Our Japanese Tour Itinerary
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| Sun: |
First, an 11½ hour, overnight flight (JL422)
from Heathrow to
(this flight was only half full so we could lie down and sleep) |
| Mon: |
Osaka's Kansai Airport (KIX): |
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· Got some Japanese Yen from an ATM (on the 4th floor)
· Visited the Tourist Information Centre (TIC)
for sightseeing leaflets and a timetable for the JR trains (which was really useful) |
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then, a 72min train ride on the Haruka line
(¥2,980 each running every ½hr) to…
Kyoto: for 4 nights (in the Kyoto Tokyu
Hotel): |
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· Watched people playing Pachinko machines
· Kyoto Tower at night |
| Tues: |
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· City walk around Kyoto including most of the old
& narrow shopping streets
|
| Weds: |
Day trip to Osaka (30 mins Rapid train for
¥540 each): |
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· The Floating Garden Observatory
· Osaka Castle
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| Thurs: |
Kyoto: |
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· Nishi-Hongan-ji Buddhist Temple
· Higashi-Hongan-ji Buddhist Temple - the largest wooden building in Kyoto
· Nijo Castle
· Kyoto Imperial Palace (free guided tour)
· Heian Jingu (Shinto) Shrine and gardens
· Walk around the Gion District for a glimpse of geisha girls
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| Fri: |
Day trip to the old Japanese capital of Nara
(33 minute journey for ¥1,110 each): |
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· Nara Park
· Tame deer
· Todai-ji Temple (the largest wooden structure in the world)
· Shinto Kasuga Taisha Shrine
· Torii Gate
· Sarusawa-no-ike Pond for a photo of ...
· Kofuku-ji Temple and its Three and Five Storied Pagodas
· City walk around the old streets and many small temples
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| Sat: |
Kyoto: |
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· Toyokuni Shinto Shrine (where we watched a wedding)
· Sanjusangen-do Temple (1001 statues each with '1000' arms)
· Kiyomizu Temple where we saw three maiko (apprentice geisha girls)
· Jishu Shrine
· Maruyama-koen Park
|
| Sun: |
Activated our 7-day JR pass for a 2hr Shinkansen
bullet train to...
Hiroshima for 2 nights (in the ANA Hiroshima
Hotel): |
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· Peace Memorial Park
· The Cenotaph
· The Peace Flame
· Children's Peace Memorial
· Peace bell
· A-bomb dome
· A-bomb Museum
· Hiroshima Castle
|
| Mon: |
Day trip to Miya-jima including: |
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· Floating Torii Gate
· Itsuku-shima Shrine
· Five Storied Pagoda
|
| Tues: |
a 2hr 20min Shinkansen train to Nagoya followed by a
2hr 40min rural train to...
Takayama for 2 nights in a ryokan -a traditional Japanese inn
(the Honjin Hiranoya Bekkan): |
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· Traditional Japanese maid who didn't speak any
English
· Walked around old traditional streets in Takayama
· Traditional Japanese meal with many courses served in our room by our maid
· Communal bath
· Slept on tatami mats on the floor |
| Weds: |
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· Traditional Japanese breakfast (in banquet hall)
· Jinya-mae morning market in Takayama
· Hida Folk Village (¥900 each including return bus journey)
· Higashiyama Teramachi temple walk in Takayama
· Traditional Japanese meal served in our room |
| Thurs: |
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· Traditional Japanese breakfast (in banquet hall)
|
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2hr 20min rural train to Nagoya followed by a 2 hr
Shinkansen train to...
