Japan - Cherry Blossom
Discussion
In kyoto we stayed in I think a holiday inn just a short walk from the centre along a river was a good price for the location. With regards to best places to see the cherry blossom get in a taxi as soon as they know your English they'll take you to see it whether you want to or not. We got sick of the Damn stuff after 3 weeks!
Take a look at www.japanican.com for hotels etc, they use Holiday Inn-style places well located close to the station.
Don't leave leave it too long as the Japanese are already starting to book their trips to view the blossom. My parents got to Kyoto for Hanami and the pictures they took were stunning. We had a problem finding them a good/cheap hotel 6-7 weeks in advance....
Do a search on here for a couple of threads that discussed Japan in detail a couple of months ago. If you have any queries, drop me a PM as I have been here a couple of years now.
Don't leave leave it too long as the Japanese are already starting to book their trips to view the blossom. My parents got to Kyoto for Hanami and the pictures they took were stunning. We had a problem finding them a good/cheap hotel 6-7 weeks in advance....
Do a search on here for a couple of threads that discussed Japan in detail a couple of months ago. If you have any queries, drop me a PM as I have been here a couple of years now.
Ahh....Japan.
Never have I been so emotionly attached to a country and its people just from a holiday.
We went in 2006 during the Cherry Blossom season and stayed in Tokyo for a couple of nights followed by a week in Kyoto for a week, then the remaining week or so back in Tokyo.
If I could suggest one tip, it would be to get a guide for at least part of your stay. We saw so many things that could have been that little bit better had we known what the hell was occurring!
One more tip, get on the bullet train and just get off at some random station in the middle of nowhere, it realy is an experience getting away from the tourist areas.
Hand on heart, it is one of the most amazing places I have ever visited and we'll be going there again without a doubt.
Do it!
Never have I been so emotionly attached to a country and its people just from a holiday.
We went in 2006 during the Cherry Blossom season and stayed in Tokyo for a couple of nights followed by a week in Kyoto for a week, then the remaining week or so back in Tokyo.
If I could suggest one tip, it would be to get a guide for at least part of your stay. We saw so many things that could have been that little bit better had we known what the hell was occurring!
One more tip, get on the bullet train and just get off at some random station in the middle of nowhere, it realy is an experience getting away from the tourist areas.
Hand on heart, it is one of the most amazing places I have ever visited and we'll be going there again without a doubt.
Do it!
If ypu are going on the bullet train look into a Japanese rail pass, it let's ypu on all but the fastest trains and was a lot cheaper. This was many years ago though. If your going to kyoto make sure to take in the temple on the hill, my other thoughts of were to go would be nara, the todaji temple (try to fit through buddas nose), fukuoka and Osaka.
You'll have a great time bit try to learn some Japanese as English speaking people can be hard to come by even in Tokyo. We ended up in a restuarant in Tokyo us not speaking Japanese, them not speaking English. Managed to work out one of them spoke a tiny bit of German, so ordered in German but could only get across 2 non meat, 4 meat dishes please!
You'll have a great time bit try to learn some Japanese as English speaking people can be hard to come by even in Tokyo. We ended up in a restuarant in Tokyo us not speaking Japanese, them not speaking English. Managed to work out one of them spoke a tiny bit of German, so ordered in German but could only get across 2 non meat, 4 meat dishes please!
The rail pass is good value if you are doing a fair amount of travelling about. 1 trip to Kyoto and back won't give you good value - particularly if you are staying in Tokyo as it doesn't work on the Metro lines (or some private lines).
For a single trip out of Tokyo then Japanican is the way to go as they give great rates on the hotels and the rail tickets they supply are on the Nozomi (the fastest) shinkansen.
For a single trip out of Tokyo then Japanican is the way to go as they give great rates on the hotels and the rail tickets they supply are on the Nozomi (the fastest) shinkansen.
Do a bit of a search on here for Tokyo stuff to do.
A ryokan is an experience in Kyoto. Though I wouldn't book more than a night in one unless you've tried it before! You should also visit the Golden Pavillion (amongst other historic sites in Kyoto).
With a week to spend in Japan, consider a trip to Hiroshima too. A beautiful place. You can get there easily by bullet train, which is also a nice experience in itself.
A ryokan is an experience in Kyoto. Though I wouldn't book more than a night in one unless you've tried it before! You should also visit the Golden Pavillion (amongst other historic sites in Kyoto).
With a week to spend in Japan, consider a trip to Hiroshima too. A beautiful place. You can get there easily by bullet train, which is also a nice experience in itself.
Murph7355 said:
Do a bit of a search on here for Tokyo stuff to do.
A ryokan is an experience in Kyoto. Though I wouldn't book more than a night in one unless you've tried it before! You should also visit the Golden Pavillion (amongst other historic sites in Kyoto).
With a week to spend in Japan, consider a trip to Hiroshima too. A beautiful place. You can get there easily by bullet train, which is also a nice experience in itself.
Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto in a week is a bit tight...A ryokan is an experience in Kyoto. Though I wouldn't book more than a night in one unless you've tried it before! You should also visit the Golden Pavillion (amongst other historic sites in Kyoto).
With a week to spend in Japan, consider a trip to Hiroshima too. A beautiful place. You can get there easily by bullet train, which is also a nice experience in itself.
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