Osaka cruise port to Kobe

I been told Kobe is beautiful and a must see. We are overnighting in Osaka and i would like to go to Kobe on day1. How can I get there and what should I see in Kobe?

That's fantastic that you'll be stopping in Osaka, Japan. I have no doubt that you'll enjoy it. Having lived in Japan for several years in the past, and having made countless NYC-Japan trips since then (wifey and I are actually in Japan right now for a few days), I would never say that Kobe is a "must see". I've spent a lot of time in Kobe (especially Sannomiya and Motomachi), and I can tell you there's no compelling reason to go there. There's nothing wrong with Kobe, as it's a nice little city, but it's just a typical small Asian city. It would be a waste to dedicate the one day that you have to it. You'd be better off doing the following:

1. Stay in Osaka, and explore that.

2. If you feel the need to travel a bit, then go to Kyoto. That would be worth it. I'm thinking you may have meant Kyoto rather than Kobe. That would be much better, and very much worth it. Hope this helps.

Michael

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That's fantastic that you'll be stopping in Osaka, Japan. I have no doubt that you'll enjoy it. Having lived in Japan for several years in the past, and having made countless NYC-Japan trips since then (wifey and I are actually in Japan right now for a few days), I would never say that Kobe is a "must see". I've spent a lot of time in Kobe (especially Sannomiya and Motomachi), and I can tell you there's no compelling reason to go there. There's nothing wrong with Kobe, as it's a nice little city, but it's just a typical small Asian city. It would be a waste to dedicate the one day that you have to it. You'd be better off doing the following:

1. Stay in Osaka, and explore that.

2. If you feel the need to travel a bit, then go to Kyoto. That would be worth it. I'm thinking you may have meant Kyoto rather than Kobe. That would be much better, and very much worth it. Hope this helps.

Michael

 

 

 

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We were on the Celebrity Millennium last Fall and ported in Kobe. We had an overnight there. One half a day we went Osaka to see the Osaka Castle. I would recommend doing that.

If you haven't planned a pre-cruise in Japan to visit Kyoto, it is a must see. You should be able to find a tour or excursion to Kyoto.

We loved Japan,, here is my review of our cruise.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=518503&et_cid=2531924&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

You have probably confused Kobe and Kyoto. Certainly make the easy trip from Osaka to Kyoto which is well worth a full day or longer.

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I did mean Kyoto. How do you get there from Osaka. How easy is it to do on your own? I am over-nighting in Osaka and want to go to Kyoto on day 1

I did mean Kyoto. How do you get there from Osaka. How easy is it to do on your own? I am over-nighting in Osaka and want to go to Kyoto on day 1

I did a lot of research on Kyoto prior to our trip to Japan. Our cruise ship docked in Kobe, which is not far from Osaka. Tours to Kyoto from the ship were all day tours with long rides to Kyoto. Also, prices were very high.

There were people on our roll call that figured out how to get to Kyoto. As I remember they took the train. The problem with Kyoto is that the sights that you would want to see are not all in one place. You will waste a lot of time using public transportation and still have a lot of walking to your sights. If you take taxis, they are expensive and that will eliminate your savings by not taking tours.

I concluded that there is so much to see in Kyoto that I wanted to do more than a day tour from the ship. We flew into Tokyo 8 days before the cruise and spent time in Tokyo as well as a three day two night tour to Kyoto and Nara. We took the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto, then a half day tour of Nara the first day, then a full day of tours the next, and the last day we did another day on our own, doing the Philosopher's Walk, taking a taxi to one end of the walk and another from the other end. Those taxis were expensive, but fortunately, we saw several sights that last day before our bullet train in the late afternoon back to Tokyo.

If you don't do a tour and still want to DIY, then you need to research the sights that you want to see in Kyoto in advance, figure out how to get there, then from each sight to the other and then back to the ship. Yes, and make sure you don't overdo it and miss the ship.

One sight that you must see in Kyoto is the Golden Pavilion. It is awesome. Enjoy Kyoto.

Here is my review of our trip that details all tours and transport.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=518503&et_cid=2531924&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

I apologize in advance for the length of this response, but there's a lot of information to share.

You're not going to have a lot of time in Kyoto, but you should definitely go. I would avoid the tours, as they're overpriced, and you'll have a lot more fun exploring on your own. Since time is precious I'd recommend going to Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto. If you're interested in Kyoto, I'm pretty sure you're interested in seeing a temple. There are many temples in Kyoto, of course, but Kiyomizu captures the essence of old Japan, I think. In general, this is what I would do if I were you. If you're in Osaka you could take the Shinkansen to Kyoto Central eki, and then take a bus from there. That's fine, as it's the most obvious, but it's actually not the best way to go from Osaka. The Shinkansen is fast, but it's way overpriced for such a short trip. Also, You're going to have to deal with massive crowds at Kyoto Station, and the place where the buses depart from is a madhouse. Plus, the walk from where the bus lets you off is very far away, and a complicated walk unless you understand Japanese. Having been in and out of Kyoto Station dozens of times, I know its crowds well and will do anything to avoid it. Instead of taking JR into Kyoto Eki, take the Hankyu line from Umeda to Kawaramachi station in Kyoto. Umeda is the first stop, and Kawaramachi is the last stop, so no way to get confused. The trip takes about an hour. It is a bit of a walk from Kawaramachi eki to Kiyomizu, but it's interesting and a lot of fun. You'll get out of the station onto the main street. You'll walk by the Kabuki theater which is towards the end of that main street. At the end of the street there will be a large temple. You won't be able to miss it, as you'll see the temple entrance and the mob scene there. Keep going though, as YOUR destination is so much more interesting! At that temple you need to take a right. At that point the street you'll be on will start to get much smaller and start to gently go uphill. You'll start to pass many small and interesting omiyagi (gift) shops which you won't be able to resist checking out. I have gone this way many, many times, and I've never been able to do it without buying some interesting things to give as gifts to people back in the States. After a short while you'll see some structures that you'll recognize as being parts of a large temple. It really is a quite simple walk from the eki (train station). I've done this exact route many times when I''ve hosted visitors from the States, and it always worked out perfectly.

