Hotels in Osaka and/or Kyoto

[bubax4]

Will be arriving in Osaka on the Diamond Princess on October 12 and will be staying for 2 days. Can't decide whether to stay in Osaka or go to Kyoto and what hotel to stay in. We are looking at the Westin in both cities. Any recommendations or comments?

[Jane110]

I've not been to Osaka, however, I have been to Kyoto twice and it's one of my favorite cities. Very beautiful.

 

One one visit we stayed in a Ryoken, which is a traditional japanese inn. We stayed in the Tawaraya Ryoken. However, it's extremely expensive.

 

On our second visit, we stayed in the Miyako Hotel, which was excellent. I don't know if it's part of Westin or not. I would highly recommend it.

 

Jane

[bubax4]

Thanks for the info Jane. I think the Westin Miyako is the same hotel as the Miyako. It is good to here from someone who has stayed there and that it is a good hotel.. We arrive in Osaka and from everything I have read, it is really expensive to take a taxi in Japan, so I trying to find a limo service or something similar that will take us to Kyoto from the port and am not being to successful.

 

When you were in Kyoto did you do guided tours or did you explore on your own? We usually do tours on our own but I am leaning toward guided tours in Kyoto.

[Jane110]

Buba,

I'm pretty sure it's the same Miyako Hotel. We were there about 7 years ago - thought I should mention that.

Always try to get a room w/ the breakfast included in Japan, it's very expensive otherwise.

 

No, we didn't take any guided tours and it's a place where I don't think you need to do that unless you're travelling a big distance, which you're not. Japan is a very safe country and Kyoto is small and safe. Getting around on your own is very easy. The metro/subway is a piece of cake. Just look though a guide book and see where you want to go. For some of the special gardens you might need to have your hotel concierge book a resy and then you'll be given a tour once you get there.

There are a lot of crafts people and traditional artists in Kyoto and on our second visit there, I brought a book local artisans and went around the city meeting some of them. Also visited alot of temples and buddah's.

 

Unless you know a local, you'll never get into a real Geisha house, so you might want to book an evening of a geisha performance in Gion Corner. It's a tourist show, but enjoyable anyway. If you walk around Kyoto at about 7:00PM you'll see many of the Geisha's in the streets going to their appointments in full dress, which is gorgeous to see.

 

If you have time, spend one day in nearby Nara, especially in Nara Park. The Buddah there is one of the most incredible in the world. We spent two nights there and loved it (stayed in Nara Hotel). I think it's about a half hour ride on the train from Kyoto to Nara. If you go, rent bicycles to get around the park - you can leave your bike unlocked anyplace while you spend time somewhere and no one will touch it.

 

Yes, taxi's are prohibitively expensive in Japan - forget about taking one. I'm sorry I can't help you with info on port to hotel transportation. If you book the Miyako, ask them, perhaps they have a suggestion.

 

Oh and there's NO tipping in Japan.

[bubax4]

Jane,

 

Thanks for the info. It is really good to hear from someone who has been there and can give you the do's and don'ts of the country. We have been to quite a few countries on our cruises but for some reason I am a little apprehensive about Japan - I think what is really worrying me is the trip from the ship to the hotel - after that I really have no concerns. We will only have 2 1/2 days in Kyoto ( our flight to Toronto leaves Osaka on Oct 14 at 6:30pm) so hopefuly we will get to see some good places. I have reviewed the Asia posts and am not having any luck finding out much information on this area.

 

buba

[Jane110]

Buba,

 

Japan isn't big on cruise itinerary's for some reason. I don't know why, it's a very interesting place (but then, I love visiting all parts of Asia)

 

Perhaps try going to a travel forum for some more information?

You can go to the Travelzine forum in yahoo or the Travel Forum on Compuserve.

 

On those forums you'll find travelers to Japan, not just cruise ship visitors, so you may get a wider range of advice.

 

Have you contacted the hotel about picking you up at the ship and taking you to the hotel? That might be your best alternative.

 

Jane

 

Jane

[bubax4]

Jane

 

I tried replying to your post last weekend but for some reason I kept getting a fatal error when I tried to post it - I typed the reply 4 times and then just gave up!

 

We have now booked the Westin Miyako in Kyoto and will more than likely just do our own thing for the 2 1/2 days we are there. We tend to do that in most ports and have found we get to see alot.

 

I am going to contact the hotela dn see if they can recommend any service to pick us up. I do not want to take the train with cruise luggage although it is my intention to pack lightly and just do laundry more often!

This is our first trip to Asia and we are really looking forward to it.

 

Susanne

aka Buba:)

[Jane110]

Susanne,

 

Good luck with the hotel pick-up. I know that travelling with cruise luggage can be a pain. However, maybe it'll make you feel better to know that all the trains I travelled on in Japan had a section in each train where there were no seats and room for luggage. Train travel in Japan is very popular by the general public, so they're used to luggage be brought aboard. Of course, a van from the hotel would still be a lot easier and less hassle. I hope it can be arranged for a reasonable price.

 

Just get a good guide book and decide what you want to see, then ask your hotel conciege for the best ways to travel.

 

I hope you got a good hotel rate and I hope you've got breakfast included in the rate.

 

Jane

[tclowe]

We took an Asia cruise on Princess during 2002 that embarked in Osaka. We went 5 days prior cruise to enjoy Osaka and Kyoto. Make sure you write to http://www.jnto.com for free maps and brochures about the two cities. If you can't get the website, I can pick up some of the maps and brochures for you and mail them to you (there is a Japan national tourist organization office in San Francisco).

 

Basically, we arrived in Osaka airport and took the train into the city. The trains are clearly marked and employees at the airport are very helpful. We used the luggage delivery system and rode the train without our 5 pieces of luggage (3 adults and 1 small child). The luggage arrived at the hotel promptly in the afternoon the next day. We chose the Miyako Hotel across from the Osaka train station because we didn't want to get lost on the first day, plus there is restaurants, shops, and department store inside of the train station (also where the bus depot was located). We then took a 1/2 day tour to get an idea of the city and orient ourselves.

 

Two days later, we checked out and took the bullet train to Kyoto. Very easy and like the above poster said, there is a separate compartment for luggage before the passenger compartment. Plenty of room in the luggage compartment for our 4-5 pieces and my son's folded up stroller. You have to roll the luggage in the area or carry it up to the second shelf (no assistance). The luggage compartment also serves as the smoking section for some passengers!

 

Kyoto was fantastic and so beautiful. We toured on our own and enjoyed the temple visits. We took the public bus to some of the temples without problems. At one temple (the best one), we saw a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony and was able to make wishes in the temple. Don't remember which hotel we stayed at (would have to look at our scrapbook).

 

Then took the train back to Osaka and checked into Universal Studios Japan. Have to give my son some fun too. Real trooper during the temple visits and mad shopping sprees. Very nice hotel and we saw our ship on the other side in Tempozan area. Spent one night and two days in US hotel and then hired a van (with the help of hotel concierge) to take us and our luggage to the cruise pier (about 10-15 minutes away).

 

This is a little longer response than what you need. I wrote a very detailed report of my trip a while ago under My Asian Adventure or something like that under Asia port of call.

 

Hope this helps.

Cynthia