Japan questions...

[Breakthru]

First off, greetings from San Francisco.

My fiance and i are going to Japan at the end of October and we're both pretty excited.

First question is, what is the weather like around that time of year? I know during the summer it can be extremely hot, so will it be pretty cold around then?

Secondly, the last part of our trip we'll be staying in Kyoto. Does anyone have any recommendations as far as hotels? Unfortunately the Granvia is booked up.

And if anyone has links to pictures of their trips, please post links!

[isdenn]

it will not be cold. hopefully it will not be as brutal as it is during the summer. i dont think it gets colder til like november.

re: hotels in kyoto, cant help you much bc i stayed at some tiny little dump of a place about a mile away from the kitaohji station. only 4200 yen a night or thereabouts though

[Kasper]

weather should be pretty comfortable, around 15 degrees or so. can't really help you with hotel cause i've always stayed with friends there, but if you have Granvia budget, you should be able to get something really nice. i would also advice to check into more tranditional hotels, kyoto is full of them...

[eeb]

Definitely stay in a Ryokan in Kyoto. They range from modest accommodation, to super deluxe. Some include Kaiseki dinners in your room (an absolute must if you visit Kyoto, each dish is chosen according to season, colour, texture. Plates and bowls are specifically selected to compliment... it goes on for hours...) and breakfast. You will most likely sleep on a Futon, laid on a tatami floor.

They are all over Kyoto. A good start is japaneseguesthouses.com

If you prefer a luxury business hotel, I think the Hyatt looks good, and it is quite new.

[smurf]

My girlfriend and I just got back from Japan a couple few weeks ago. We spent 3 nights in Kyoto. The first 2 nights at the Palace Side Hotel, which was cheap and decent for a room that was less than a hundred bucks a night. We splurged our last night and stayed at a ryokan called Kikokuso. You can find it on the japanese guess house site listed above.

Anyway, our stay at the ryokan was the highlight of our trip! We had some of the best food either of us had ever had and the family that runs the place was great. My girlfriend and I both speak a little Japanese (very little) and they spoke enough English that there weren't any problems.

The only thing that might hold you back is the price. We spent around $500 for one night, but that included a 9-course kaiseki meal for two plus a breakfast. The meals alone were worth at least $100 per person, so if you factor in that and the great time you'll have, I think it's totally worth it.

Finally, we were in Tokyo for 4 days on either side of our time in Kyoto, so the relaxation factor had a huge impact on us.

Have fun and if you can, rent a bike at least one day in Kyoto. Our first hotel had them for cheap. The subway system in Kyoto isn't great and it's pretty flat, so if you're checking temples and castles out, it's a great way to get around.

[Breakthru]

Renting a bike sounds like a great idea. My fiance says she can't ride bikes on hills. Which i find to be very odd.

Right now it seems like all the hotels, well, not all, but a lot of hotels in kyoto are booked up on the weekend we'll be there, which is Nov 2nd - 5th.

Thanks for all the input so far everyone. It's been a lot of help, please keep them coming.

[samsikle]

awww. you're going to have a blast. it'll be more comfortable weather i hope than when i went when it was freezing. i got pics from my trip (dec2005-jan2006) but i do warn you they're just pics of me and my friends causing havoc.

http://sillyshuichi.livejournal.com/167110.html

[Breakthru]

hey, nice pictures! looks like you guys are from san francisco too?! nice! looks like you guys had fun, can't wait to go.

also, that one street art pic you took that you have seen before but didn't know who did it? that was done by London Police. and damn that neckface is everywhere. nice pics, thanks for sharing.