Sandyris

Really need help! We want to book a hotel that will be near a train station that will get us to Kyoto for the day. We would like to keep it simple and not have to take a taxi to the train station or if possible, not have to transfer trains. Below are the hotels we're considering:
1. The New Otani Osaka (already booked at a really good rate) is near the Jo Koen Station.
2. The Ritz Carlton Osaka (terribly expensive) is near the Osaka Umeda station.
3. The Hilton Osaka is near the Shin-Osaka station.
4. The Swiss Hotel Nankai is above the Rapit Train at Namba Station

Thanks for any suggestions... Sandy

KimJapan

Stay at either the Ritz or the Hilton, and you are across the street from Osaka station. The Hilton is not in Shin Osaka, it's in Osaka. The Hilton and the Ritz are directly across the street from one another, both facing Osaka Station. You can't get any simpler than that. Walk across the street, into the station.

From Osaka station, there are any number of trains that go to Kyoto without requiring a change.

In your same question about these hotels you said you wanted to take the shinkansen. That's where you start to get involved in changing trains. To take the shinkansen from Osaka station, you will first have to take a regular train to shin-Osaka and change to the shinkansen. The shinkansen is only one of many, many trains that will get you to Kyoto.

If you just forget the shinkansen for that trip and do what everyone else does and ride any of the other trains between Osaka and Kyoto, you'll have no change of train at all. There are between 4 and 10 trains an hour that will get you to Kyoto without a change.

KimJapan

Here's a link to your previous question in case you couldn't find it. Information about the New Otani is my last reply to you there.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34682062

Sandyris

Kim... thank you so much for helping me understand the trains. You're truly a life-saver! I wanted to stay near the Osaka Castle so we could just walk over to see it on our first day, and I wanted to be able to take the train to Kyoto without changing trains on our second day. I guess I just wanted to do one too many things.

If you could answer one more question, please... what is the easiest way to get to the Osaka Castle from the Hilton?

Sandy

KimJapan

You can walk there in about 20 minutes. The Hilton has a good map in the desk drawer of every room. If you are in the exec floor, just ask the staff there to show you which way to go to the castle. If not, ask the concierge/bellman on the lobby level.

If you don't fancy walking, then take a taxi. Public transport (either subway or JR Loop line) can get you there fine, but getting in and out of the subway stations might be a challenge for you, especially exiting, as there are many exits for each station. Taking public transport would not be faster than walking, but a taxi would be.

KimJapan

Here's a map you can see. The Ritz
Carlton is new, so it's not listed on the map. You can see the location, though, as it is in Herbis Osaka, across from the Hilton.
http://www.japan-hotel-reservations....ap_detail.html

Sandyris

Kim... thanks again. I booked the exec floor of the Hilton this evening so we're all set. A 20 minute walk to the Osaka Castle will be a cinch after walking what seemed like every inch of Rome this summer in 95 degree heat!

If I can impose one more time... before arriving in Kyoto, do you recommend that we arrange for a good-will guide, arrange a day tour through one of the hotels or can we see the high points on our own.

KimJapan

The Goodwill guides might be a nice idea. I don't want this to sound the wrong way, but I can't seem to say it any other way than bluntly. So, here goes...

Understand that they are volunteers, and though they are trained and know what they are talking about, in many cases they are retirees with time on their hands and want to practice speaking English. That's not at all a bad thing, of course...

The main thing I worry about is that some of the Goodwill guides in Kanazawa are in their 80's and can no longer keep up with tourists with a sightseeing agenda. There are some that I've met that I would no-way-not-ever spend the day with. It's kind of a crap shoot...you can get lucky and get a gem of a guide...or not.

You could maybe have a Goodwill Guide for part of the day?

Kyoto isn't hard to navigate, and I highly, highly recommend that you make use of the taxis between sites, as the distance may look short on a map, it usually ends up being much farther of a walk than you anticipated. Kyoto is an enormous city.

There are taxis waiting for fares at every tourist spot. Forget everything you have heard about Japan being the land of the $15.00 hamburger and the $200.00 taxi ride. Although it is possible to spend that much in that way, it's also possible to do the same in New York. A taxi between sites in Kyoto will not cost much...average 1000 yen, a bit more for a long distance. I took a taxi clear across the city one day to meet someone, took 40 minutes...cost only 4200 yen. Don't worry a bit about the cost and use the taxis to your advantage...you'll save so much time and hassle. The bus and subway system is fine, it works, but isn't for those who want to see a lot in a short time who are trying to navigate in a strange city for the first time. Locals get lost and turned around.

Plan out what you want to see in your day with a good guidebook, get a good look at a map and put it in what looks like a workable order, then go. In my experience, 4 places in Kyoto is all we've been able to handle in a full day without becoming miserable. Give yourself plenty of time to stop for tea/coffee/snack/lunch, and relax.

Sandyris

Kim... you're valuable advice is just what we needed. I know we're going to have a wonderful experience. Thank you!

Sandy