ANA Crowne Plaza Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan

After Kyoto I jumped on the Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka, and then a second Shinkansen to Hiroshima. It’s around a 2 hour trip depending on how much time you need to wait for the connecting Shinkansen at Shin-Osaka.

There’s no shuttle bus from Hiroshima Station to the Crowne Plaza in Hiroshima but it’s quite easy to get to. Exit the station and get the Number 1 tram to the Fukuro-machi tram stop (second stop after the tram turns left) and it’s about a 2 minute walk to the hotel. Door to door about 25 minutes and costs ¥180.

ANA Crowne Plaza Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan

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ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan

The Shinkansen from Shinagawa Station (Tokyo) arrived at Kyoto Station right on time and I headed out to the hotel shuttle bus stop. And luckily the bus was waiting and I was able to jump on and not wait in the 35 degree heat for 20 minutes.

It’s about a 15 minute drive from Kyoto Station to the hotel. The location can’t be faulted and I was lucky enough to get a room with a view of Nijo Castle.

ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan

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InterContinental Tokyo Bay, Tokyo, Japan

Having landed at Narita Airport at the start of my 3rd Japan trip, I jumped on the next Keisei Skyliner for Nippori Station where I transferred to the Yamanote line arriving at Hamamatsucho Station just in time for the last shuttle bus to my hotel.

I wanted to stay in Tokyo rather than Narita as I wanted to hit the ground running the next day to get the logistics sorted. Most importantly I wanted to be near either Tokyo or Shinagawa station as I needed to exchange my JR Pass, reserve a seat for my transit to Kyoto and finally board the Shinkansen.

I’ve stayed at both of the InterContinental Hotels in Tokyo before but it made more sense for me to overnight at the InterContinental Tokyo Bay as it had the shuttle buses to both Hamamatsucho and Shinagawa stations, and I had more than enough IHG rewards points for a free night.

InterContinental Tokyo Bay, Tokyo, Japan

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