bosei@sify.com (wanderer) wrote in message news:<695d4252.0309072301.4f0052a4@posting.google.com>...
> Questions:
> 1. Should we skip Kamakura and go to Hakone as a daytrip instead since
> we'll be going to Kyoto the next day?
Kyoto is nice but unless you read up on Japanese history, you may
find is a bit boring -- after awhile, all temples begin to look alike,
and although it is a charming quiet place (relatively speaking), it's
definitely not a shopping mecca. You might want to consider Osaka.
> 2. Is it possible to stay overnight in Hakone on night 3 and then
> proceed from Hakone to Kyoto the next day. Are the train connections
> from Hakone to Kyoto decent?
In my experience, all the rail system in Japan are incredibly
efficient
and more convenient than any other forms of transportation in Japan.
You can set your watch by them.
> 2. Should we skip the daytrip option from Tokyo and spend one extra
> night in Kyoto instead and go to Nara as a daytrip from Kyoto? Is Nara
> better than Kamakura?
Unless you are really into Japanese shrines and temples, by the time
you get to the third of fourth, they will all begin to look alike.
You
might consider going to Nikko, instead. Whether Nara or Kamakura is
better is again base on what you want to find. Kamakura is for the
most part a quiet town (by Japanese standards) where most of the
Japanese
elites (movie stars and what not) hideout; it can get very crowded
during
the holiday season -- as I found out the hard way.
> 3. Given our schedule, does it make any sense to buy JR pass or should
> we purchase tickets as we go along?
> 4. Do you need reservations on the bullet train for the journey from
> Tokyo to Kyoto? How early do they have to be made?
I was advised to avoid the morning (about 8-9am) and evening rush, but
took the train out of Tokyo to Kyoto during the morning rush without
any
problems - plenty of empty seats in the non-smoking car (Green cars).
> 5. For the last night is it better to stay in Kyoto instead of Tokyo
> and make the journey to Narita from Kyoto on the last day?
Unless you want to spend your last few hours in a train and then rush
to the bus, I would recommend you spend a nice evening in Tokyo - a
night out on the town so to speak. It can get pretty hectic from
Tokyo to Narita and unless the precedure has changed, your bus from
Tokyo WILL stop before the airport where you will be expected to
stepout and have your
papers and baggage inspected. |