Reference
Logistics
Flights, beds, and the hops between them — everything you'd want to pull up in a hurry.
Flights
Outbound
Boston → Hong Kong → TokyoBooked
Boston Logan (BOS) · Terminal E → Tokyo Narita (NRT) · Terminal 2
Depart Thu Oct 8 1:45 AM· Arrive Fri Oct 9 3:55 PM
Frequent Flyer: Cathay Pacific 1924103445
Boston Logan (BOS) · Terminal E
Hong Kong (HKG) · Terminal 1
Operated by Japan Airlines
Hong Kong (HKG) · Terminal 1
Tokyo Narita (NRT) · Terminal 2
1:45 AM departure on Thursday Oct 8 means getting to Logan Terminal E on Wednesday evening (Oct 7) around 11:00 PM. 1 checked bag included (1 PC). 5.5 hr layover in Hong Kong (Terminal 1) before the 10:30 AM connection on JAL-operated flight CX6322. Lands at Narita Terminal 2 at 15:55 on Friday Oct 9.
Return
Tokyo → Hong Kong → BostonBooked
Tokyo Narita (NRT · Terminal 2) → Boston Logan (BOS · Terminal E)
Depart Thu Oct 22 9:25 AM· Arrive Thu Oct 22 11:05 PM
Frequent Flyer: Cathay Pacific 1924103445
Tokyo Narita (NRT) · Terminal 2
Hong Kong (HKG) · Terminal 1
Hong Kong (HKG) · Terminal 1
Boston Logan (BOS) · Terminal E
9:25 AM departure out of Narita Terminal 2 means leaving the Tokyo hotel around 6:00–6:15 AM (or forwarding luggage to NRT the day before). 1 checked bag included (1 PC). 6 hr layover at HKG Terminal 1 before the 15h 55m leg on CX812 home to Boston Logan Terminal E, landing at 23:05 on the same calendar day.
Where we sleep
Tokyo · Oct 9–12
Akariya TokyoHiraiBooked
- Room
- Entire Apartment (1K · ~33 m²)
- Guests
- 3 adults (Ann, Adam, Tony)
- Check-in
- Oct 9 · 4:00 PM
- Check-out
- Oct 12 · 11:00 AM
- Plan
- Private lodging apartment (Hotel Business Act) · self check-in via smart lock
- Contact
- Contact via Booking.com message or info@grasses.jp
AddressTokyo-to, Tokyo, 平井3-29-6, Japan (Eiwa Dai-10 Bldg 310, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo 132-0035)Map →
Quiet residential base in Edogawa, 2–3 minutes' walk from JR Hirai Station South Exit (Chūō-Sōbu Line · 11 min direct to Akihabara). Equipped with full kitchen and in-unit washer/dryer for our first weekend in Tokyo.
Hakone · Oct 12–14
Hotel Kajikaso — 箱根湯本温泉 ホテル河鹿荘Booked
- Room
- Hiten (飛天) · Room 508
- Guests
- 1 room · 3 adults
- Check-in
- Oct 12 · 3:00 PM
- Check-out
- Oct 14 · 11:00 AM
- Reservation
- X-BTKB11IHL6Q
- Plan
- 温泉付き特別室 -IKOI 憩- · 11:00 checkout · meals served in the room
- Payment
- ¥433,200 total — paid on site (現地決済), not prepaid
- Contact
- Front desk 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Address688 Yumoto, Hakone, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa 250-0311, JapanMap →
Five minutes' walk from Hakone-Yumoto Station, right on the Hayakawa River. Our plan buys back an extra hour in the morning — 11:00 checkout instead of the hotel's standard 10:00 — and both meals come to the room. The hotel draws on nine of its own hot spring sources.
Kyoto · Oct 14–17
MONday Apart Premium KYOTO StationBooked
- Check-in
- Oct 14 · 3:00 PM
- Check-out
- Oct 17 · 10:00 AM
Address1 Yaoya-cho, Higashihorikawa Nishiiri, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8262Map →
Apartment hotel with in-room kitchen, induction stove, full refrigerator, microwave, tableware, and in-room washer/dryer (detergent provided). Located an 11-min walk (850m) northwest from the Central Exit of Kyoto Station, or 1 min from the 'Shichijo Horikawa' city bus stop.
Osaka · Oct 17–19
GN98 OsakaminpakuBooked
- Room
- Superior Apartment · 2 Bedrooms (Room GN05, 5th floor)
- Check-in
- Oct 17 · 4:00 PM
- Check-out
- Oct 19 · 10:00 AM
- Reservation
- 24344375
Address3-3-14 Saiwaicho, Naniwa Ward, Osaka 556-0021 (Crice Nikko Saiwaicho III)Map →
Self-check-in minpaku apartment (Room GN05, 5th floor), location with fast 20–25 min access to Universal Studios Japan. No front desk: must complete the online registration with passport copies before arrival. Check-in codes received Oct 16; see the smart lock details. Card only (no cash accepted).
Tokyo · Oct 19–22
HOTEL MYSTAYS Gotanda StationBooked
- Room
- Two double rooms
- Guests
- 3 of us, across two rooms
- Check-in
- Oct 19 · 3:00 PM
- Check-out
- Oct 22 · 11:00 AM
- Reservation
- 699712683
- Plan
- Early bird discount 28 — room only, no breakfast.
Address2-6-8 Nishi Gotanda, Shinagawa, Tokyo 141-0031 (品川区西五反田2-6-8)Map →
In front of Gotanda Station, on both the JR Yamanote and Toei Asakusa lines; Shinagawa, where the Narita Express starts, is two Yamanote stops away.
Between cities
Getting there
Tokyo → Yokohama → Hakone (Options A / B / C)Idea
Midday transit on Monday Oct 12 with an optional Yokohama stopover (decided closer to the date in Japan). 3 routing options are mapped out below for Oct 12: Option A (Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum), Option B (Yokohama Chinatown & Mapo Tofu), or Option C (Direct Romancecar).
Getting there
Hakone → KyotoLocked in
Hakone-Yumoto back to Odawara, then Shinkansen to Kyoto. Around 2.5 hrs door to door.
Getting there
Kyoto → OsakaLocked in
Short hop — about 30 min by JR from Kyoto Station.
Getting there
Osaka → Hikone → TokyoLocked in
Breaking the journey at Hikone. Osaka to Hikone is about 1 hr 20; Hikone on to Tokyo is around 2.5 hrs. Lockers at Hikone Station for luggage during the castle visit.
Shared links
- Google Maps — Kyoto & OsakaLocked in
Saved pins for the Kyoto and Osaka legs. Open it once on wi-fi so the map is cached before we need it underground. - Google Maps — HakoneLocked in
Saved pins for the Hakone leg. Worth downloading the offline area too — signal on the ropeway and around Ōwakudani is patchy. - Visit Japan Web (immigration/customs QR)Locked in
Everyone registers before flying. Saves a long queue at Narita.
Who's going
- Ann
- Adam
- Tony
- Richie — Hangout in Hakone only
Emergency numbers: police 110, fire & ambulance 119, tourist help 050-3816-2787.