Hi, We are a family of 4 adults travelling with a baby under 1 year. Our itinerary is -
Starting 8 Sept 2016 - 5 days in Tokyo then
14 Sept - Tokyo - Kanazawa (activating pass for this journey)
16 Sept -Kanazawa - Takayama
20 Sept -Takayama - Magome
22 Sept - Magome - Kyoto
27 Sept - Kyoto- Tokyo.
27 Sept - From Tokyo, 2 adults + baby depart from Narita Airport, and 2 grandparents go on to Hakadote, using JR. In Hokkaido we will rent a car, then fly back from Sapporo to Tokyo.
My questions are:
1. Should I buy a JR pass for 14 days? I had intended doing this, and think that it will cover travel from 14 Sept right till midnight 27 Sept.
2. For my husband (aged 70) who wants comfort, and because travelling with a baby we will have bit of extra luggage, he is keen on a Green Pass. Should we buy this?
3. As I see it, the options are -
a. buy an ordinary JR pass for 14 days, and pay for a Green upgrade to Hakadote for the 2 grandparents
b. buy a Green pass for everyone. But I understand that some trains do not have green cars.
c. cost is not the biggest factor, but of course we'd want to spend money wisely.
Appreciate any suggestions, regards, PLT
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Comments
A 14 day pass would pay off, definitely.
I've never found the ordinary bullet train seats lacking in anything.
You can see photos of both on:
https://www.quora.com/Is-the-first-class-Japan-Rail-Pass-ticket-much-better-than-the-regular
But if your husband wants the green seats, he can go for that if he wishes. There is no upgrading a rail pass or seat, however. So your first option won't work.
BTW you could save on a lot of time going from Takayama to Magome (Nakatsugawa Station) by paying for a bus instead of rail. This page has more info.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6079.html
A few suggestions though - first I'd say 3-4 days in Tokyo are quite enough. I suggest you take a day trip to a nearby place, and there are many good ones. Nikko is one, and the Tobu Nikko Free Pass is a great way to see it.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_002.html
You would likely love Edo Wonderland there as well.
http://edowonderland.net/en/
Hakone is another possibility, and the Hakone Free Pass can save you money.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_008.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5200.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5210.html
In my view 4 days in Takayama are too many. I'd say 2 days are enough (Shirakawago is well worth including too), and with those 2 days you can add to your time in Kyoto - don't skip Nara - it is one of Japan's best sights. Also nearby is Himeji with Japan's best castle. Or with an early morning start, you could see Hiroshima/Miyajima as a day trip.
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. On another evening, seeing Kobe for a while is possible too.
Sept 27 is doable, but it means 7½ hours of the day on trains. Pretty harsh.
You can see regular fares, routes and schedules on Hyperdia
http://www.hyperdia.com
Thanks for those tips and I'll certainly follow it up. We are doing day trips from Takayama - to Shirakawago and also to Kamakochi NP.
The bus option from Takayama to Magome is worth exploring. I found this info on the Japan Guide -
" From Takayama .... limited express train (45 minutes, 1620 yen) ... to Gero, transfer to a bus to Kashimo Sogojimusho-mae (加子母総合事務所前, 35 minutes, 1060 yen, one bus every 1-2 hours), and transfer to another bus to Nakatsugawa Station (one hour, 1340 yen, one bus every 1-3 hours).
This means about 2 hours of travel and 2 transfers with the last btw Kashimo S to Nakatsugawa Station being very infrequent. I also read somewhere else that Magome is beyond Nakatsugawa - which means another bus, and that will be 3 transfers unless the bus passes Magome before reaching Nakatsugawa Station. Could you please advise especially on the one bus every 1-3 hours?
Thanks very much! PLT
It's very simple by rail and the connections are very good, not to mention JR Pass coverage is a no-brainer.
Wide View Hida from Takayama to Minoota.
Transfer to the Taita Line bound for Tajimi.
At Tajimi, take the Chuo Line for Nakatsugawa.
Bus to Magome (560 yen fare).
I think that's the fastest route, instead of going through Nagoya which takes another 1 hour.
We've pretty much decided on the Green tickets.
I'm a bit nervous about the transfers though, I hear that the stops are only about a minute long. My husband talks about jamming the doors open with a suitcase to let our little party get out (you can imagine us with a stroller, travel cot etc) but I don't think that will go down very well with the law abiding Japanese!
We plan to send some of our bags to Kyoto from Takayama, but could you please advise on the transfers?
Very grateful for all your help,
PLT
Below is our Itinerary 12 NOV to 18 NOV (7 DAYS 6 NIGHT)
2 night-12 nov to 13 nov Stay at OSAKA, will go NARA for half day
2 night- 14 nov to 15 nov Stay at KYOTO
1 night- 16 nov Stay at SHIRAGAWAGO
1 night- 17 nov Stay at OSAKA
Kindly suggest what JR TOURIST PASS should we purchase?
Have a great time!