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24 days in Japan using JR Pass :)

ccanham
ccanham
over 8 years ago
10 responses

Hi Again,

After taking your previous advice and doing a lot more research through your forum and online, we've revised our itinerary as follows.

Please advise if this is do-able and any input is very much appreciated. Please confirm that the 21 JR Rail Pass is worthwhile for this travel - I'm pretty sure it will be and that we will do a bit more travel using the pass during this trip. I would envisage we start the 21 day pass on Day 5, this will then take us all the way to the airport on the way home.

Day 1 - BRISBANE – TOKYO
Day 2 - TOKYO
Day 3 - TOKYO
Day 4 - TOKYO
Day 5 - TOKYO - NIKKO - TOKYO
Day 6 - TOKYO – ENOSHIMA / KAMAKURA – TOKYO
Day 7 - TOKYO – NAGANO - YAMANOUCHI
Day 8 - YAMANOUCHI - JIGOKUDANI SNOW MONKEY PARK - NAGANO

Unsure about the best option for Days 9 to 12, from Toyama should we stay at Takayama or Kanazawa, then sightsee the surrounding area and travel to Osaka - I read in another forum that you mentioned - "traveling to Takayama via Nagoya as this is a very beautiful train ride" - would this apply if we travel from Takayama to Osaka ??? Your feedback here is required :)

Day 9 - NAGANO- SHINANO-OMANICHI –ALPINE SCENIC ROUTE –TOYAMA - ?? TAKAYAMA OR NAKAZAWA ??
Day 10 - ? TAKAYAMA OR NAKAZAWA ?
Day 11 - ? TAKAYAMA OR NAKAZAWA ? – SHIRAKAWA-GO - TAKAYAMA OR NAKAZAWA ?
Day 12 - ? TAKAYAMA OR NAKAZAWA ? - OSAKA

Can we leave our luggage at Osaka/major train station for a few days whilst we travel to Hiroshima to avoid carrying luggage whilst visiting Koya-San, Himeji & Kurashiki or should we take luggage?? I understand there is luggage transfers but this is only useful when arriving the same day - is that correct or will the transfer company deliver the luggage on a certain day??? Hope you can assist with this query - appreciate it.

Day 13 - OSAKA
Day 14 - OSAKA – KOYA-SAN
Day 15 - KOYA-SAN – OSAKA – HIMEJI - HIROSHIMA
Day 16 - HIROSHIMA – MIYAJIMA - HIROSHIMA
Day 17 - HIROSHIMA
Day 18 - HIROSHIMA – KURASHIKI – KYOTO
Day 19 - KYOTO
Day 20 - KYOTO – NARA – KYOTO
Day 21 - KYOTO

Another query - we considered Hakone (but with the recent seismic activity this may not be a good option), we are thinking of basing ourselves either at 5 Lakes - Lake Kawaguchiko or Fujisan - what would you recommend?

Day 22 - KYOTO - ?? 5 LAKES - Lake Kawaguchiko OR FUJISAN ??
Day 23 - 5 LAKES OR FUJISAN
Day 24 - 5 LAKES OR FUJISAN – TOKYO

What area in Tokyo is the Airport train's direct line/stations - we would like to book the last night in a Tokyo hotel near the direct Airport train line to avoid transfers and delays.

Day 25 - TOKYO - BRISBANE (late PM flight)

Thanks for any/all advice offered.

FYI - We are 2 adults in our 50's travelling from 11 October so hoping to sight some beautiful autumn foliage during our travels, and will purchase the JR Pass when the time is right as at the moment it is still too far away to arrange.

Many many thanks guys :)

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 8 years ago
Expert

Hello there,

Starting with the JR Pass, you've included plenty of travel and will be able to make good savings using a 21 day JR Pass. Additionally the jR Pass will work as a single ticket for most of your travel, making it convenient to get around.

Travel around the Japanese alps can also be quite confusing, since routing is not always possible in a direct way. However I think that the route Nagano - Shinna-Omachi - Alpine route - Toyama - Takayama - Osaka looks good. You could also add in Kanazawa after Toyama. Do you mean Kanazawa btw instead of Nakazawa?

You can leave your luggage at coin lockers, generally up to 72 hours. Be sure to check the time on the coin lockers beforehand. Alternatively a delivery service can be used, you can ask to deliver your luggage a couple of days later but there's a limit. So be sure to inquire with them before hand. There are different services available, such as Yamamoto transport and Sagawa transport.

As for Hakone/Fuji, Hakone has indeed been experiencing a lot of volcanic activity lately and different places are closed of. You may indeed be better of spending time near Kawaguchiko and the Fuji Five Lakes, the only downside is that it takes about 6 hours of travel to get there from Kyoto. If you don't want to spend that much time traveling in one day, you could consider the Izu Peninsula instead. As it also has a wonderful view of Fuji - be it a bit further away.