Tokyo for 10 nights (in the Keio Plaza Intercontinental
Hotel): |
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· Walked around Shinjuku
|
| Fri: |
Day trip to Nikko (the most popular day trip
out of Tokyo for tourists)
JR East Shinkansen to Utsunomiya (50min) then rural train to Nikko (45min) |
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· Rinno-ji Temple
· Tosho-gu Shrine (this was the only Shinto shrine which we were allowed inside)
· Futara-san-jinja Shrine
· Taiyuin-byo Shrine
· Shin-kyo Bridge (which was closed for restoration)
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Evening trip to Yokohama |
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· Landmark Tower - the tallest building in Japan
· Largest Ferris wheel in the world
|
| Sat: |
Day trip to Hakone & Mt Fuji
a Shinkansen bullet train to Fuji City |
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· View of the elusive Mount Fuji from the train and
Fuji station |
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Back on the Shinkansen to Odawara to buy
Hakone Free Pass (¥4130 each)
giving us unlimited travel around the Hakone area including: |
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· Mountain train to Gora
· Funicular train to Mount Soun-Zan
· Rope-way (cable car) to Owakudani
· Walk on the side of a volcano with steam venting from the side
and bubbling hot springs where eggs are boiled
· Mount Fuji view point (but it was obscured by clouds!)
· Rope-way (cable car) to Lake Ashino-ko
· Sail to Moto-Hakone on a pirate's galleon
(this is another Mount Fuji view point but it was still obscured by clouds)
· Walk through ancient cedar trees to the old Hakone checkpoint
· Back to Odawara on a bus
(Mount Fuji just peeped through the clouds as were about to get on the bus)
|
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Back to Tokyo (our 7-day JR pass expired at
midnight) |
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· Tokyo Tower (illuminated at night)
|
| Sun: |
Yoyogi-koen Park |
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· Meiji-jingu Shrine (where we saw a Shinto wedding)
· Watched youths dressed up in their outlandish costumes
(This was at the Southeast corner of Yoyogi Park every Sunday)
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Harajuka |
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· Musicians & Street theatre
|
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Shibuya |
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· TEPCO Electric Energy Museum
· Love Hotel Hill |
| Mon: |
Ginza |
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· Walk around the Ginza Shopping district
· Sony Plaza (playing with all the latest gadgets)
· Meal in revolving sushi restaurant |
| Tues: |
Central Tokyo area |
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· Imperial Palace (only an obscured view from the
outside)
· Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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Akihabara |
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· Electric City - discount electronic
superstores |
| Weds: |
Shinjuku |
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· NS Building - a hollow square tower block
containing the world's largest pendulum clock
· Sumitomo Building - a hollow triangular building
with a public observation deck on the 51st floor
· Mitsui Building - containing the Pentax Forum photography exhibition
· Museum of Future Science & Technology
(which contained nothing futuristic just the usual old hands-on stuff)
· Shopping around the large department stores around Shinjuku
(most of them were unfortunately closed on Wednesdays)
· Ate plenty of free samples from the various food halls
· Meal at a stand-up noodle bar |
| Thurs: |
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View Tokyo Harbour & Rainbow Bridge en route to... |
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Day-trip to Kamakura - an old Japanese capital
and centre of Buddhism |
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· Engaku-Ji Temple
· Tokei-ji Temple
· Kencho-ji Temple
· 11.4m tall, 850 tonne, bronze Great Buddha (Daibutsu)
· Tourist “Shopping Town Street” |
| Fri: |
Akasaka |
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· Took a look around the posh hotels in this area
· including the New Otani built in 400 year old gardens |
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Asakusa |
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· Senso-ji Temple
· Asakusa-Jinja Shrine
· Nakamise-dori tourist shopping street
· Shitamachi (self-guided) walking tour (from the Lonely Planet book)
· Chingo-do Temple (dedicated to raccoon dogs)
· Kappabashi-dori - lined with shops selling restaurant supplies
including the famous plastic food displays.
· Meal in another revolving sushi restaurant |
| Sat: |
Ikebukuru |
| |
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· Toyota Amlux,
· Sunshine City shopping mall
· Look around a capsule hotel
· Seibu & Tobu massive department stores |
| Sun: |
Airport Limousine coach from our hotel (¥3,000
each taking 90mins) to... |
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Tokyo's Narita airport for a 12 hour, non-stop
flight (JL403) back to Heathrow
(this flight was also only half full so we got to lie down again) |
(Click on any of the pictures to view a full sized version)