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10-01-2007, 04:27 PM
oh...yes, I have thought the same but I don't know how change my plan in Tokyo if I would to go to Kamakura on 12th August.
Can you confirm me if there is a Fireworks Festival in this date? In negative case, I change 11th in Kamakura and 12th in Nikko. Many thanks!!! Your answer are for me very important and basic! |
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10-01-2007, 09:18 PM
the Kamakura fireworks festival takes place every second tuesday of august, that means, yes, the next year will be held on august 12th.
I suggest you really consider going to Fushimi Inari. It's close to Kyoto, and it's stunning!! It's a mountain path covered by thousands of red torii. è uno scenario stupendo, assolutamente da vedere^^ te lo consiglio indubbiamente! Link: Kyoto Travel: Fushimi Inari Shrine (Fushimi Inari Taisha) About Nikko, it can be wisited without major problems in one day, but don't go just to the temple area. Take a bus and go up the mountain to Kegon falls and Chuzenji lake! |
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10-02-2007, 04:20 PM
Many thanks guys!
About Kyoto festival on 16th August? Have you any information? "About Nikko, it can be wisited without major problems in one day, but don't go just to the temple area. Take a bus and go up the mountain to Kegon falls and Chuzenji lake!" all this tour in one day? Is it possible? Cyclameno you know Italian language? |
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10-02-2007, 06:14 PM
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Is possible to see it in one day from and return in Kyoto? For Kyoto is one night and one full day sufficient to visit it ? In this case, I can (if is it close to Kyoto) see Fushimi Inari! Many thanks for your help!!! |
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10-03-2007, 06:06 PM
Yes! Actually Fushimi inari is very close to Kyoto, and the walk on the path takes 3 hours (it can be done in less, but why running? it's such a beautiful place^^), so it can be done as a half-day-trip.
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But if you skip all the small attractions, and see only the big ones (Toji, Kyomizu dera, Sanjusangendo, Heian jingu, Kinkakuji, Ginkakuji, Ryoanji) you can make it. But be very careful!! Temples and shrines usually open early in the morning (7am) and close at 4pm! Take a one-day bus pass, it's just 500yen. In the night, you can visit Pontocho and Gion. You can skip Kyoto's nightlife, it's nothing compared to Tokyo's!!! Go to a walk on the Path of the Philosopher instead. It's a path going south from Ginkakuji, and it's very nice. Well, yes, it's possible. If you leave around 6 in the morning from Tokyo, you can see the temple area in the morning, and take the bus to the waterfall and the lake in the afternoon. The trip by bus takes around 1 hour, but Kegon falls is just one or two stops far from the lake, and the temple area can easly be enjoyed by foot. I did this tripn exactely this way, and I had to rush a bit in the afternnon, but I managet to get the train back to Tokyo at 5pm. Certo, sono italiano |
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10-04-2007, 08:59 PM
For Kyoto, I recomend getting on a bus tour to see the main attractions. While Kyoto may have it's on train and bus system...you'll waste a lot less time on a tour, because they'll take you by bus to each location.
And Mount Koya is really good! |
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10-05-2007, 08:15 AM
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The first 8 days you are spending in and around Tokyo, so you'll have little or no chance to use the pass those days. Even on the days you do use it, it would be cheaper to just buy your ticket, probably. Nikko, for example, is about 1 1/2 - 2 hours by train north of Tokyo, as I recall (depending upon where in Tokyo you start from). (I went to Nikko, great place to visit! You'll love it!) That will probably cost you about $30 for the train, round trip. But a Rail Pass is $40 per day for the ordinary kind, and $54 per day for the Green pass! So just buying your ticket for these short excursions will be much cheaper. A ju-hachi kippu, on the other hand, is about $22 per day, so using one of the all day passes from that booklet would perhaps save you a little money, but not a great amount unless you go someplace besides to and from the Nikko temple complex. On the 13th, when you start heading west, you may find the JR Rail Pass or ju-hachi kippu more useful. In general, if you plan to ride the JR train for at least 3 hours that day, you'll break even with a ju-hachi kippu. If you plan to ride it for at least 6 hours, or need to take express trains to cover the distance faster, then a Rail Pass is worthwhile. If you do decide to get the Rail Pass, I'd buy a 7 day pass and only activate it on the 14th, when you head toward Kyoto, being sure to have it available for your long trip from Himeji back to Tokyo (which will take many hours by local trains. The 3-4 hours you budgeted for that trip will only apply if you take the bullet train. This is 1 drawback of the ju-hachi-kippu. However, with the $170-$260 you save by getting a ju-hachi-kippu instead of a Rail pass, you can buy a ticket on the bullet train for your ride back, or even fly from Kansai International Airport to Narita, which takes only 1 hour and is actually cheaper than the bullet train...) Ok, enough about the tickets for now, though I'd be happy to give more advice on it if you wish. Just ask. On to the locations. As I already mentioned, Nikko is a great place. These are pictures from my trip to Nikko: Takayama is incredible too, I enjoyed the ancient village there (and I also spent a day hiking in the Japan Alps which was breathtaking). They also have huge 15-30' statues of the lucky Gods in Takayama. You can see one of them in the upper left corner here: In the lower left corner above is the giant Buddha in Nara, another place you have on your list to visit. Nara koen (park) is beautiful and full of wild deer that will come right up to you begging for food. The top picture here was taken in Nara park where I and my friend Machiko are feeding the ravenous horde: The bottom picture above was taken on one of the many bridges along Dotonburi street, in the Shinsaibashi section of Osaka. It is a bustling area with a ton of restaurants and shopping. Now we really get to my area of expertise... Koya-san. I lived for 2 years in Hashimoto city, called the "gateway to Koya-san" It's the last decent-sized city before you head up the mountain to get to Koya-san, and it is the place where the Wakayama-Nara train line crosses the Nankai-Koya line (The Nankai-Koya line is the one you'll take from Osaka's Namba station to get to Koya-san, and the fare to Koya-san includes the cable car ride at the end of the trip to get up the mountain.) Koya-san is a truly incredible place... be sure to get up early to walk through the cemetery at dawn. With the rising sun coming through the trees and burning away the morning mist, the place seems almost magical. Here are some pictures from the cemetery: I stayed in a temple there myself, and it was great. There is actually a JET who lives on top of Koya-san and has a house to himself, if things haven't changed since I was there... maybe ask around for him/her and see if he/she can show you around. Miyajima Island was a very cool place, with the "floating torii" and more hungry deer, as well as families of monkeys. You may want to take the gondola ride to the top of Mt Miyajima, or if you're in need of a workout, hike the trail to the top as I did. One word of caution though... don't believe the sign at the start of the trail that shows a nice little path with deer playing alongside it and such... it is a heck of a steep climb that took my more than 1 1/2 hours, and made me exhausted as well as my catching a cold from climbing it in drizzling wintertime. It's a better idea to take the gondola up and perhaps hike down instead, or just stay around the edges of the island and visit the temples and such. Finally, Himeji Castle was a very good castle to visit, one of the best in Japan easily. The inside is full of historical displays, suits of armor, and the history of the castle. |
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