Most major stations in Tokyo are served by the Narita Express, the most frequent being Tokyo and Shinagawa stations. Consider staying near them if you want easy access to Narita Airport.

Hope this helps!
Daniel

ccanham
ccanham
10 posts
over 8 years ago

Thank you for replying so promptly Daniel-san, apologies I did mean Kanazawa - typo !!

Can you explain what you mean by 'single ticket' please?

Do you think this is possible ?? Otherwise we will just avoid Kanazawa if too rushed.

19/10 - from Toyama to Kanazawa - staying overnight
20/10 - sightseeing Kanazawa for a couple of hours then travel to Takayama - overnight Takayama
21/10 - sightseeing Shirakawa-Go, and Hida City (time permitting), then return to Takayama overnight
22/10 - Takayama to Osaka

Thank you for confirming the luggage storage and transfer service :)

Will need to do some research on Izu Peninsula - this may be another alternative if we choose to avoid Hakone and Five Lakes - we hadn't considered this before - thank you for this suggestion.

Great advice as usual Daniel-san......it certainly does help.

Carole

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 8 years ago
Expert

Hi again!

I hoped so, as Nakazawa is a really small remote place and had no idea what you'd be doing there :)

The itinerary 19/10 - 22/10 looks good, although I would skip Hida city and visit Takayama old town instead. Much better :)

Glad to hear it helped, let me know if I can help with anything else!
Daniel

TrevorPeace
TrevorPeace
8 posts
over 8 years ago

Daniel-san, if you're not a travel agent, you should be. :-)

Ccanham, your itinerary indicates you've done some research, but I fear a little too much. One of the nicest things about a JR Pass is the freedom it gives you to take day trips you hadn't thought about, or which may be more attractive than your plans due to a slight weather anomaly (or your reluctance to ask the hotel clerk what s/he might do on a day off!).

Indeed, get your 21-day pass - there's no better way to zoom-zoom around Japan (unless you get the ANA five-flights for $500 deal, but then you have the bother of airports and transportation from them to where you're going - something that takes more than a newbie's first-time ability to plan; no offense, been there every year for ten years, for a minimum of three months each year).

I'd spend a night in Kamakura - I will, when I return there (look up Goodwill Guides for that city and you'll be lucky to find my friend, 'Andy'). Also, alter your itinerary to spend a few nights in Shizuoka or Numazu, for an incredible view of Fuji, among other things.

Don't miss Arashiyama, in Kyoto, either! Nor the Golden Temple. And if you're into the food, you must walk the Nishiki market.

All of these suggestions are JR Pass compatible.

Have fun!

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 8 years ago
Expert

Hi TrevorPeace,

First of all welcome to the forum and thank you for posting.

I'm always happy to read other peoples opinions or personal experiences. I see you posted a couple already and I very much enjoyed reading them.

I see you've been traveling a lot in Japan, even so, let me know if there's anything I can help you with.
-Daniel

TrevorPeace
TrevorPeace
8 posts
over 8 years ago

Hai, Daniel-san. Itsumo sumimasen. Keep up the good work!

ccanham
ccanham
10 posts
over 8 years ago

Thanks Trevor for your input.

You are correct Daniel-san has been a HUGE help with helping us arrange our trip. Yes, I have done a lot of research to get the maximum out of this trip, (I do this with all our trips LOL - must be due to being a Tour Organiser in my past job), and there will, no doubt be places that we won't get to see due to time/weather restraints, etc but there will also be sights that we won't expect to see along the way and that will be the added bonus.

The JR pass will be fab and we will try to locate hotels/ryokans etc that are situated close to the stations to avoid taxi transfers etc and we can then arrive late without too many worries of finding the places in the dark (hopefully). We want to avoid flying during this trip - too time consuming checking in and getting to/from airports.

We will definitely visit Kamakura, Arashiyama in Kyoto and the Golden Temple, as well as the eateries at Nishiki market - thanks for these suggestions.

I'll research Shizuoka / Numazu further, as ATM we have a few days before departure to view Mt Fuji so this is still a little in the air, with Hakone, Five Lakes, your two options as well as Izu as per Daniel-san's advice - many options.

Thanks heaps - so looking forward to experiencing all that Japan has to offer us and hoping to see some amazing foliage along the way.

Carole :)

TrevorPeace
TrevorPeace
8 posts
over 8 years ago

Carole-san, let us know how it goes, onegai shimas.
Daniel-san, mata kimas, rai-nen, shi-gatsu - roku-gatsu. It would be nice to meet you.
To both of you, I will watch this thread for good news and smiles.

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 8 years ago
Expert

@TrevorPeace

Do let me know when you'll be around. We may just be able to share a beer or two.


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