I will be visiting Japan with my husband for 18 days, we will spend a week in Tokyo staying in the same hotel with the nearest subway being Asasaka- mitsuke, what is the easiest way to travel to this station for seniors with luggage from Haneda Airport and can we use the JR Rail Pass on the subway?
After Tokyo we will go to Hakone, Kyoto , Nara then leave from Kansia Airport. one of us have a walking problem but not in a wheelchair what is the best way to see the country? Are there guides with transport in each of the cities to help us get around?
If you’re worried about getting to your accommodation, I’d recommend catching the “Limousine Bus” to the Akasaka Hotel Excel Tokyo. It’s right next to Akasaka-Mitsuke Station. Akasaka-Mitsuke is flat, so you can just wheel your bags to your hotel - or if that’s too much, you can get a taxi for 510yen. The Akasaka-Mitsuke area is tiny though, so it would be pretty strange to catch a taxi to somewhere else in the neighborhood.
Also, you won’t be able to use the JR pass on the subway - but subway fares are quite low so nothing to worry about.
In most Japanese cities you usually end up doing a lot of walking. Most neighbourhoods have local buses that can get you around the neighborhood, but getting information on them can be a challenge. For example, in the Akasaka/Roppongi area, there is the “Chi Bus”. Ask the staff at the hotel. Specific places you might have issues with are Tsukiji Market (fast moving traffic/carts etc.) And the Imperial Palace (very spread out).
It’s a bit kitsch, but popular areas like Asakusa and Kyoto also have lots of people offering traditional rickshaw rides. They offer them for the experience though - they’re not a cheap way to get around.
Anyway, good luck!
That has been really helpful, our hotel is a 4mins walk from the Akasaka Excel so we should be able to manage our luggage. Do you think it is worth buying the 2 week JR pass to go from Tokyo to Hakone for 3 nights ( will we be able to use it on trains the Ropeway and cruise around Lake Ashinoko and local buses), Kyoto for 3 nights, then Nara 2 nights then on the train or bus to Kasia Int Airport? My husband is so looking forward to a trip on the Shinkansen, it’s his 75th birthday and we think this might be our last trip so far away from the UK.
No problem. Based on your itinerary, I wouldn’t recommend either a 1 week or 2 week JR Pass. The 1 week pass costs 29,110yen and the two week pass is 46,390yen, but a one way trip from Tokyo to Kyoto only costs around 13,000yen - and you get to ride the faster Nozomi which is not available to JR Pass holders. The JR pass is only good value if you’re taking lots of Shinkansen trips - day to day intra-city travel is best covered with a Suica or Pasmo travel card (which you can also use in Kyoto). It looks like you’ll only take one Shinkansen trip - from Tokyo to Kyoto. Also the JR pass doesn’t cover anything in Hakone - that’s all covered by a private railway company called Odakyu which has its own free pass.
Actually, you wouldn’t need to return to Tokyo to get to Kyoto. You could take the Shinkansen from Odawara Station which is reasonably close to Hakone. Which means the Shinkansen leg would only cost around 12,000yen.