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Rail pass and our trip plan

Hi everybody,

My fiancee and I will be making our way to Japan for our Honeymoon in October of this year and are looking at getting the 21 day rail pass. We were wondering if this would be best for our itinerary.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

11 Nights in Tokyo (Shinjuku specifically)
2 Nights in Fujikawaguchiko
2 Nights in Hiroshima
7 Nights in Osaka.

We have been advised that the Rail Pass will serve us quite well for all locations with the exception of Fujikawaguchiko but have found some information on taking a bus from Otsuki Station.

Again any assistance or guidance would be much appreciated.

Thank you,
MjgPunk :)

Comments

  • edited January 2018
    Hi & Congratulations.

    You would not make a 21 day pass pay off without some long distance day trips. You only really get value out of the pass when you are traveling long distance, especially by bullet train. So you would do better with a 14 day pass, used for your trip south of Tokyo.

    For the Tokyo (Kanto) area, you could use a Tokyo Wide Pass.
    http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_06.html

    You are right that with the JR Pass you could only go as far as Otsuki. Then you'd need to pay for the Fujikyu train or bus the rest of the way. Although you could go all the way there on a Tokyo Wide Pass.
    If you'd like to see Hakone as well as the Fuji 5 Lakes, then a Fuji Hakone Pass is very good too.
    http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/

    There are many good day trips from Tokyo - Nikko, Karuizawa, Kusatsu, Izu, Kamamura/Enoshima, Kawagoe, Takao, Okutama, the Hitachi Seaside Park, the Ushiku Great Buddha, and more.

    If you take a day trip from Tokyo to Sendai (90 min) and go to Osaka by way of Kanazawa, then a 21day pass would be well worth it and both cities are very good too.

    It's up to you, your interests and pace, but honestly, you have an enviably long trip and you are not doing much with it. For most people, 3-4 days in Tokyo are enough. You also plan to spend 7 nights in Osaka, which is pretty much just a clone of Tokyo? The whole country is wide open to you, including Okinawa and Hokkaido, and you can fly there dirt cheap.
    http://www.jetstar.com/jp/en/home
    http://www.flypeach.com/pc/en
    http://ana.ms/20Xtf8t
    https://goo.gl/CkeZJz
    https://goo.gl/jih8EY

    You can see a sample itinerary for your time period at
    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400_tokyo_19.html
    but again, tailor your trip according to your interests, not just follow the beaten path.

    You also don't show anything for Kyoto and Nara, which are the cultural jewels of the country. Spending some considerable time there would be very worthwhile. And no trip would be complete without a visit to a Japanese hot spring. You can find some near the 5 Lakes or Hakone, and there are large resort areas like Kusatsu in Gunma and Kinosaki which is a couple hours from Osaka.

    Plus since it is your honeymoon, I suggest you find some good love hotels to stay at - they are all over the country and are made for couples. Just remember that once you go in, you don't go out until you leave the next morning - bring some food and drinks with you. They are generally inexpensive and you can experience a new theme every single night.
    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2031.html
    http://bit.ly/2Cx3SR6

    Within Tokyo, a 2-3 day subway pass can be a good money saver.
    http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/value/travel/index.html#anc03
    The JR pass can't be used for city subways, but
    many cities have some day pass you can use, plus in Hiroshima City you can use your JR pass for the city loop bus and JR ferry to Miyajima.

    For more ideas on places to see, try browsing Japan Guide and the JNTO pages.
    http://www.japan-guide.com
    http://www.jnto.go.jp
    as well as the official city webpages - they all have a good tourist guide with places listed nowhere else.

    You can see regular fares, routes and schedules on Hyperdia.
    http://www.hyperdia.com
    Under "More Options", be sure to uncheck the Nozomi box since you can't ride that train if you are using the JR pass.

    You can see previews of some of the best places to see in Japan on:
    https://www.youtube.com/user/thejapanfaq/videos

    There are also loads of other tips on
    http://www.thejapanfaq.com/the-best-japan-travel-tips/

    Best wishes.
  • WOAH Tenjin thank you so much for that response (there is a lot to go through haha) we will look at this and figure out what is best for us.

    Thank you so much :)
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