Advice on Japan trip itinery

I'm due to go for a three week holiday to Japan in October - 163 days to be exact. Not that I'm counting

I have my itinery through from the travel company and needed a bit of advise... first the schedule :

4 Oct - Arrive Tokyo, bus tickets airport/hotel and 6 nights Grand Palace Hotel Tokyo
5 Oct - Morning to recover from flight. Afternoon Cityrama Tokyo tour.
10 Oct - Depart Hotel MtFuji/Hakone Tour and 2 nights Mikawaya Ryokan, Hakone
12 Oct - Bus to Odawara Station (not included) for train to Takayama with 2 nights Hida PLaza
14 Oct - Train to Kyoto with 6 nights Rihga Royal Hotel
15 Oct - Kyoto morning tour
20 Oct - Train to Hiroshima and 1 night New Hiroden Hotel
21 Oct - Train/boat to Miyajima and 1 night Iwasou Ryokan
22 Oct - Train to Osaka and 2 nights ANA Hotel
24 Oct - Return flight

My question is that this is just outside my budget and I want to either cut out some parts Hiroshima/Takayama ? or maybe downgrade one of the hotels...

What advise or suggestions could you offer ?

Originally posted by Nyanko
I'm due to go for a three week holiday to Japan in October - 163 days to be exact. Not that I'm counting

I have my itinery through from the travel company and needed a bit of advise... first the schedule :

4 Oct - Arrive Tokyo, bus tickets airport/hotel and 6 nights Grand Palace Hotel Tokyo
5 Oct - Morning to recover from flight. Afternoon Cityrama Tokyo tour.
10 Oct - Depart Hotel MtFuji/Hakone Tour and 2 nights Mikawaya Ryokan, Hakone
12 Oct - Bus to Odawara Station (not included) for train to Takayama with 2 nights Hida PLaza
14 Oct - Train to Kyoto with 6 nights Rihga Royal Hotel
15 Oct - Kyoto morning tour
20 Oct - Train to Hiroshima and 1 night New Hiroden Hotel
21 Oct - Train/boat to Miyajima and 1 night Iwasou Ryokan
22 Oct - Train to Osaka and 2 nights ANA Hotel
24 Oct - Return flight

My question is that this is just outside my budget and I want to either cut out some parts Hiroshima/Takayama ? or maybe downgrade one of the hotels...

What advise or suggestions could you offer ?

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Seems fine, but I would try to visit NARA. It's really close to Kyoto and has lots of neat shrines and temples. Largest indoor budah is there too.

Oh, and ANA hotel in Osaka sucks. It's comfortable, but expensive... Also, there is nothing around ANA hotel other than some mall with mostly clothing stores and a themepark on the brink of bankruptcy.

I ordered 4 drinks, 2 glasses of champagne, a tiny bowl of fruit pieces and a small pizza, and my bill came out to be almost 150000 yen. The only good thing about ANA hotel is that it's really close to KANSAI airport.

Hi, I wouldn't want to miss 22nd October a night at a ryokan, that's a must for me when I can visit Japan, I do hope that you will totally enjoy your stay and it's all that you ever dreamed of

Hi,

I would spend less time in Tokyo and more time exploring the country. I would spend one less day in Tokyo for a trip to Nikko. It is definitely worth the time and effort. While at Takayama, I would also spend a day at Shirakawago. I visited this area last fall and had a fantastic time. You can read more about it here:


It is only a 90-minute bus ride from JR Takayama train station to Shirakawago and if you go you can stay overnight at one of the "Gassho-Zukur" (traditional Japanese farmhouses). You can make reservations here:


Visiting Hiroshima is a must. The Peace Memorial Museum should be seen by all visitors to Japan although it is a very heavy and depressing experience. I was there 2 months ago and I am glad I then visited Miyajima. I needed the peace and quiet of the island to "recover" from what I saw at the Peace Memorial Museum.

Hope this helps,
Lester

how does a 3 week holiday translate into 163 days? If you can do that, I want your time machine design!!!

Well, I don't know how much you want to save money, but..... when I was in Osaka, due to an unfortunate set of events, I was left with very little money for a week. I found a cheap place called Hotel Escargo. It was always easy for me to find on my drunken walk home at night because of its funny sign with a snail on it. It is not the nicest of places, but I nobody ever gave me a problem. They have shared washrooms, but there is a femails only floor if you are a femail. The rooms are quite small too, but, hey, It should save you cash. But believe me though, it is not as good as it looks on the internet, and I was very happy when I could afford a nicer place!!

I would also definitely spend less time in Tokyo and more time around Kyoto and Nara. While you're in the area, you may also want to head to Hyogo prefecture and stop by Himeji and its World Heritage castle.

I don't know what kind of traveller you are, but that seems to me like a VERY high budget trip to Japan. Especially since you don't seem to take into account the cost of your meals, which can be pretty expensive, depending on where you eat.

In my five years here, the best stays that I've had were in Roykans and Minshukus. No need to go overboard either, as long as they're clean, the service usually goes beyond what North Americans and Europeans expect of a hotel without having to pay...

Also, instead of Hakone, I'd settle somewhere in the Fuji 5 Lakes region. Hakone is expensive and there's not much there. And it's also a stone's throw away from Yamanashi prefecture, known for it's fruit production. They make fairly good wine, too (mainly in and around Katsunuma). It's one of the few prefecture without the ocean as a border.

While you're at it, I hope you plan a stop at an onsen. A trip to Japan without one is just not the same. There are onsen pretty much everywhere in Japan and there are several inexpensive guide like the Lonely Planet and such that mention nice, inexpensive onsen, not usually on the regular tourist routes.

Well, I hope you have a good trip.