boom_boom Posted May 8, 2017 #1 Share Posted May 8, 2017 In Tokyo area for 2 days in late September and would like ideas for a day trip, or 1-night stay,:( from Tokyo via train. Don't much care where, but would like to experience the bullet train. Have ridden JR's regional/local trains but not the bullet train. Thanks for any suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DipBrat Posted May 8, 2017 #2 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Kyoto for sure if you haven't been. Probably better as a one night stay otherwise a really long day. It's 3 hours plus on the train plus transport at either end. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4774Papa Posted May 8, 2017 #3 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Kyoto for sure if you haven't been. Probably better as a one night stay otherwise a really long day. It's 3 hours plus on the train plus transport at either end. Sent from my iPad using Forums Kyoto was the highlight of our entire visit to Japan. We took a tour that included the bullet train from Tokyo Station, then spent two nights in Kyoto, then returning in the late afternoon to Tokyo for our cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smtcan Posted May 8, 2017 #4 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Kyoto was the highlight of our entire visit to Japan. We took a tour that included the bullet train from Tokyo Station, then spent two nights in Kyoto, then returning in the late afternoon to Tokyo for our cruise. Kyoto is well worth seeing, but one day really isn't enough for more than a taste of the city. We took the bullet train after our cruise which was very easy and convenient. We stayed four days and were able to get around the city independently without any trouble. Buses and trains have screens indicating the stops in several languages, which, as long as you sit where you can see the screen removes any risk of getting off at the wrong place. We had considered a day trip to Nikko from Tokyo. It is a much shorter trip on the bullet train and looked very interesting. We didn't do this trip because we found so much to do in Tokyo, but we met people who recommended it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4774Papa Posted May 8, 2017 #5 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Kyoto is well worth seeing, but one day really isn't enough for more than a taste of the city. We took the bullet train after our cruise which was very easy and convenient. We stayed four days and were able to get around the city independently without any trouble. Buses and trains have screens indicating the stops in several languages, which, as long as you sit where you can see the screen removes any risk of getting off at the wrong place. We had considered a day trip to Nikko from Tokyo. It is a much shorter trip on the bullet train and looked very interesting. We didn't do this trip because we found so much to do in Tokyo, but we met people who recommended it. Nikko was our favorite place near Tokyo. We did Kyoto and Nara on a tour that gave us 2 1/2 days there. We visited three places in Nara on the first half day, then six places in Kyoto on the second day, then another eight places along Philosopher's Trail the last day before we took the train back to Tokyo. I think if you stayed a week you might be able to see all the temples, palaces, and shrines, but you would never want to see a temple again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smtcan Posted May 9, 2017 #6 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Nikko was our favorite place near Tokyo. We did Kyoto and Nara on a tour that gave us 2 1/2 days there. We visited three places in Nara on the first half day, then six places in Kyoto on the second day, then another eight places along Philosopher's Trail the last day before we took the train back to Tokyo. I think if you stayed a week you might be able to see all the temples, palaces, and shrines, but you would never want to see a temple again. We didn't feel as though we had enough time in Japan, we really had to prioritize. Nara was very interesting. We encountered a local man wearing a Toronto Blue Jays shirt who recommended that we visit gardens on the way to the shrine we were heading to. It turned out to be an excellent detour. Our only disappointment on our trip was that it poured with rain the day we went to Hakone, so we couldn't see Mount Fuji. We wll just have to go back again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility Base Posted May 9, 2017 #7 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Query re baggage on these trains please. My reading of the website indicates carry on size should fit above your head, but larger would have to be put at the end of carriage. Reserved seating may be less of a storage problem due to fewer people. Anyone with any experience ? We are looking at leaving a cruise, then Yokohama - Kyoto for 3 nights, then back to Tokyo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4774Papa Posted May 9, 2017 #8 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Query re baggage on these trains please.My reading of the website indicates carry on size should fit above your head, but larger would have to be put at the end of carriage. Reserved seating may be less of a storage problem due to fewer people. Anyone with any experience ? We are looking at leaving a cruise, then Yokohama - Kyoto for 3 nights, then back to Tokyo. I don't remember the luggage space for the bullet train, since we had small carryons on that tour, leaving our large luggage at our hotel in Tokyo. However, I do remember the Narita Express from Narita to Tokyo Station had overhead racks that I was able to place our large luggage on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog Posted May 9, 2017 #9 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Query re baggage on these trains please.My reading of the website indicates carry on size should fit above your head, but larger would have to be put at the end of carriage. Reserved seating may be less of a storage problem due to fewer people. Anyone with any experience ? We are looking at leaving a cruise, then Yokohama - Kyoto for 3 nights, then back to Tokyo. Just back. narita Express to Tokyo Station had luggage shelf by doors, even with locks. LOts of space. Bullet train Tokyo-Kyoto (2 hours 45 minutes) very limited space behind last 2 seats in Green Car. Attendent had us put our 24 inch suitcases up above our seats, like we did with carry ons. Plenty of room up there and they fit. Difficult for some to lift up/down. No one to help us. Same situation Kyoto-Yokohama. This was mid April, I was surprised to see so many with medium size suitcases. The Green Car was very comfortable. Amazing view going from Tokyo- Kyoto on right side of train as we passed Mt. Fuji. