Shinkansen day trip

[sprunt]

I'm going to Tokyo next month, and I'd like to go on a Shinkansen while I'm there. Can anyone recommend a destination for a day trip, probably one and a half to two hours each way? There doesn't have to be anything in particular at the other end, just an interesting city I can spend a day wandering around. A riverfront would be nice.

TIA.

 

[Chris Butler]

Well 2:10 on a Nozomi gets you to Kyoto, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan.

 

[stuu]

I'm going to Tokyo next month, and I'd like to go on a Shinkansen while I'm there. Can anyone recommend a destination for a day trip, probably one and a half to two hours each way? There doesn't have to be anything in particular at the other end, just an interesting city I can spend a day wandering around. A riverfront would be nice.

TIA.

Toyama. 2 hours ish, trams to the seaside

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

I found Sendai a very pleasant city for a day trip - not overly touristy and lots of interesting shops and restaurants in and around the station.

It's about 1h 30m from Tokyo to Sendai on the Tohoku Shinkansen "Hayabusa" service, which I believe is also the fastest Shinkansen, operating at 200 mph.

This service (along with the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama as suggested by @stuu) also offers a "Gran Class" (First Class) service if that's something that's within your budget - it's a good experience.

 

[chipbury]

Several years back we did a day trip from Tokyo to a historic place called Nikko. This involved a Shinkansen most of the way then changing onto a local train for the trip to Nikko. It was a very nice place, lovely scenery, a big temple complex and some good places to eat. I see on google maps that there is mention of a rail museum there which might be worth investigating (I don't recall this when we went otherwise I would have gone to look).
See below for a picture of the train we came back on.

 

[Beebman]

A few years ago I did a day trip on the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa which has several historic districts and one of the country's best landscape gardens. The station itself is of interest with its enormous wooden gate - there's a page in English about it here.

 

[Mr_B]

Several years ago now but I had a similar sunday to spare and did Tokyo to Nagano (Niigata route shinkansen), then a pleasant meander down to Nagoya on a local train through the mountains, with view out the front. Then trip round the JR central railway museum in Nagoya, then shinkansen back to Tokyo. All booked that morning at one of the ticket desks at Tokyo main station.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Whilst in Tokyo on a Saturday a few years ago, I took the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen to Odawara, then after a local connection to Hakone-Yumoto, the scenic Hakone-Tozan mountain railway. From there, you can get the Hakone Tozan cable car (actually a funicular railway) to Sounzan, from where you can get the "ropeway" (what we'd consider a cable car) down the mountain to Togendai, a historic port. Sounzan gives excellent views of Mount Fuji, a visitor's centre, museum, tourist amenities and some sulphurous springs. You can get an all-in ticket for the lot, and the Shinkansen will cost you about £20 each way.

https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/transportation/hakone-tozan

Only thing is, it's only 35 minutes on the Shinkansen to Odawara, but it's nevertheless an excellent all round railway day out!


Kyoto is also wonderful, is just over 2 hours on the Nozomi Shinkansen and is £68 each way.

 

[sprunt]

Thanks for the suggestions, plenty to think about there.

 

[johnnychips]

Whilst in Tokyo on a Saturday a few years ago, I took the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen to Odawara, then after a local connection to Hakone-Yumoto, the scenic Hakone-Tozan mountain railway. From there, you can get the Hakone Tozan cable car (actually a funicular railway) to Sounzan, from where you can get the "ropeway" (what we'd consider a cable car) down the mountain to Togendai, a historic port. Sounzan gives excellent views of Mount Fuji, a visitor's centre, museum, tourist amenities and some sulphurous springs. You can get an all-in ticket for the lot, and the Shinkansen will cost you about £20 each way.

https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/transportation/hakone-tozan

Only thing is, it's only 35 minutes on the Shinkansen to Odawara, but it's nevertheless an excellent all round railway day out!


Kyoto is also wonderful, is just over 2 hours on the Nozomi Shinkansen and is £68 each way.

Agreed on all counts. The line from Odawara is quite remarkable.