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Trip for 18 days

Greetings,

My friends and I are traveling to Japan between June 12-June 29, visiting various cities.We are debating whether or not to get a rail pass. I think it might be a good idea, but let me share our itinerary so maybe you can get a better idea and help me out. They are saying it might be ok to do it individually while we are there. The schedule is as follows:

Day 1-2 In Tokyo (don't need one yet as we can use a metro pass)

Day 3-5 Kyoto, then Train to Osaka

Day 6-7 Osaka, then Train to Kobe (Day 7)

Day 7 Osaka and then Train to Hiroshima

Day 7-9 Hiroshima, then flight to Okinawa

Day 9-13 Okinawa (We will obviously not need the pass here, we are renting a car in Okinawa) Flight back to Tokyo

Day 14-Day 18 Tokyo

Also something to consider is that we will be commuting to different areas while in the various cities.

Thinking a 7 day pass might work, but not sure if it's necessary. I appreciate the help anyone can give!

-Ken

Comments

  • Hi,
    If you use a 7 day pass to go from Tokyo to Hiroshima and back to Kansai, it would pay off. That would mean using a pass Days 3-9.

    While in Kansai, you should definitely spend at least half a day in Nara since it has some of Japan's best sights. It's unclear what you are doing with 2-3 days in Hiroshima. There is Hiroshima City and Miyajima, but you can cover both in a full day with an early morning start. Iwakuni is just beyond Miyajima and well worth it, plus there is Onomichi, Okunoshima (Bunny Island), and in Yamaguchi the Akiyoshido Cave is just mind blowing.

    For some day trips from Tokyo, you can use a Tokyo Wide Pass.
    http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_06.html
    There is Nikko, Kamakura/Enoshima, Kusatsu, Karuizawa, Takao, Okutama, the Hitachi Seaside Park, and Izu, to name a few.

    For within Tokyo, there is a good 2-3 day subway pass:
    http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/value/travel/index.html#anc03

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

  • Hello, Ken.

    It depends entirely on what airports you're using. I mean, Hiroshima does have an airport. That option would be more straightforward and would actually make the JR Pass unnecessary.

    But if you're flying full service carriers on minor airports, travel expenses quickly add up anyway.
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