We are a family group of 6 seniors, planning to visit Osaka, Nara, Kobe and Kyoto as well as Tokyo and nearby areas. We would like to know what JR passes would work best for our 9-day itinerary.
We will arrive in Osaka airport at 10:15 pm of Sep 15 and we will stay around the Shin-Osaka area for 2 to 3 nights and perhaps one night in Kyoto (hotels are not booked yet). We plan to visit Osaka, Nara, Kobe and Himeji (if possible) and finally Kyoto. On the late evening of Sep 19 or Sep 20, we plan to take the Shinkansen to Tokyo. We will be in Tokyo until Sep 24 when we fly out of Narita airport at 6:30 pm.
Which JR pass should be buy while in the Kansai area and can you please suggest a 4-5 day itinerary for Osaka, Nara, Kobe and Kyoto (plus Himeji if possible). Would visiting Hiroshima be possible with our 9-day itinerary?
Should we buy the 7-day JR Pass and when should we activate this pass? We have booked cancellable 4 to 5 nights hotel near the Nihombashi station. We have been to Tokyo many years before so we would be interested in visiting Mt Fuji, Nikko and other interesting cities. What would you suggest?
We look forward to your suggestions!
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Comments
1) Do the day trip to Hiroshima/Miyajima
or
2) Take a day trip to Himeji, as well as a day trip in the Tokyo area as well (e.g. Nikko, Karuizawa, Izu, Kusatsu, etc).
If you do both 1 & 2, then you really get some massive savings.
The more long distance travel you do on the Pass, especially by bullet train, the more savings you get. If you don't mind a slightly faster paced itinerary, I suggest you use the 7 day JR Pass for Sept 18-24, and travel to Tokyo in the evening on Sept 20. Sept 18 you can go to Himeji and see the castle, Kokoen garden next door and go to the top of Mt. Shosha to see the huge temple complex.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3500.html
On the way back, if you still have some energy, you could spend the evening in Kobe. From Shin-Osaka to Himeji by bullet train it only takes about 30 minutes.
Hiroshima/Miyajima can be done as a day trip with an early morning start. You can see the main sights in Hiroshima City in the morning (Peace Park/Museum, castle, Shukkeien Garden) and go to Miyajima.
Miyajima is by far one of the biggest tourist draws in the area, but aside from the Itsukushima Shrine with the giant "floating" torii, the Daishoin Temple is also a must-see place. There are several other pagodas and temples, and climbing Mt. Misen offers a fantastic view over the whole area if you have the stamina for the 30 minute climb after riding the ropeway.
By doing both trips on Sept 18-19, your pass would be good until Sept 24, and you could still use the Pass for the Narita Express to the airport (saving about $30 per person), which is the most convenient way to go. If too rigorous, then maybe use the Pass Sept 17-23, and to go to Narita, use the cheap ¥1000 bus.
http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/
Since you are already seeing Tokyo, you can largely skip Osaka during the day. After the temples of Kyoto close down around 5PM, you can zip over to Osaka for the evening. At night the city comes alive and has some great places to see, such as Dotonbori, plus the night views from the Umeda Sky Bldg and Abeno Harukas Bldg are wonderful.
Seeing Nikko would be a great way to add value to your pass and see one of Japan's best sights. Karuizawa is another.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6030.html
For Mt Fuji, Hakone makes a good full day trip and there is a regional pass for there as well.
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/hakone/
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5200.html
The Loop Course is a great way to go.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5210.html
This has some good info on getting out from the airport:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2033.html
Normally I'd say the Icoca & Haruka ticket would be a good item, but you are arriving too late at night to take advantage of it. There are numerous other possibilities though. Not sure on what you mean for the day passes. Kyoto has a 500 yen bus day pass which is good, and Osaka has the Osaka Amazing Pass, that with its discounted admissions might be worthwhile.
http://www.osaka-info.jp/osp/en/index.html
Otherwise getting around between Kyoto/Nara/Osaka is not too pricey and hard to make a pass worth it. A Hankyu Tourist Pass might help you though:
http://www.kansai360.net/en/ticket/
Good luck.
We have booked the Amagasaki Central Hotel (near the Amagasaki Hanshin station) for 2 nights including the night of arrival on Sep 15 at 10:15 pm. Is our arrival time too late for us to take the JR Rapid Express train (Haruko?) up to Nishikujo station, then transferring to the Hanshin Line to Amagasaki Hanshin station? If so, please provide another transportation option.
Thanks again for all your help.
I just checked the Osaka train map and it looks like Amagasaki is too far to travel late at night so we are thinking of switching hotel. Which Osaka areas should we look for hotel stay that would have late night local train availability? Please suggest 2 or 3 areas.
Thank you in advance for your assistance!
I have not stayed at any hotels that you mention, nor do I know your budget, so I can't give any honest recommendations regarding that.
You'll arrive too late to take the Haruka train, there are a couple of other trains, as you can see on:
http://www.hyperdia.com
But actually, you'll probably arrive in Japan quite tired, and if I were in your situation I'd just find a hotel near the airport for the night, and the next morning get the Icoca & Haruka ticket.
Best of luck.
I think we have a better idea of what we want to do with our 7-day JR Pass. We will activate it on Sep 18. Can you please help with the train and time please?
Sep 16 - Osaka (what one or 2-day pass should we buy for our use in Osaka and Kyoto the next day?)
Sep 17 - Kyoto
Sep 18 - Kyoto to Himeji: Hikari line from Kyoto 08:00, arriving at Himeji 08:57 We will visit the castle and the garden. I think Mt. Shosha is a bit of a steep hike and I don't think we (8 seniors) can manage this, so we are thinking of going back. Should we spend the afternoon in Kobe or to Nara?
Sep 19 - Kyoto to Hiroshima: Hikari line from Kyoto 07:20, arriving at Hiroshima 09:06. What train should we take back to Kyoto? Sakura line 17:17 to Shin-Osaka 18:42? Then we take local train back to Kyoto?
Sep 20 - Kyoto to Tokyo:Hikari line from Kyoto 17:33 to Tokyo 20:10
Sep 21 - Tokyo
Sep 22 - Mt Fuji day trip (maybe join the Japanica tour)
Sep 23 - Nikko and return (what train and time to / from Nikko)
Sep 24 - Tokyo then at 15:00 take the Narita Express for our 18:30 flight out of NRT
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
If you're staying by the airport the first night and then going into Osaka on the 16th, I'd get the Icoca & Haruka ticket. If you're already in Osaka on the 15th, then just paying regular fare is fine - getting around is not that high.
If you need to choose between Kobe and Nara, definitely pick Nara. I love Kobe, but Nara has some of Japan's absolute best places like Todaiji Temple.
http://bit.ly/2auyQfl
Most of the best is in the Nara Park area. You can catch a bus from Nara Stn, take 2 taxis for 8 people, or walk the 20 minutes to the park. Feed the hungry deer, see Kofukuji Temple, Kasuga Shrine, plus the Isuien & Yoshikien Gardens too if you like.
As far as bullet trains go, just don't get on any Nozomi or Mizuho trains, which you can't ride on the full JR Pass. Use Hyperdia above to check schedules for Hiroshima, Nikko etc.