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19 days in Japan with 14 day rail pass. Hakone free pass or activate railpass?

kiwihanoi
kiwihanoi
over 9 years ago
4 responses

Hi,

I have a couple of queries and I apologise if I'm repeating questions already asked! : )

I'm currently in Tokyo and due to go to Hakone on the 2nd of August.

I'm not sure whether to activate my 14 day JR pass or pay for the Hakone Free Pass. The pass seems a good idea as I can use it for the two days that I'm there. Also there are 2 Hakone passes with 2000 yen difference. The costing seems confusing on the website with 'surcharges' and I can't work out what my actual price would be. I'm in Shinjuku now so makes sense for me to take the Odakyu Romance train and not use the JRpass. I only need one way though as I'm going on to Kyoto. Is this the best bet and do I save by taking the HFpass ? Or should I buy the 1 way ticket (romance train) and pay for the individual journeys I use in Hakone ?
I'll check at the station tomorrow to see if I can clarify but any help or advice from you would be wonderful as my Japanese is pretty non existant : /

Lastly, could you run your eye over my itinerary and see if there is anything I need to concider? I think my journey from Kinosaki may involve a bit of changing trains and seems a long way.

My itinerary is as follows.

TOKYO - 4 nights (29th July -1st Aug)

HAKONE - 2 nights (2nd, 3rd)

KYOTO - 2 nights (4th, 5th)

KINOSAKI - 2 nights (6th, 7th)

HIROSHIMA - 2 nights ( 8th, 9th)

HIMEJI - 1 night

KOYA-SAN - 1 night

NARA - 1 night

KYOTO - 4 nights (fly out - 17th from Kansai airport Osaka)

Any advice would be great!

Best wishes,

Michelle

kiwihanoi
kiwihanoi
4 posts
over 9 years ago

Oh and I'm staying 2 minutes walk away from Gora Station : )

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 9 years ago
Expert

Hi Michelle,

How's Tokyo today? My friends told me it was way too hot.

For Hakone, why not go with the Romance car. It's a very scenic ride and popular as well. You could then use the JR Pass at a later time and use it for travel to Kansai Airport and perhaps within Kyoto as well. The difference in price won't be much in any event. You can use the Romance car with the Hakone Free Pass but an extra fare of 890 yen is required, since it's a special limited express train.

The rest of your itinerary looks great as well. Visiting Kinosaki is also something I would recommend. Travelling there is not very hard. Depending on the time you travel there may be one or two transfers. However there is also a direct connection available, if you plan it right. This is the train named the Kinosaki Express from Kyoto station. It departs at 11:25 and 13:25. They are the only direct train connection between Kyoto station and Kinosaki onsen, so be sure to book a ticket a day or so in advance to secure seating.

Hope this helps!
Daniel

kiwihanoi
kiwihanoi
4 posts
over 9 years ago

Hi Daniel,

Thanks so much. Yes, Tokyo was hot today. I live in Hanoi where it's a lot more humid so the temperature is fine for me, however, I walked a lot between galleries in Ropongi area and ended up spending just as much time stopping in cafes along the way. A long but good day. Lots of helpful people to sort me out with the metro too !
Great suggestion for Hakone. I have booked the romance train...... the Odakyu Line info desk at Shinjuku for the Odakyu train line were great and really helpful. All booked and I have a three day pass for Hakone as well so I can really make the most of my time there and get back to Odawara for the trip onward to Kyoto late afternoon. Very excited ! Feeling like I've had enough big city for now so greenery is welcome !
I will also check out the direct train to Kinosaki. Thanks for the tip and it will be great to book it straight away so I can enjoy Kyoto.

Many thanks,

Michelle

Last question. How about my trip from Kinosaki to Hiroshima?

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 9 years ago
Expert

Hi Michelle,

Kinosaki to Hiroshima is indeed a bit of a trip (276 Minutes in total). However the route is very straight forward. Take the train from Kinosaki to Shin-Osaka, from where you can use the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. In other words, it's only one transfer.

Hope this helps!
Daniel

kiwihanoi
kiwihanoi
4 posts
over 9 years ago

Magic... thanks Daniel.

I had hoped to avoid the back track but no worries. It is probably a better idea than lots of transfers on other lines. I'll look into it more once in Kyoto !

Hakone has been treating me very well. Sad to leave it tomorrow. Great hiking trails. Great antidote for city life.

Best ,

Michelle


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