Hi,
I will be in Japan starting in late October for 11 days. I'm looking for some feedback from a big picture perspective (as I don't have my full itinerary set at the moment) as well as making sure my travel needs are correct. As of now I am thinking I will get the 7-day JR pass. Thank you in advance for your time and assistance!
- Day 1 (Oct. 26th): Land at Haneda at 05:00 (early morning arrival), go to Tokyo, go directly to Kyoto via Hikari Shinkansen (thus activating my 7-day JR pass), I figure we'll be in Kyoto at around 12:00 (noon) after leaving Tokyo at about 09:00. Check in to our hotel. This will give us about 3-4 hours to explore Kyoto, and then possibly head to Osaka later on in the day after the Kyoto temples close.
- Day 2 (Oct. 27th) through Day 4 (Oct. 29th): Explore more of Kyoto, Osaka, possibly Hiroshima (as time allows) via the 7-day JR pass. Again, I don't have my entire itinerary laid out, but I definitely plan to soon! I also plan to get a subway or bus pass to save some money on trips around Kyoto.
- Day 5 (Oct. 30th): Depart Kyoto for Tokyo via Hikari Shinkansen, arrive in Tokyo around 12:00, check in to our hotel, giving us the rest of the day to explore. Checking out Shibuya in the evening if the Halloween festivities have commenced.
- Day 6 (Oct. 31st): More exploring of Tokyo, heading back to Shibuya for Halloween. I really want to be back in Tokyo for Halloween.
- Day 7 (Nov. 1st) through Day 11 (Nov. 5th): At least one of these days will be used to go to the Five Fuji Lakes (really want to get a good look at Mt. Fuji) and further enjoy our time in Tokyo. On day 7 the JR pass will expire, but my plan is to get a Suica when I arrive in Tokyo for convenience.
On Day 11 (Nov. 5th) my flight departs at 22:55, so I still have most of the final day available.
Some of my particular questions are:
- Is the 7-day pass the right option for this trip? From what I saw, the cost of a round trip from Tokyo to Kyoto and back again would be around $400 USD (or about 40,000 Yen). While the JR pass is about $270.
- Is there anything else I can use my JR pass for while in Kyoto/Osaka/Kyoto?
- I'd love to hear some feedback as far as my overall plan. I realize there's not much to go off, but if I'm "doing this all wrong", I'd like to hear about it
- I planned on using the Suica (for convenience as I understand it doesn't save money really) while traveling around Tokyo. Is this a good idea? I'm mostly doing the basic stuff around Tokyo.
Thank you again so much!
Comments
Just a few observations....
One is that you are giving the Kansai area too little time. At the very least stay there an extra day, and on the evening of Oct 30 go to Tokyo. You could make a 7 day pass pay off handsomely by including Hiroshima/Miyajima, and you can in fact go there as a day trip with an early morning start.
Your info on the cost of regular tickets is incorrect though. Use a site like www.hyperdia.com to calculate rail fares and schedules. The lowest price ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto for an unreserved ordinary seat is ¥13,080 one way.
http://bit.ly/29IrT9b
So a 7 day pass wouldn't pay off - but with the trip to Hiroshima added in, or even to just Himeji to see Japan's best castle, you would really save some money.
If you don't want to go beyond Kansai, then there is a better deal for you - the Japanican discount ticket to Kyoto or Osaka.
http://www.japanican.com/en/tour/detail/VJOPENTK1/
As for Tokyo, you are putting in too much time. Basically I'd say 3-4 days are plenty. If you want to see the Fuji area (either the 5 lakes or Hakone), look into using one of the Odakyu passes:
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/
You could also take some good day trips on a Tokyo Wide Pass:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_06.html
You could go up and see Nikko, which is one of Japan's best sights.
You could also go and see Karuizawa, where your timing is perfect to see the fall colors coming in. It is quite easy to get your money's worth and then some on the Tokyo Wide Pass.
Within Tokyo, you could save some money with a 2 or 3 day subway pass:
http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/value/travel/index.html#anc03