I don't know your arrival and departure times, but if you arrive early into Osaka, and leave Osaka late on the next day, personally I would probably spend the night in Kyoto at a ryokan (Japanese inn), and have a kaiseki dinner. If you do that you should select a ryokan that has an onsen, preferably an in-room one. If you did the overnight at a ryokan, that would be a fantastic experience for you, especially if it's your first time visiting Japan. I doubt that few, if any on your ship, will have an experience such as yours. If your times work out this should be your first option. If the times don't work out for that, then the one day trip as you suggested is your second best bet, and will still be great in its own right.

I can think of many options for you, but I believe that these basic ideas are enough for now to give you something to think about.

Hope this helps...

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I apologize in advance for the length of this response, but there's a lot of information to share.

 

You're not going to have a lot of time in Kyoto, but you should definitely go. I would avoid the tours, as they're overpriced, and you'll have a lot more fun exploring on your own. Since time is precious I'd recommend going to Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto. If you're interested in Kyoto, I'm pretty sure you're interested in seeing a temple. There are many temples in Kyoto, of course, but Kiyomizu captures the essence of old Japan, I think. In general, this is what I would do if I were you. If you're in Osaka you could take the Shinkansen to Kyoto Central eki, and then take a bus from there. That's fine, as it's the most obvious, but it's actually not the best way to go from Osaka. The Shinkansen is fast, but it's way overpriced for such a short trip. Also, You're going to have to deal with massive crowds at Kyoto Station, and the place where the buses depart from is a madhouse. Plus, the walk from where the bus lets you off is very far away, and a complicated walk unless you understand Japanese. Having been in and out of Kyoto Station dozens of times, I know its crowds well and will do anything to avoid it. Instead of taking JR into Kyoto Eki, take the Hankyu line from Umeda to Kawaramachi station in Kyoto. Umeda is the first stop, and Kawaramachi is the last stop, so no way to get confused. The trip takes about an hour. It is a bit of a walk from Kawaramachi eki to Kiyomizu, but it's interesting and a lot of fun. You'll get out of the station onto the main street. You'll walk by the Kabuki theater which is towards the end of that main street. At the end of the street there will be a large temple. You won't be able to miss it, as you'll see the temple entrance and the mob scene there. Keep going though, as YOUR destination is so much more interesting! At that temple you need to take a right. At that point the street you'll be on will start to get much smaller and start to gently go uphill. You'll start to pass many small and interesting omiyagi (gift) shops which you won't be able to resist checking out. I have gone this way many, many times, and I've never been able to do it without buying some interesting things to give as gifts to people back in the States. After a short while you'll see some structures that you'll recognize as being parts of a large temple. It really is a quite simple walk from the eki (train station). I've done this exact route many times when I''ve hosted visitors from the States, and it always worked out perfectly.

 

I don't know your arrival and departure times, but if you arrive early into Osaka, and leave Osaka late on the next day, personally I would probably spend the night in Kyoto at a ryokan (Japanese inn), and have a kaiseki dinner. If you do that you should select a ryokan that has an onsen, preferably an in-room one. If you did the overnight at a ryokan, that would be a fantastic experience for you, especially if it's your first time visiting Japan. I doubt that few, if any on your ship, will have an experience such as yours. If your times work out this should be your first option. If the times don't work out for that, then the one day trip as you suggested is your second best bet, and will still be great in its own right.

 

I can think of many options for you, but I believe that these basic ideas are enough for now to give you something to think about.

Hope this helps...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

I agree that Kiyomizu-dera Temple is one of the most interesting in Kyoto. It is to the east of the city up on a hill with a great view. However, in my opinion, going to Kyoto and not seeing the Golden Pavilion would be like going to Rome and not seeing the Sistine Chapel.

I found some Viator tours that leave from Osaka.

https://www.viator.com/Kyoto-attractions/Kiyomizu-Temple/d332-a193

Also, with some research, you might find some private tours as well.

If I spent the effort to visit Kyoto, I would want to see more than one sight. We did a pre=cruise visit with three days in Nara and Kyoto and visited six sights in Kyoto on one day and about 8 on the second day. At Nara, we visited three or four sights.

Aside from the Golden Pavilion and Kiyomizu-dera, we visited a temple that included 1001 Buddhas. All were covered with dust, but it was awesome. Go to Kyoto and try to take in as much as you can.

Some of the tours on Viator were very reasonable. Of course, the ship's tours are expensive, but if you only go to Kyoto once, do you want to go home thinking about what you missed.

To research the sights in Kyoto, I suggest buying the DK eyewitness guide to Japan. It includes photos of key places as well as great maps of cities like Kyoto showing the location of the sights.

https://www.amazon.com/DK-Eyewitness-Travel-Guide-Japan/dp/1465425713/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481893248&sr=1-1&keywords=eyewitness+guide+to+japan