Good morning JR Pass staff
We are so excited to travel to Japan for the very first time.
We found a great hotel near Tamachi Station in Tokyo.
We will be in Japan for 8 days from Wed, April 12, 2017 to Wed, April 19, 2017.
So far our schedule is open and we are looking for helpful advice as to where we can go outside Tokyo, Japan. Most preferably just for 1 day outside the Tokyo area any time in the week.
Is it possible to go to OSAKA in 1 day and come back to Tokyo at night? Or Kyoto, Nara, or Nagano?
Our days plan is as follow
Wed, April 12 - we arrive at Narita Airport around 3pm (Hotel in tamachi)
In the evening we plan to check out Roppongi or Tokyo
Thurs, April 12 - Akihabara, Ueno zoo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku (if we can fit it all in one day)
Friday, April 13 - Yokohama, Hase, Kamakura (if we can fit it all in one day)
Can we use the JR pass in this area????????
Saturday, April 14 - Open for ideas (thinking of taking the Shinkansen somewhere outside Tokyo) preferably just for the day.
Sunday, April 15 - Open for ideas (thinking of taking Shinkansen somewhere outside Tokyo) preferably just for the day.
Monday, April 16 - Tokyo Disney Sea, Tokyo, Odaiba
Tuesday, April 17 - This day for last minute shopping. We can go visit again any other place we loved or liked. I was thinking of going to Mount Takao, west of tokyo would you recommend?
Wed, April 18 - we come back. our flight leaves to Narita airport at 5pm
Will the 7 day JR pass be the ideal choice for our stay????
Your advice and opinions will be so helpful to us. Any places you recommend we would appreciate your help. Thank you.
Edson from Canada
0
Comments
It takes 3 hours one way from Tokyo to Osaka, so 6 hours on a train for a day trip frankly is just not worth it. I recommend you keep that region for a future vacation.
Nagano is a possibility though, and you can get there in as little as 80 minutes one way. If you go there, plus a couple of other long distance day trips, then a 7 day pass becomes an option.
Even so, there is a cheaper regional pass for that area - the JR East Nagano Niigata Area Pass.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_nagano_niigata.html
That said, there is a still cheaper alternative for closer places and there are a number of great places to see. The Tokyo Wide Pass
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_06.html
is good for 3 consecutive days, and you can also ride the bullet train with it on certain lines. You could see some very good destinations, like Karuizawa, Nikko, Kusatsu, Izu, Takao, Okutama, the Hitachi Seaside Park, as well as partway to the Mt Fuji area (Hakone or the Fuji 5 Lakes area).
Look up all these places on google or www.japan-guide.com to see what appeals to you.
If you go see Harajuku, the best time to go is on a Sunday afternoon to see the girls with their wild fashions. You can also see Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park next to it. For getting out of town, a weekday likely makes more sense.
You would not be able to see all of Yokohama and Kamakura in one day. But the Sankeien Garden in Yokohama is a superb garden and you should fit it in somehow. For Kamakura, you could pair it with Enoshima for a full day. There is a good regional pass for there too.
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/enoshima_kamakura/
Otherwise yes you can use the JR Pass to Kamakura, but the fare is very little.
You might still be able to catch some of the cherry blossoms at some places. Have a look at the most popular spots on
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2011.html
and try the later blooming places.
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 using the full JR pass.
You can see previews of some of the best places to see on:
https://www.youtube.com/user/thejapanfaq/videos
May I ask you one more question? I'm thinking of going around the OSAKA region then. We will have to stretch our it to a short 2 day trip. Is it possible to go to SHIRAHAMA Ohama Beach by Train? or is there a direct train from Tokyo to go there if so long will it take?
Is Mount Fuji close to Shirahama? Will the JR west pass do for this location and regions?
For example I found that the Tokaido Shinkansen goes from Tokyo to JR Atami Station on the HIKARI or Odama train. How long will it take to get there on the HIKARI train using this service? Will my JR nationa pass work through the Hikari train? or do I need to get off the JR kinoyima to catch the JR Ito line to Shimoda?
Once we get to Atami. Can we catch a bust to Shimoda or a local train?
Your help is greatly appreciated, hugs from Canada
Thank you so much
Again, please use Hyperdia - it will tell you how long it takes, costs, schedules, and so on.
Shirahama is 2-2½ hours by train south of Osaka. From Tokyo it would be 5½-6 hours. Not something I'd recommend for a two day trip.
Mt. Fuji is near Tokyo - no where near the area.
Going to Izu is a lot closer to Tokyo and more reasonable. See:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6310.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6305.html
Best of luck.
I will consider going to IZU peninsula, that's where we want to go. This is where I think we got confused. I would love to go to SHIRAHAMA BEACH located inside the IZU peninsula, not the one south of Osaka.
I been looking at google map and youtube and there are so many places surrounding that beautiful area of IZU
I been checking HYPERDIA.COM for train schedules.
We would like to set up a day trip for the IZU peninsula leaving from SHINAGAWA station on the SHINKANSEN KODAMA to ATAMI station
Now correct me if I am wrong but if I want to go to the IZU peninsula and our final stop will be IZU SHIMODA I will have to take the IZU Kyuko Line at ATAMI Station correct?
My second question would be, are the following trains covered by the JR National Rail Pass?
NARITA EXPRESS
SHINKANSEN KODAMA AND HIKARI
JR Ito Line for IZUKYU SHIMODA
JR TOKAIDO LINE
HAKONE TOZAN line to Lake Ashi and HAKONE Ropeway
(I notice that if we want to go to Lake Ashi we can catch Hakone Tozan Line at ODAWARA station.
My 3rd and last question would be, what is the best way to get to Lake Ashi? I noticed the Hakone Tozan line has beautiful scenery on the way there but is there a faster way or is that the only line due to the beautiful high mountains?
Once again thank you so much for everything. I appreciate you advice's and your time to answer. I will be buying the JR pass in the next couple weeks. Just want to make sure. This is the only area where we are thinking of going outside of Tokyo.
Thanks
THE Narita Express goes all the way to Mount Takao right? I am seeing that, just want to verify with you. thanks
For getting to places in Izu, please see:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6305.html
For Hakone, see:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5206.html
If you are only staying in the Kanto area, a JR Pass would be a big waste of money. Look at one of the regional passes listed on the above pages.
Yes, the N'Ex can go to Takao, but not all do. Just ask at Narita Airport when you make the seat reservations for your train (they are required).