Konnichiwa Y'all A trip report! All of Japan added - Link in my signature.

[pandv_2000]

We are going the opposite way to you. We start in Kyoto then head to Tokyo Disney and end in Tokyo. We only ended up in Tokyo last time as a stopover on the way to Australia from the UK and only had one day for Disney and two within Tokyo. We loved it so much we decided to spend nearly 3 weeks in Japan. It would have been a full 3 weeks if my sister wasn't getting married 2 days after we land back in the UK!

We found the stroller a bit of a pain on the subways in Tokyo and it doesn't help that I'm very claustrophobic and won't get in an elevator if I can help it. The climb to the top of the skytree wasn't much fun for me! This time our youngest will have just turned 4 and I'm hoping we can take things a bit easier and not push him too much as we should have plenty of time to tour everything we want. I think the time we will miss it will be at Disney. Do you know if they rent strollers like they do in the US as that would probably be a good option for the few days we are there?

 

[amyren]

Fun! We really enjoyed Kyoto. There are so many things to see there. I definitely recommend the private guide that we used in Kyoto. http://privatetour-kyoto.com/ehome.html Eventually I'll post my Kyoto pics of our time in Kyoto but you may want to research Taka in the mean time. He has all excellent reviews on Trip Advisor. I could definitely do 3 weeks here. I'm already thinking of another itinerary for our return trip =)
Regarding the stroller I think you're fine without one with a nearly 4 year old and I'm almost positive that they rent them at TDR in case you want one for the parks. I understand what you mean about how cumbersome they are at the metro stations especially if you're trying to avoid the tiny elevators. I look forward to traveling without a stroller eventually but with a 20 month old it's worth the hassle.
Happy planning and let me know if you have any questions I'm happy to help where I can!

 

[pandv_2000]

Thanks so much for the information. I will go and check out Taka. I've had a look and they do rent strollers at Disney for 700 yen per day and they look far more comfortable than the ones at WDW so at least I know that's an option. He's also a very independent little man - with the age gap he just doesn't understand why he can't do the same things as his big brother so he may be too stubborn to even contemplate a stroller. He won't use one here so it will depend how tired he is.

I've just re-read your TR - the Disneyland hotel looks gorgeous. I keep checking to see if we can switch from the Hilton but the only rooms they have at any of the Disney hotels for our trip sleep 1-2. I'll keep checking just in case but the Hilton has good reviews and is close so it's no big deal if we can't swap. I'm in the last week before we can book park tickets now and then that will be another thing crossed off my list.

Thank you for sharing your trip and for all of the great advice.

 

[pandv_2000]

I notice you put a new post up . Disney Sea is the park we did last time. We didn't ride much at all but really didn't mind - I feel like I'm stalking you now lol. Thanks for the recommendation for Taka. I've booked a tour with him on our first full day in Kyoto. I hope you don't mind but I mentioned you when I booked so he knows it was a recommendation from a satisfied customer.

 

[amyren]

I notice you put a new post up . Disney Sea is the park we did last time. We didn't ride much at all but really didn't mind - I feel like I'm stalking you now lol. Thanks for the recommendation for Taka. I've booked a tour with him on our first full day in Kyoto. I hope you don't mind but I mentioned you when I booked so he knows it was a recommendation from a satisfied customer.

Oh great. Taka was wonderful and the itinerary is flexible so you can give him ideas or he can suggest places to visit. I finally posted my Disney Sea pics and Kyoto will be next. We're still at Aulani so I haven't had much time to edit and post. We're headed home in 2 days. It's been a long journey!

 

[amyren]

whew. Just updated the blog with our Kyoto adventures.
www.amyandjasonallen.blogspot.com

 

[Corbisblue]

Really enjoying reading about your adventures here in Japan! Looks like you're having a great time!

 

[pandv_2000]

Thanks for the update. Arashiyama looks beautiful but I'm not sure if we will want to do the trek to the monkey park in the august heat

 

[teslascar]

Hey everyone! We're currently in Kyoto and I finally had time to download and edit some of my pics so I've stated my Trip Report! It's on the blog. I'm really only up to day 3 of 21 soooo…. I've got a ways to go but check it out!

That bamboo forest looks amazing!!! Your posts makes me wanna travel around Japan NOW!!! Thanks for this amyren. By the way, you have a beautiful family. Alright, back to reading your blog. Just wanted to show some love. Cheers

 

[amyren]

That bamboo forest looks amazing!!! Your posts makes me wanna travel around Japan NOW!!! Thanks for this amyren. By the way, you have a beautiful family. Alright, back to reading your blog. Just wanted to show some love. Cheers

awww.... thanks for the love teslascar! We had an awesome time in Japan! TDR was great (duh) but we also really enjoyed our time in Kyoto.

