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Summer trip using JRP

Hello,

Me and my girlfiend are considering to make a summer trip through Japan. We would like to visit as many places as we can in between 15 days in the second half of July this year (2015).

Our plan is below:
- Day 1 arrival to Tokyo (Haneda or Narita - it depends what we find)
- Day 2,3 in Tokyo
- Day 4,5 in Sapporo (using JRP)
- Day 6 back in Tokyo (using JRP)
- Day 7,8,9 in Hiroshima (every day making a trip using JRP, for example to Itsukushima Shrine, Kagoshima, Takamatsu, Okayama, or other)
- Day 10,11 in Kyoto (using JRP)
- Day 12 trip to Suzuka circuit and then to the beach by rented car
- Day 13 trip to Mt. Fuji or to the beach again by rented car
- Day 14 back to Tokyo by rented car
- Day 15 fly back home (from Haneda or Narita - it depends what we find)

So this is our plan, we would like to book a 7 day JRP and then we are planning to rent a car for 3 days. This plan might change until we get to it.

Our questions:
1. Do you think we can manage this plan in 15 days?
2. Will the Ordinary JRP be enough for us if we will be carrying 2 bigger luggages (with wheels) and 2 backpacks with us?
3. If we will already have the JRP, can we just "hop in" to any train covered by JRP and take a place to sit anywhere on the train?
4. I was searching a lot, but I coudn't find a map with JR Buses which are covered with JRP, do you know about any?
5. We would like to bring only an Android tablet with us, so will it be enough if we rent a SIM card for 33€?
6. What is your opinion on this type of trip?
7. Do you find those places worth to visit?
8. Do you know about any beaches near to Nagoya? (If there will be good weather, we would like to try).

Any additional advice will help us to make decisions, like "don't go to Sapporo, rather try city of Akita..."

Thank you!

Comments

  • Hi Robert,

    Your plan sounds very exciting, and most of it is doable with a few tweaks. Firstly bare in mind that your itinerary using the JR Pass is more than 7 consecutive days, so you will probably need to get a 14 day pass. The national pass will cover you for the entire country, so you do not need to worry about it. As far as buses go, please have a look at our website here:

    http://www.japan-rail-pass.com/common-questions/which-bus-lines-are-available-with-the-japan-rail-pass

    Also something you will need to take into consideration is your visit to Sapporo. If you are going entirely by train, know that this can take up to 10 hours, if not more. In this case, you may have to reshuffle your plans a bit, as you will be losing one day in travel. Perhaps stay closer to Tokyo and do a few day trips from there, leaving Sapporo for another time. Or if you can, go by plane.

    If you can we would suggest packing light, as there is no designated luggage area on the shinkansen. It is always possible to have your bigger items sent from one place to another, but as it seems you will be on the move quite a lot, this might not necessarily be ideal:

    http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html

    Our sim card work on all unlocked iPhone, iPad devices, and Android, so this will be great fro staying connected while in Japan!

    Kind regards,

    Japan Experience
  • Thank you for your explanation and advices, those were very helpful for us. We will think about how to set our trip as good as we can.
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