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[euge118]

is there any ground tour can be join from Hakone National Park to takayama at the evening time? then day trip for next day since my schedule is too rush...

[misocutlet]

If I were you, I would take an overnight bus from Shinjuku (Tokyo) to Kanazawa. Then take a bus to Shirakawago, departing at 8:45 and arriving at 10:00. (prior booking essential)

[misocutlet]

After that, take a bus to Takayama (50 minutes) operated once per hour until 17:20 (You may have to book a bus beforehand.)

[euge118]

dear misocutlet,

why u suggest like this? it seen that the route will be longer than Tokyo-takayama-shirokawago-takayama-tokyo. i only can spend i day in takayama n shirokawago...

[misocutlet]

I thought you wanted to travel overnight to save time for Hakone (maybe by mistake). My idea was as follows. There is no direct overnight bus or train from Tokyo to Takayama. So if you want to travel for Takayama overnight, you have to go to Kanazawa or Nagoya first by night bus from Tokyo. (In case of Nagoya, you can take a night bus at Yokohama as well.) If you go to Shirakawago by way of Nagoya, you will reach Shirakawago at 11:00. So it is better to go by way of Kanazawa.

If you have a plan to stay overnight at Takayama, just go to Nagoya by 21:15 or Gifu by 21:40. (The last train leaves Nagoya at 21:15 and Gifu at 21:40, arriving at Takayama at 00:25.)

[euge118]

dear misocutlet,
i wan to save my time so tat can spend time in takayama n shirokawago. actually, my trip is like tis:
day 1: reach tokyo ( midnight)
day 2: tokyo city tour
day 3: Mt.fuji, Lake ashi, Owakudani valley. back tokyo
day 4: free n easy( no guide)
day 5: depart from Haneda at 2345

do u think tat how should i plan so tat can spend 1 day in Takayama n shirokawago? of course midnight bus is better to save my time n money?

i thought tat there got midnight bus to travel there? is Willer Bus ?

thanks!!

[misocutlet]

I checked up on the official website of Willer Express and found out no night bus to Takayama. There seems to be a night bus operated by Keio Bus only in summer (July 17 to August 31) For your informantion, the timetable of Tokyo-Takayama Line is available at http://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/tokyo.html .

If you want to save time for Takayama and Shirakawago, it is best to travel to Takayama by way of Nagoya or Gifu on the night of day 3 as I mentioned above. Takayama is very far from Hakone, so you may have to take the Shinkansen bullet train to Nagoya on your way. Besides, you have to pay charge of a hotel. In that case, be prepared for a lot of cost.

If you want to save money, I recommend a night bus from Shinjuku to Kanazawa (a lot of night buses, JPY 3900 - 5800, http://www.bus-channel.com/English/shinjuku/kanazawa.html ) and another bus from Kanazawa to Shirakawago and then to Takayama (JPY 1800 + JPY 2400, prior booking essential, http://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/shirakawago_kanazawa.html )

Takayama is located in a heavy snowfall area and there are some ski resorts around the city. It has a possibility of bus or train delay caused by heavy snow or traffic jam (especially on weekend). Spare enough time to travel.

[misocutlet]

Here is an itinerary I suggest.

Day 1 Arrival at Tokyo
Day 2 Nikko or Kamakura
Day 3 Mt. Fuji, Hakone
Day 4 Shirakawa-go, Takayama
Day 5 Tokyo City Tour

I have no intention to change your itinerary, but if I were you, I would make my itinerary like that. (I am usually a budget traveller, having short vacation time.)

Day 2: Most popular tourist attractions near Tokyo are Nikko, Kamakura, and Hakone. Pick out Nikko or Hakkone for the second day.
Tourist Attractions around Tokyo: http://japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html
Day 3: Leave Shinjuku for Kanazawa by night bus.
Day 4: Leave Shirakawa-go at 1400. Leave Takayama for Nagoya on the bus at 1730. Even if you take the bus at 1900, you may make it to a night bus from Nagoya to Tokyo, but you must take delay into consideration. Leave Nagoya for Tokyo by night bus.
Day 5: It may be better to stay and make a tour of Tokyo, because you are departing from Haneda on the fifth day.

My itinerary may look hard. Please reconsider an itinerary for yourself which is suitable for your time, budget and fitness level.

P.S. It is an idea to go to Hakone on the second day and leave for Kanazawa at night. Kanazwa also has some good tourist attractions for your third day. Leave for Shirakawago in the afternoon. Stay in Shirakawa-go overnight. I believe it must be a great experience for you. You can spare the fourth day for Takayama.
Kanazawa: http://japan-guide.com/e/e2167.html