skin

Going to Tokyo on March 26 to April 5. Good time to go?

Hello all. I am planing a trip to Tokyo. I am about to book my plane ticket today or tomorrow. This is my first time going to Japan.

I am thinking about going to Japan on 3-26-09 to 4-5-09. Is this a good time?

Reason why I ask because I found out that during this time it%26#39;s Spring Break in Japan and I think everyone returns to school on the 6th.

I dont know how it is around this time in Tokyo so that is why I am asking here.

Thanks!

Going to Tokyo on March 26 to April 5. Good time to go?

As far as I%26#39;m concerned, it%26#39;s the best time possible--you%26#39;ll hit the cherry blossom peak in Honshu Island (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, etc.)

Japanese school spring break is not a big deal unless you want to go to Disneyland and I don%26#39;t suppose someone from LA wants to go...

Going to Tokyo on March 26 to April 5. Good time to go?

Thanks, for your input.

And no I do not want to go to Disneyland. I live like 10 minutes from Disneyland.

Is this the peak season to go to Japan?

It depends on what you define as ';peak'; season! If you mean for when there are going to be the most tourists, you are looking at May, October and the holidays. That%26#39;s when many Japanese holidays and breaks are, so there will be more people around. Going in March and April is good, because you will see the cherry blossoms. Going in Sept/October is good because you can see the foliage for fall.

Its not a problem at all...

Its the best season to visit - the weather is the best of the year and if you are lucky there should be cherry blossoms.

The most popular cherry blossom places are very crowded, but there are enough cherry trees around to avoid the crowds.

One of the nicer places is the area in front of the British Embassy in Ichiban Cho, Tokyo. Its Imperial land, so drinking and loutish behavior is not allowed.

Thanks guys,

I just booked my flight to Tokyo from Los Angeles. I found an excellent price. $860 round trip. Singapore Airlines.

Now I need to search for hotel!

My understanding is the majority is trying to get out of Tokyo during this time, mainly to see the Cherry Blossoms in the countryside. What a great air fare. I think hotel rates are dropping likewise. I%26#39;m thinking it will be even lower in the fall, especially against the dollar.

So, I%26#39;m going to Disneyland on this week...3/25-28, guess it%26#39;s going to be pretty bad for me, huh?

You live in FL you have walt disney world. Why come to Japan and see an American theme park like Disneyland?? :P

I was thinking the same thing, but was afraid to ask :-)

3/25-28 is right in the middle of Japanese school spring break. Tokyo Disney will be super crowded. Avoid Sat. 28th for sure!

Are you ready to go, Chmura? I%26#39;m leaving on 3/25 and coming back on 4/6. My SQ fair LAX-NRT was $728. It%26#39;s cheaper because I%26#39;m coming back on a Monday. I usually fly JAL but couldn%26#39;t resist this offer.

Anyway, seems like we%26#39;re going to hit the Sakura peak!! Enjoy.

Shibuyakko,

Will there be blossoms to see in Disney area or Shinjuku area from April 7-13?

FlexStay Shinsaibashi or Weekly Mansion Otemae?

Hello,

I%26#39;m coming to Osaka for 4 days with my wife, and would ideally like accommodation that has a kitchenette, so that we can fix ourselves a quick meal - since we are vegetarians. At least, a hotel that would have a water heater/coffee maker.

Based on this, availability, and our budget, I have zeroed in on Flexstay, Shinsaibashi and Weekly Mansion, Otemae.

Location wise, Shinsaibashi sounds like the place we should be in, whereas, the reviews for the Weekly Mansion seem better.

So can you please let me know your thoughts on these? Is Otemae far out of the way? Will it add a lot to the commute time, esp. if we want to make day trips to Kyoto,Kobe, Nara (we will probably get the Kansai Thru Pass)? Any other alternate recommendations?

I was also looking at the Hotel Villa Fontaine, but doesn%26#39;t look like they have even a coffee maker in the room.

Thanks for your help!

Regards,

-JK

FlexStay Shinsaibashi or Weekly Mansion Otemae?

Comfort Hotel Shinsaibashi is good. It%26#39;s a business hotel but you get free breakfast and there%26#39;s a hot pot and fridge in the room. There%26#39;s also a microwave in the breakfast area - I%26#39;m not sure if they let you heat up your own food in it though.

A twin room is best for a couple.

Do you have to use a quilt in the cot bed