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3 days of travel in the Alps - does this itinerary work?

Hello,
We are a family of 5 who will travel from Tokyo to Magome so that we can walk to Tsumago, and then spend the night in a Ryokan in Nagano, Nagiso, Azuma. The following day we will travel to Takayama and spend two nights in a Ryokan and exploring the area. From Takayama we will go to Kyoto.

My questions are as follows:

- Assuming we have a JR Rail pass, are there trains available for this itinerary that will be covered by the rail pass? If so, can you please advise on which ones?

- And is it feasible to go from Tokyo to our Ryokan in Nagano, Nagiso in one day, with a stop in Magome/Tsumago to do the walk?

- Finally, are there any cheap accommodations at Haneda airport for a family of 5? I'm hoping that we can use the last day of our JR Rail Pass to take the monorail to Haneda, and then spend the night at the airport for an early morning departure.

THANK YOU!!!!!

Comments

  • You can take a train most of the way to Magome or Tsumago, but there is only bus access to either. It's about 3 hours by train to Nakatsugawa via Nagoya - after that, you can take a bus.
    This site has more info:
    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6078.html
    You can see the Kiso Valley in a day, and then go to your ryokan.
    You don't give enough info on whether a rail pass would even pay off for you or not. You can try and run your plans through the rail pass calculator.
    http://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/
    You also didn't say if you're going to Shirakawago from Takayama. You'd need to pay for a bus to reach it, though it only takes a few hours to see (and expect a ton of Chinese tourists overrunning the place during the day). If you see it, don't miss the village overlook. If not, then in Takayama City there is the Hida-Takayama Folk Village which is very good. I took my kid also to the Risu no Mori squirrel park not too far away (closed Mondays).
    http://kankou.city.takayama.lg.jp/2000575/2000576/2000903.html
    If interested, on the other side of the city, there is the Hida Great Limestone Cave but you'll need a bus or taxi there too.
    https://www.syonyudo.com

    Near Haneda, there are several inexpensive hotels. One is the Toyoko Inn chain with a free breakfast. Not fancy, but clean, quiet and convenient. I doubt they have a room for 5 though unless your kids are very young.
    https://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/

    You can see train schedules, times, fares, connections etc at
    http://www.hyperdia.com
    If using the JR Pass, under "More Options", be sure to uncheck the Nozomi box since you can't ride that train using the pass.

    Also, you can look at some previews of some of the best places to see in Japan on:
    https://www.youtube.com/user/thejapanfaq/videos

    There are also loads of other tips on
    http://www.thejapanfaq.com/the-best-japan-travel-tips/

    Best regards.
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