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Chiba City - Kobe- Kyoto and thereabouts

We will be 2 adults visiting in late August and early September.
One of us will be attending a conference in Chiba City for 3 days with no time for travel.

Our travel plans are:
Day 1 Su Night: arrive Narita (after 20:00) & continue to Chiba City

Day 2-Day 4 (Mon-Wed) Only 1 adult taking individual day trips, returning to Chiba daily. Those destinations are still undecided, but prefer places less than 2 hours away from Chiba City.

Day 5 Th Morning travel (Shinkansen) from Chiba to Kobe
Day 6 Fr Kobe (no traveling)
Day 7 Sa Kobe (no traveling)

Day 8 Su Kobe to Kyoto
Day 9 Mo Nara or Kyoto
Day 10 Tu Kyoto or Nara
Day 11 We Kyoto
Day 12 Th Morning travel from Kyoto to airport (KIX) for 12 pm noon departure

What rail ticket arrangements would you recommend for this itinerary?
Will the JR Pass be more economical than individual tickets?

Thank you for your help!

Comments

  • Hi,
    Given the length of your trip and the one way route down to Kansai, no pass would pay off for your plans. But for your time alone taking day trips, you could get some savings on a Tokyo Wide Pass.
    http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_06.html
    You can take the Narita Express from Chiba Stn and be at Tokyo Stn in 25 minutes - from there the whole area is wide open.

    It's good for the whole Kanto area. You do raise the question of why you don't show any interest in seeing Tokyo itself - did you see it before, or just hate big cities?

    You will be in Japan at one of the hottest and worst times, when it's extremely sticky and muggy. Get ready to sweat your behind off. I suggest you go to some mountainous areas and get some relief. One of the better areas you can see is Karuizawa.
    http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6030.html

    Another area that's extremely popular is Nikko and would make a great escape for you.
    http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3800.html

    If you want another gem, there is the Hitachi Seaside Park, which is one of the finest in the country.
    http://en.hitachikaihin.jp/
    Along the way in Mito is the Kairakuen Garden, one of Japan's traditional Top 3.

    In Kansai you should definitely not miss Nara. On another day, you could also see Himeji with Japan's finest castle. If you do this, a one day Kansai Area Pass would pay off well.

    You can see previews of some of the best places to see in Japan on:
    https://www.youtube.com/user/thejapanfaq/videos
  • Thank you very much for the information! Prefer to stay out of big cities this time, but your suggestions _are_ tempting. Another question: Do the Tokyo Wide Pass and Kansai Area day pass need to be purchased outside of Japan? And as for the summer weather, thanks for your concern. We're used to it, coming from a country with a similar climate :)
  • Another question came to mind. Is it better to pre-book and prepay for Shinkansen tickets, or is it fine to just buy them on the day of travel? Thanks again for your help.
  • Hi,
    Nearly all regional passes can be bought in Japan. Actually the full JR Pass can now be bought in Japan too, though it's about 15% more expensive in Japan.
    For the Tokyo Wide Pass please note that you can't get it at Chiba Stn. You can buy it in Narita Airport and set a future date as your first date.
    Please remember that the day you activate it for to use counts as Day One - which starts and ends at midnight. So if you activate it to use it that day at 8 PM, your first "day" is just 4 hours long.
    There are shinkansen leaving every 10 minutes or so for the fastest train, the Nozomi, so buying them on the day you travel is usually fine, except for the busiest times like New Years or 'Golden Week' (end of April/early May).

    If this is your first time in Japan, I recommend you go to a hot spring at least once...the most convenient for you since you are going there anyway is in Kobe, at Arima Onsen.

    Bon Voyage
  • Thank you again. Your generous, helpful advice is very much appreciated.
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