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smtcan Posted May 9, 2017 #10 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Query re baggage on these trains please.My reading of the website indicates carry on size should fit above your head, but larger would have to be put at the end of carriage. Reserved seating may be less of a storage problem due to fewer people. Anyone with any experience ? We are looking at leaving a cruise, then Yokohama - Kyoto for 3 nights, then back to Tokyo. We travelled Yokohama to Kyoto on a Sunday and the trains were not full,so we had no problem with luggage. Our two cases fitted behind the first seats in the carriage and we sat nearby. On the return journey we stopped one night in Hakone, so we had our cases shipped to our Tokyo hotel and just took overnight bags. Our hotel arranged the shipping, $15 for each case. They checked our Tokyo reservation and alerted the hotel that our cases would be arriving. It made our journey easier and saved the cost of taxis each end. This was overnight service. Same day delivery costs more, but I don't know how much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassettMom Posted May 9, 2017 #11 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Nikko was our favorite place near Tokyo. We did Kyoto and Nara on a tour that gave us 2 1/2 days there. We visited three places in Nara on the first half day, then six places in Kyoto on the second day, then another eight places along Philosopher's Trail the last day before we took the train back to Tokyo. I think if you stayed a week you might be able to see all the temples, palaces, and shrines, but you would never want to see a temple again. Do you remember what tour you took? I'm interested in doing the same thing before my upcoming cruise in Oct. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boom_boom Posted May 9, 2017 Author #12 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Thanks for the ideas. We visited Kyoto (2 days) and Nara on our last visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4774Papa Posted May 9, 2017 #13 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Do you remember what tour you took? I'm interested in doing the same thing before my upcoming cruise in Oct. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk Yes, we took the tour from Viator. https://www.viator.com/tours/Tokyo/3-Day-Mt-Fuji-Kyoto-and-Nara-Rail-Tour-by-Bullet-Train-from-Tokyo/d334-2142TYO_SH3 The tour was with a local company that was excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptsaint Posted May 10, 2017 #14 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Can you advise if the bullet train is close or easily reached from the cruise port? on Celebrity Millennium in Sept Cruise port is listed as Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan thanks in advance Patrice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility Base Posted May 10, 2017 #15 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Thanks to all for their train / baggage advise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassettMom Posted May 10, 2017 #16 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Yes, we took the tour from Viator. https://www.viator.com/tours/Tokyo/3-Day-Mt-Fuji-Kyoto-and-Nara-Rail-Tour-by-Bullet-Train-from-Tokyo/d334-2142TYO_SH3 The tour was with a local company that was excellent. Thanks, I'll take a look at it this weekend. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog Posted May 11, 2017 #17 Share Posted May 11, 2017 Can you advise if the bullet train is close or easily reached from the cruise port? on Celebrity Millennium in SeptCruise port is listed as Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan thanks in advance Patrice We took a taxi $30 US from Shin-Yokohama station to Intercontintal Grand Yokohama and taxi next day to ship $10 US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smtcan Posted May 11, 2017 #18 Share Posted May 11, 2017 Can you advise if the bullet train is close or easily reached from the cruise port? on Celebrity Millennium in SeptCruise port is listed as Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan thanks in advance Patrice Last year, Celebrity offered a free shuttle from the port to the local station and from there we took the Metro to Yokohama station. It took less than half an hour to get to Yokohama station from the ship, but when we arrived there we found that the office to validate our JR Rail passes didn't open until ten, so we had coffee while we waited. There is a frequent service to Tokyo or Kyoto on the bullet train from Yokohama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petitonpu Posted May 12, 2017 #19 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Query re baggage on these trains please.My reading of the website indicates carry on size should fit above your head, but larger would have to be put at the end of carriage. Reserved seating may be less of a storage problem due to fewer people. Anyone with any experience ? We are looking at leaving a cruise, then Yokohama - Kyoto for 3 nights, then back to Tokyo. Show the following message when you make a seat reservation at JR reservation office. They will arrange a seat at the last row so you can put luggage behind the seat. Seat Reservation. Adult X ____ person. Row with two seats preferred. Non-smoking seat. Please arrange a seat at the last row because I travel with large size baggage. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility Base Posted May 13, 2017 #20 Share Posted May 13, 2017 petitonpu What a good idea. Many thanks for that message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NantahalaCruiser Posted May 29, 2017 #21 Share Posted May 29, 2017 Can you advise if the bullet train is close or easily reached from the cruise port? on Celebrity Millennium in SeptCruise port is listed as Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan thanks in advance Patrice Bullet trains stop at Shin-Yokohama rather than Yokohama Station. It is about a 25 minute taxi ride between the port and Shin-Yokohama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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