Itinerary help- Honshu + sapporo
 

Hi all,
we're travelling to Japan over x-mas and NY to go skiing in niseko. Can't wait!!! That part of the trip including flights is all sorted, but we have 3 days before Niseko in Sapporo and 10 days after in Honshu (fly in to & out of Tokyo). during that time there will be 4 of us (2x couples) in our late 20's travelling. I'd describe our budget as mid range and would like to stay in basic clean hotels.

None of us have been to Japan before, so we're very green. Any ideas on:
- itinerary (Osaka & Kyoto are probably a no brainer. Is Horishima worth while?)
- recommended hotels to stay at
- how to travel (would like to go on the bullet train at some stage)

we're hoping to spend the last couple of days before flying out in Tokyo to go to the Sumo tournament among other things. we fly back to Australia on the 12th Jan at 2100.

Thanks in advance for your help :)

cheers,
Dusty

What do you like to see and what kind of life you want to live? How long do you plan on staying in Tokyo? Osaka and Kyoto will last you a good 4-5 days combined. I don't think you should do Hiroshima, its nice and all, but its just too far, you will be spending a lot of time on the train to get there. Its definitely not a day trip...

For 10 days, i will suggest:

3 days Kyoto and Nara
2 days Osaka
1 day Yokohama
1 day onsen resort
3 days Tokyo area

Thanks Godwine.
Given it's our first time to Japan we're looking to do the usual tourist trail. we don't intend to stay in Tokyo for any more than 3 or 4 days and really want to cram as much as we can into the 10 days.

any ideas on accommodation in Tokyo and Sapporo?

cheers,
Dusty

accommodation
 

There are plenty of options but it depends how much you want to spend.

Hotels are quite expensive. Expect to pay at least $150 AUD.
Hostels are cheaper. You can get private rooms for about $50 or share for as little as $25 or $30. In Tokyo I stayed at Tokyo Prince hotel. It is nice place near Shiba park and Tokyo Tower. Asakusa Ryokan Toukaisou is a good hostel in Tokyo. In Kyoto I recommend Hotel Keihan near Kyoto station. However, you might want to stay in a ryokan to get a more traditional feel.

That will depends on the kind of hotel. I usually spend around 40-50 a night for business hotel, they are not the best, but (for myself anyways) its only for a place to sleep, so who cares, as long as its clean. Try Oak hotel, its off of Ueno, you can book through Japanhotel.net. Imagine an inside stateroom or a cruise boat, the business hotels are usually similar, but with private bath and washroom. I pay around 7500 yen for a night (Double occupancy) for this type of accomodation.....

Of course if you really have the money to spare, then you can always consider Peninsula (start at around USD600 a night), or Park Hyatt (USD 585 a night)...

Sapporo is awesome. Neisiko is awesome. I'm jealous. I wanna go back.

For Sapporo:
-Raemen Alley (best in all of Japan)
-Olympic Ski Jump or Moriwa (keep in mind visibility)
-Maruyama Park
-Beer Museum (FREE)
-Historical Village (if you have time; an awesome blend of Japanese and Western architecture).

PLUS, Onsen in Hokkaido; especially if its snowing. Just something awesome about it.

I plug this stuff like crazy but its relevant... I did a travel series on Sapporo which can be found here. I'll be posting more later.

Thanks Guys. some great help so far!!!

accommodation wise, i understand it's expensive in Japan so we're happy to pay $150 a night if it's clean and convenient.

cheers,
Dusty