Hi to you all (and especially Tenjin (-:) ). I need help in deciding what is the most efficient and economical way to travel. What Pass to purchase. We travel 4 people but in the middle trip my son has to leave.
Here is our trip plan:
Date from-to # persons
29/09/2016 (Haneda Airport)Tokyo - Kyoto 4 persons
30/09/2016 Kyoto
01/10/2016 Kyoto
02/10/2016 Kyoto - Nara - Osaka
03/10/2016 Osaka - Mount Koya
04/10/2016 Mount Koya - Tokyo
05/10/2016 Tokyo
06/10/2016 Tokyo
07/10/2016 Tokyo
08/10/2016 Tokyo
09/10/2016 Tokyo
10/10/2016 Tokyo - Takayama 3 persons
11/10/2016 Takayama
12/10/2016 Takayama - Kanazawa
13/10/2016 Kanazawa
14/10/2016 Kanazawa - Matsumoto
15/10/2016 Matsumoto
16/10/2016 Matsumoto - Hakone
17/10/2016 Hakone (We may stay only 1 day at Hakone and return to tokyo)
18/10/2016 Hakone - Tokyo
19/10/2016 Tokyo
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Comments
Well, from what I can see, let's start with the easy stuff first. For going to Koyasan, look at getting a Koyasan World Heritage Ticket.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_012.html
And for Hakone, look at getting a Hakone Free Pass.
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/hakone/
A JR Pass would not help you much in going to either place.
For your son, I can't see any way how a rail pass will help him - he can make a 7 day pass almost pay off, but still a little short. However, if you are willing to do a day trip on Oct 5, then it could. There are many great places to see near Tokyo - Nikko, Karuizawa (the fall colours may be starting to come out), Izu, Kusatsu, Kamakura, etc.
For the rest of you, if you want to keep the order that you have things, then a 21 day pass will pay off - but it also means some backtracking. From Tokyo to Takayama is about 4½ hours by train, and another hour by bus (not covered by the pass) if you want to see Shirakawago.
It might make more sense to go from Koyasan to Kanazawa, then to Shirakawago & Takayama. But I don't know your son's last day in Japan for certain, and might mess things up.
In my view, 3-4 days in Tokyo is quite enough, and if you want to see some day trips as I mentioned, they can be well worth it. For your son, if he is still with you, a Tokyo Wide Pass can save a lot of money.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_06.html
I hope this gives you a few ideas.
my son leaves japan on the 10/10.16
0n the same date there is the Takayma festival - this is why we are heading there. 3.5 hours sounds a lot. we are not planing to visit Shirakawago.
We are planing on taking day trips out of tokyo: to Nikko and maybe to Kamakura.
So if i got it right - with a one day trip out of Tokyo on the 5/10 It might be a good idea to buy my son the jr pass?
where can i get more information about the Tokyo wide Pass? does the JR pass cover tokyo because if not maybe we should get this pass for the rest of us.
do you think a car for the second part of our trip will be a better idea?
again thank you very much for all the information.
yael
Yes, as I said, if your son takes a day trip from Tokyo on the last day of having a 7 day pass, it would more than break even. For Kamakura and Nikko, there are separate regional passes for those places too:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_002.html
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/enoshima_kamakura/
But you could also use a JR Pass or Tokyo Wide Pass to go there as well. Use whichever suits you best.
The link I gave you already regarding the Tokyo Wide Pass pretty much tells you all you need to know already. But the official page is at
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/tokyowidepass/
If you're only staying in Tokyo then the Tokyo Wide Pass is just a waste of money.
Neither the Tokyo Wide Pass nor the JR Pass covers city subways etc, although the Tokyo Wide Pass actually does cover a few non-JR rail lines. The JR Pass works best for long distance travel, but the Tokyo Wide Pass is only for Tokyo and nearby areas. For Tokyo subways, there is a good 2 or 3 day pass though:
http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/value/travel/index.html#anc03
Renting a car makes sense only if you're ready for Japanese driving (British style), and you are going someplace isolated like the mountains or countryside where there is no or little public transportation. For example, if you wanted to see the Noto Peninsula from Kanazawa, renting a car would be the ideal way to see it. Otherwise fuel is expensive, tollways aren't cheap, and parking especially in big cities is a real migraine.
As i see it now we will follow your first advise: buying 1 7-day pass and for the rest of us 3 weeks pass.
Hope you can answer another few questions..
1. on the 10/10 we are planing to go to takayama. is it possible to make a reservation on the internet for the JR pass?
2. how soon can we do it (i know it is going to be very crowded).
3. Do you think we need to reserve our trip for the next folowing days (kanazawa and the Alpine Route)
4. and for the Alpine route - can i buy the pass online in advance?
again thank you for your patience
yael
For seats and other info regarding the Alpine-Takayama-Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass, see:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_alpen.html
http://touristpass.jp/en/alpine/
Yes you can buy the pass in advance. Be sure to read the info on the exchange order validity though carefully.
Good luck.
thank you