This is the first time I check the train connections for the whole holiday. Sometimes I checked a single connection or checked a connection the day before the trip, but I never made a detailed plan like now. This time it is necassary. Like I mentioned before: The frequent change of the hotels and the multiple stops at one day need a good plan. And there is the problem of early darkness.

There is one construction side left: The busses. I have to use a bus instead of trains on 4 days. Everytime I have to reserve a seat in advance. If how no clue how to do this.

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It is Monday. And Monday is Murphy’s day. So the day starts with the overture to armageddon: The security personal on the airports is on strike. Without these idiots they have to shut down the check in of the airports. Hey, if you don’t like your job, quit. But do not stand between me and my holiday. I have a very short fuse.

Fist snow and chaos that shut down Frankfurt airport. From now on I will have a close eye on Hamburg and Schiphol. If there is trouble in the air, I will counteract. For now the strikes starts in the morning and end in the afternoon. If so, I will check in a day early and spend the night at the gate. 11 hours at the gate is not my idea of a holiday, but if I am in, I am in. And i still have the lounge access for a shower and breakfast.

Snow report: The northern coast has a half meter of snow; in the mountains 1m is reported. Hokkaido is close to the 2m. The area around Nagano too.

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I have all hotel bookings complete.

Two days ago the Tabinoyado in Oosaka answered. I got the the last free room. Unfortunately I lost my nerve a few hours before and booked a hotel room in Namba. This one I have to cancel. The ryokan is located closer to the train stations (like Tennoji Eki) I need.  The train from the airport stops here and the trins to Asuka. The train to Koyasan is only one stop away. But it is not good for Amanohashidate and Kyoto.

I didn’t found a suitable ryokan in Kyoto that is close to the train station. They are booked out or too expensive. $800 for one night is far behind my limit, very far. And they all have a curfew. Most o the ryokans lock their doors at 10pm. But on Christmas Eve I want to have the luxuary to come home after midnight. In the end I booked the Vista hotel. It is next to Kyoto Eki, just on the opposite side of the street. 2 minutes of walking, if i walk slow. This will save a lot of time on the trip to Amanohashidate and to Kanazawa.

There is a small change in plan in Shirakawa. There is no free room left. Therefore I booked a place Ainokura, a small town in an other valley. A bus will bring me to Shirakawa. An other bus will bring me to Ainokura two hours later. 2 hours should be ok or pictures. I hope there is a lot of snow.

The last feedback arrived today from the Kiso valley. The Hanaya was not my first choice, but my preferred ryokan is booked out. Looks like everyone is on vacation during Xmas and New Year. The Kiso Valley was on my list since Peter gave me that hardcopy about this place, but it never fit into my plans; until now.

• Osaka: Tabinoyado Hokousou Ryokan
• Kyoto: Hotel Vista [website]
• Ainokura: Choyomon
• Kiso-Tal: Hanaya [website]
• Narita: Richmond Hotel [website]

The last station is a hotel in Narita. It was the reasonable choice. Close to the train station and within my price limit. I plan 20 minutes from the room over checkout to the trainstation.

In total it is a good mix: 3 nights in a hotel, 3 nights in a ryokan with onsen, 3 nights in ancient houses. Sometimes breakfast included, but mostly not. 3 times I ordered dinner. Ok, not ordered. it was included in the room price. This is ok. Dinner is expensive (most of the hotels are chraging you 2500 to 3000yen for it) but also a thing you should order sometimes, just to get the complete experience.

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For the first trip I had 2 travel guides and a additional guide for Tokyo. This time I try to organize everything with two internet pages (JNTO and japan-guide) and the Lonely Planet. To maintain the overview I write down the plan for every single on a seperate page. A lot of work, but I will not miss any attraction because I overread it. I use this chance also to check the opening times. Kawagoe shows some problems. The major attractions are closed until January 8th. Maybe I change my plans (again).

The second task for today (and tomorrow) is to write a plan for Kyoto and for Tokyo. Until now I only have a set of ideas, but now clue how to put them into a plan.

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The is nothing new to report about the planning. I just need a day off.  But the topic of Japan is back on the schedule/the screen fast. At 9:24 I received a alert on my mobile: Major earthquake warning for Tokyo. The epicenter is at sea in front of the coast of Sendai. Tokyo will await a level 3 earthquake. I am online in a instant. A tsunami warning is already been issued; a evacuation order is out for the coast of Matsushima.

My first idea: It is 2011 all over again. The epicenter is very close to the epicenter of Marck 11th, 2011. The tsunami will hit the same coast area. Lucky that I will visit the opposite site of Honshu; Kansai and Chubu. But another 7,3 magnitude earthquake can destroy my plans. One interrupted train track and my plans will be washed away.

By the way. The snow level rises. Half of my travel route reports 20cm of snow. Nice. This is all I need. Tsunagi Onsen is still free of snow. I hope this will change. I hope that there are no surprises. Too much snow can be a problem too (Hokkaido is already reporting 1m), liked closed roads and canceled train connections.  But lucky that JR is not Deutsche Bahn.

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