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Tokyo->Kyoto or Tokyo->Kanazawa->Kyoto

tadio
tadio
over 7 years ago
2 responses

Hi all,

We are planning our first trip to Japan early November. Will be using 7 days JR pass to travel:

Day 1 - 3 Tokyo to Kyoto: 3 nights in Kyoto with day trips to Osaka/Nara
Day 4 Kyoto to Naoshima island: 1 night in Naoshima
Day 5 -6 Naoshima island to Hiroshima: 2 nights in Hiroshima with day trip to Miyajima
Day 7 Hiroshima to Tokyo with stop in Himeji and possibly Osaka.

We would appreciate your help in the following 2 questions:

  1. Day 1 :
  2. go direct Tokyo ->Kyoto. arrive early
  3. or go Tokyo->Kanazawa. Stop over for about 3 hours for a short visit then resume Kanazawa ->Kyoto

Is it worthwhile to go this route to check out Kanazawa and have a chance to ride the bullet train to Kanazawa thru Nagano and The thunderbird from Kanazawa to Kyoto? Any difference in scenery/fall foliage from the train ride?

  1. Please comment on the general itinerary above using the 7 days JR pass. Is it doable? any suggestions on places we should add/replace/remove :-(.

Thanks so much

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 7 years ago
Expert

Hi there,

Travelling via Kanazawa to Kyoto takes at least 3 hours more than going directly to Kyoto from Tokyo. You must like trains a lot to travel this way with just a 3h stop over at Kanazawa. I would say the trip is worth making but would at least stay one night at Kanazawa to see the city.

Your itinerary is doable but it does have the same theme of adding Kanazawa as a stopover on the way to Kyoto, you want to do a lot in a limited amount of time. I think its mostly a question you should ask yourself, do I want to spend this amount travelling or would I prefer more time to see every place I visit?

Hope this helps,
Daniel

tadio
tadio
2 posts
over 7 years ago

Thanks Daniel-san for your prompt reply and frank comments on the itinerary.
We'll keep your suggestions in mind in finalizing our plan. Appreciate your help in this forum.


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