Best JR pass - Tokyo/Kyoto/Nagoya/Kanazawa/Osaka

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  Tenjin

  October 2017

  Hi,
  You are still a long way from making a 14 day pass pay off. You could rearrange your trip:
  Go Tokyo-Nagoya-Kanazawa-Kyoto/Osaka.
  But then a 7 day pass comes up a little short. Backtracking makes little sense - it wastes time and you could be sightseeing instead of sitting on trains. So you do have quite a dilemma.
  Is there any special reason to see Nagoya? It's the most boring of all the big cities. If you went someplace else, like Himeji or Hiroshima/Miyajima, you might enjoy it more and get more pass value.
  
  March/April is not really high season. But once you have the pass, you can make free seat reservations.

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  vegemitelover

  October 2017

  Thanks - unfortunately we are restricted by how long we spend in Japan due to our flights which are booked.
  
  We are visiting Japan as we wish to see the Cherry Blossoms. We thought that Nagoya would be good as we understand that Nabana No Sato is a very good place to visit. We had thought about going to Kanazawa before Kyoto/Osaka but also want to see the Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto earlier in the trip.
  
  In relation to the pass, is it correct that you can only make seat reservations once you are in Japan (ie you can't book outside Japan)?

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  Tenjin

  October 2017 edited October 2017

  Well, if your primary interest is in the cherry blossoms, then keeping a flexible schedule is the best way in order to enjoy them. Unfortunately it is nearly impossible to accurately predict when they will start and peak until about a month before they do. But there are sites that try to forecast them, starting in around mid-February. You might look at them and check back with them from time to time to see what they forecast.
  http://www.jnto.go.jp/sakura/eng/index.php
  http://sakura.weathermap.jp/
  http://www.rurubu.com/season/spring/sakura/
  
  There is also a list of popular blossom places at:
  https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2011.html
  Places in Tokyo, especially on weekends, are extremely crowded.
  
  You may not be able to change your flight dates, but if you can change your travel in Japan, you can get the best out of your trip. Every year is a little different, and it's always a bit of the roll of the dice.
  
  If you can complete your itinerary
  Tokyo>Kyoto>Nagoya>Kanazawa>Osaka/Kyoto
  within 7 days, then a 7 day pass would pay off for you. It does mean splitting your time in Kyoto up to some time in the beginning and some time at the end. If not, then no pass really would pay off for you.
  
  Nabana No Sato is about a 45 minute bus ride from Nagoya (not covered by the pass).
  If you like gardens and flowers, one of the best is just northeast of Tokyo, the Hitachi Seaside Park.
  http://en.hitachikaihin.jp/
  Along with Kairakuen Garden in Mito, it makes a great day trip.
  
  You can see previews of some of the best places to see in Japan on:
  https://www.youtube.com/user/thejapanfaq/videos
  
  Hope that helps.
  

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  LuisJp

  October 2017

  If your prime goal is the cherry blossom hunting, do not book trains and hotels, just buy a Japan Rail Pass to move. The peak of cherry blossom lasts only a day or so. Chase the peaks, on a sunny day, with Shinkansen trains. There would be no nice rooms left. You may have to keep standing on a train. But that is a course of cherry blossom hunting.
  
  Consult the websites below. I could not find any good English sites, though.
  
  https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_de_floraison_des_cerisiers#Dates
  https://s.n-kishou.co.jp/w/sp/sakura/sakura_top.html
  http://sakura.weathermap.jp/
  https://www.rurubu.com/season/spring/sakura/kaikalist.aspx
  

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