Hi everyone,
I've just learned I may be required to travel to Kyoto at the start of August for a professional certification. I have never been to Japan before, and I'm thinking of extending my stay to sightsee a bit. I wanted to solicit opinions from folks who've previously travelled to Japan to check a few ideas first.
Questions:
- Is it worth flying into Tokyo (NRT/HND) and then taking the train to Kyoto, or should I just fly into Kansai (KIX) directly?
- Flights from London to Kyoto are averaging £1200 return with a stop in China (seems reasonable for this time of year) but I'm wondering if there are any "tricks" I'm missing or airline sales I should look out for to nab a solid last-minute deal?
- I'm hoping to extend my stay in Kyoto itself and explore it properly, but I must admit I'm very tempted to do Tokyo too. Given I can't take too much time off work, I'm thinking of limiting it to not more than two cities for this first trip. Is Tokyo worth doing if I only have 2-3 days to extend before I return to the UK?
- Part of me also wonders whether it may be a better idea to fly into Japan a few days ahead of the certification, adjust to the timezone, and maybe also take advantage of flying into Tokyo directly before getting the Shinkansen to Kyoto. If there are reasons I should avoid doing Tokyo first, welcome to feedback here!
- My research suggests that humidity is pretty intense during late July / early Aug (which is fine by me), but I'm wondering if using the afternoons as "downtime" to get some massages might be a smart way to beat the heat. If anyone has recommendations (particularly in Kyoto!), I'd be very grateful.
Many thanks in advance for your help and insights, much appreciated!
by thirdnomad