Japan summer trip 10 days itinerary

[Japansummertrip]

We are going to Japan next year for 10 days second half of August. We are thinking 3 nights in Tokyo, 4 nights Kyoto, 3 nights Japanese Alps. Never been so wondering if this sounds reasonable?

Can’t go other time of the year as we are stuck to school holidays and doing is as a part of a big trip to another country so need 4.5 weeks. 2 adults and 2 kids 17 & 13 at the time.

Thank you

Thank you; we are doing it on the way back from OZ so I guess we don’t want to be changing accommodation too often as it will be tiring; maybe rent a car from Tokyo to Kyoto and just 2 bases and do day trips.

Would like to go in October but can’t justify 2 long haul trips in a year and the additional flights

Yes. I can see that. The trains are fine for sightseeing. We used them with the Japan Rail card. There is a mono rail in Tokyo. Also the private Enoden line is fun. Japan by Rail book is great for planning.

Deffo want to do something similar, sounds amazing

We did similar but loved the cable car ride over the sulphur mountains and the weird black boiled eggs - it was just so strange. Kids enjoyed the galleon ride. The sculpture park is amazing - especially climbing inside the stained glass tower!

We could not breathe in the stench of the sulphur. Decided the low cloud made it impossible to enjoy it. As we are not kids, a galleon seemed very un Japanese. Just a theme park type solution that was not what we expected. I guess we like different things.

Can you fly into Tokyo and out of Kansai (Osaka) or vice versa, travelling between them by train? You would get to go on the shinkansen as well - that's an attraction of its own! I don't know the Tokyo area but you could look at something like Kansai Thru Pass or the JR Kansai pass if you spend a few days in Kyoto.

@Japansummertrip
I really wouldn't recommend hiring a car in Japan unless you are planning to do some really off-the-beaten-track exploring in the countryside. Car hire is expensive, motorways have tolls, signage is difficult unless you know the area and can read Japanese, and parking in cities is very expensive or impossible to find.

If you are going from Tokyo to Kyoto, take the train - much faster and better in every way!

Bullet trains are excellent and so clean and reliable. Make sure you go to Horsham. Greta museum and so much history there - although most building are now from the 1960's / 1970s for obvious reasons..

Would not spend more than a day there but the trains make it so simple.

Two centre woud work as well. A few years ago we did Kyoto (3n), Hiroshima (2n) Osaka (4n). We flew into Osaka as it was much cheaper and didn't go to Tokyo. This year we are going in August and spending most of our time in Tokyo (4-2-4), and just doing day trips. With the two nights in the middle, I thought about the Alps (really want to do the Alpine pass ) Kanazawa, Takayama or Matsumoto but we are just leaving it for hopefully April 2025 (so to see the pass with the snow wall) and staying in Yokohama. We'll get the rail pass so if we feel like going somewhere further for a day we have the option.

Some People in another thread recommended driving as the rail passes are increasing in price; they said they had no issues; except for Tokyo. There are so many places to see, this is going to take time researching.

I have looked at a driving tour in the future for getting into the countryside. However trains are very efficient and fast. They are a great experience in their own right. Japan is not a cheap destination but largely trains are signed in English snd although some stations are huge, you never feel lost as signage is good. I remember having the JR card got us through a priority gate too.

We stopped off at Matsumoto. Cannot remember if it was on the way to Tsumago. Possibly. Loved exploring the castle.

Been following this thread as Japan is next on our list, just to add re driving my DP has driven over there before whilst on work trips and said it was absolutely fine, google maps to get around everywhere and said it was easy to find pre paid parking where he needed it.

To get from Tokyo to Kyoto is still better done by train. It’s so much easier.

Which books are recommended for planning a trip? I had a look on Amazon but lots of very mixed reviews.

I just grabbed a couple from local library -rough guide and lonely planet.

But most planning is done from bloggers I follow -I love Disney so I read bloggers who. Go there (tdr explorer and Disney tourist blog both love Japan) then look at their general Japan content.

The navigatio also gives great content and itineraries.
I read all the "spend one day in x" and think. -does that appeal? Is it another day of temples? I am more an aquarium and Pokémon cafe person it seems.

@CatherineofAragons Japan By Rail and Lonely Planet are the best. The Rail book has loads of ideas snd details interesting journeys. It gets good reviews and is very useful. LP also but not quite as good for rail planning.