 

[teslascar]

awww.... thanks for the love teslascar! We had an awesome time in Japan! TDR was great (duh) but we also really enjoyed our time in Kyoto.

Glad you enjoyed yourself. Thanks for the trip report. Cheers.

 

[chanson2]

Amy - can I ask where you stayed in Kyoto? Need a family friendly place!

Thanks.

I have enjoyed reading your blog -leaving for Japan in 2 weeks! You have been a big help!

 

[amyren]

Amy - can I ask where you stayed in Kyoto? Need a family friendly place!

Thanks.

I have enjoyed reading your blog -leaving for Japan in 2 weeks! You have been a big help!

Awesome! Glad you've enjoyed the blog

We stayed at Citadines Karasuma Gojo.
http://www.citadines.com/en/japan/kyoto/karasuma_gojo.html
Great location within easy walking distance of Gojo station (one stop from Kyoto station).

We really enjoyed the kitchenette because we could cook breakfast and we kept lots of snacks & drinks on hand.

The room was pretty tight. We shared the king bed with our youngest and our 6 year old slept on a pull out sofa bed. We had a balcony which was great for the kids. They loved "playing out side".

Overall it was a nice stay!

Enjoy your time in Japan it's incredible. Let me know if you have any other questions

 

[chanson2]

Hi again! Can you give some details on the trains and transportation around Japan? Did you buy a rail pass? If so, was it worth it? Did you have reservations for travel to Kyoto or just go to train station?

We arrive later in the day next Wed at Narita. Looks like we will be taking trains to get to the Disney Ammbasador hotel. We check out Saturday morn, heading to Kyoto for 2 nights. Any hints on the traveling between places would be most helpful!

I looked into your guide in Kyoto, but he was already booked. Not sure if we will try a different tour company or just strike out on our own...

Thanks again

 

[amyren]

Hi again! Can you give some details on the trains and transportation around Japan? Did you buy a rail pass? If so, was it worth it? Did you have reservations for travel to Kyoto or just go to train station?

We arrive later in the day next Wed at Narita. Looks like we will be taking trains to get to the Disney Ammbasador hotel. We check out Saturday morn, heading to Kyoto for 2 nights. Any hints on the traveling between places would be most helpful!

I looked into your guide in Kyoto, but he was already booked. Not sure if we will try a different tour company or just strike out on our own...

Thanks again

Sure thing. Happy to help.

We used http://www.tokyoairporter.com/?gclid=COvg0-HYs78CFUEF7AodPUAADA to and from the airport. We landed in Haneda at like 10:30 pm and figured it was way more convenient than attempting a train (with 2 kids and a bunch of luggage) plus I’d read that taxi fares are very expensive at night. We paid right around $100 from Haneda to Shinjuku. It was about a 45 min drive. We were planning to take a train to Narita at the end of the trip but ended up booking with the same company. From Shinjuku to Narita was more like $200 (about an hour and 15 minutes). The vans used were extremely clean and the drivers were right on time & very friendly plus they offered a carseat for our toddler which was a bonus.

Regarding train service we did not buy a rail pass. From what I gather a rail pass is really only "worth it" if you're visiting several cities over an extended period of time. We actually didn’t even get a Suica card and just bought tickets point to point when using JR (local train) or the metro in and around Tokyo / Kyoto. At one time we were going to get Suica cards but the staff wanted proof of our daughter’s age and we didn’t have her passport with us so we just continued to buy tickets point to point. I do think that a rechargeable card would save a bit of money and would be more convenient but buying point to point wasn’t that difficult. We did buy Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets in advance to and from Kyoto. We had our tour guide in Tokyo help us with this. We bought round trip tickets about 5-6 days before we left for Kyoto. I think we could have done it on our own but it was way easier to have our guide help us! She booked the back of the car for us so that we had plenty of storage behind our seat for luggage / stroller. I definitely recommend purchasing Shinkansen tickets in advance our train was pretty full and only 3 of 16 cars were for riders without reservation.

Sorry you couldn't use Taka but I'm glad you have a guide in Kyoto! There's so much to see there but it's all pretty spread out. Hiring a guide will allow you to see way more than if you tried to navigate on your own. Plus you'll get commentary on history, culture etc...

Have a fun trip! I'm sure you'll have a great time