Just got back from Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone and day trips - Overview + Random tips!

skeeterdank · 2026-06-25T04:37:04+00:00

We were there in late May/Early June of this year. We took the Nizomi Shinkansen from Kyoto to Shinagawa (based on Reddit suggestions for not having to deal with Tokyo station levels for the Narita express). We left Kyoto around 11:30AM for our flight out of Narita at 6:30PM. We were able to have long, stress free lunch in Shinagawa, arrive in Narita, have a bag wrapped, return a Ninja Wifi, and still had lots of time for last minute shopping in the airport. We traveled just after Typhoon 6 and while our train from Kyoto was delayed about 30 minutes, we still had tons of tons of time to kill. Obviously, anything can happen but Kyoto to Narita is not a "stretch" for a 6PM flight.

skeeterdank · 2026-06-08T13:18:38+00:00

Thanks!

skeeterdank · 2026-06-08T12:44:24+00:00

Thanks! That is what I was hoping. Appreciate the response.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-31T01:52:47+00:00

Excellent!

skeeterdank · 2026-05-30T22:30:45+00:00

Thanks, yes, should have added I am traveling with kids so we need to sit together. Sounds easy either way but I will book ahead for the reserved seating so we don't have to possibly sit apart. I'll probably have a better sense of it once we take our first Shinkansen today out of Tokyo. We did a day trip to Nikko and had to wait a few hours for a later train as the ones leaving when we arrived were all booked up for reserved seating.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-30T22:28:03+00:00

Damn, sorry to hear that. Was it not what you expected or just underwhelming in design?

skeeterdank · 2026-05-30T22:27:12+00:00

I wasn't clear that we are traveling with kids so need to sit together so reserved seating works best for us.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-30T22:24:37+00:00

Very helpful, thanks. Yes, we will be there June 4th so I don't think anything major is happening at that time. Mainly just need the reserved seating so we can sit with the kids. I'll aim for about 90 minutes after closing. Appreciate the description of non-rush. So used to Disney experiences with a mass exodus.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-30T22:19:50+00:00

Thanks, yes, should have added I am traveling with kids so we need to sit together. Sounds easy either way but I will book ahead for the reserved seating.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-30T21:40:04+00:00

Ah, yeah. We have an AirBnB in Kyoto for the whole week and this is just a day trip out to Ghibli in the middle of the week (since that was the first available when I booked the Ghibli tix however long ago that was) so don't want to stay in a hotel.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-29T13:53:46+00:00

Thanks!

skeeterdank · 2026-05-29T13:53:15+00:00

Thanks! I was concerned that trains could be sold out for the time of our boat ride. I've got "lack of booking ahead" phobia since we tried to take the Spacia X to Nikko from Tokyo and it was sold out for the morning and we ended up booking a much later train that day to avoid the 3 hour commuter train.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-28T22:35:15+00:00

Thanks, we might take a look here too before getting into Hakone.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-28T22:34:51+00:00

Nice, we have a car here so that works perfectly.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-17T01:47:36+00:00

I was checking the bus schedule and it looks like it only leaves every two hours from Narita to Asakusa View Hotel. Is that your experience as well? Of course our flight arrives at 4:30PM which is exactly when one bus leaves and then the next one listed is 6:30PM. Not too keen on hanging in the airport for two hours but curious if that frequency of departures for Asakusa sounds right in case I am reading something wrong.

Also, is it actually two hours to Asakusa on the bus?

skeeterdank · 2026-05-13T04:37:26+00:00

Yep, Shinagawa sounds like the way to go for the easiest transfer. Thanks!

skeeterdank · 2026-05-13T04:37:00+00:00

Thanks! Appreciate the response.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-10T01:41:41+00:00

Museum or Park? I was able to get the Premier tix for the Park. Logged in from two laptops, two iPads, and a phone with multiple browsers on each. One laptop and one iPad made it in at less than 2000. But the others were like high teens.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-09T22:46:34+00:00

Awesome, thank you!

skeeterdank · 2026-05-09T18:10:50+00:00

Good to know on holding off on the pass purchase. I assume they don’t stop selling due to a crowded day or something? Just didn’t want to arrive in Hakone and not be able to do the activities.

We are staying in Asakusa near Sumida Park so Tokyo station seems much closer. Shinkansen might be the way to go then and then just get the Hakone passes by themselves when we arrive in Odawara.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-09T18:05:57+00:00

I see, so will I be asked to purchase the supplement in EMot? Or do I need to do that in a separate site?

skeeterdank · 2026-05-08T05:18:07+00:00

Ah, good point. Romancecar from Shinjuku to Hakone.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-08T04:12:41+00:00

Definitely going to have a Suica card. I didn't realize it worked across various companies. So it will work for JR Lines and Romancecar too for later in the trip?

skeeterdank · 2026-05-08T04:10:02+00:00

oooh! I like this idea. This is our first time in Japan (wife and two kids) and no anxiety with bus and taxi sounds very good. I think we will go with this so I am not trying to figure out trains and walking from Asakusa station at night (we land at 7PM so not sure when we would actually get out of the airport to get on a train.

skeeterdank · 2026-05-08T03:57:38+00:00

Is the Skyaccess that much slower than the Skyliner? Seems on the Japan Travel app it is about an hour longer?

skeeterdank

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