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8 days Japan first time

my_jsh
my_jsh
almost 9 years ago
3 responses

Hi all,
I will be traveling to Japan for the first time in early June. I will have a JR 7 day pass. If I activate it on arrival on 2nd of June at narita airport, this will mean it will be valid from 2nd to 8th June, correct? Does this mean I can still use it for the whole day of 8th June or only until the time I first activated it (for eg. 9AM 2nd June to 9AM 8th June)?

I am traveling light and only have a medium backpack (less than 10kg) with me.

My itinerary so far is as follows:
2nd June Arrive Narita 730am. After collecting JR Pass when office opens, proceed to Nikko - Tokyo/Ueno to Nikko Station with JR pass via Utsunomiya.

3rd June - explore Nikko National Park area. Late evening, return to Tokyo. What time does evening rush hour begin and end? I will try to either leave early or later to avoid crowded trains. When is the last train leaving Nikko for Ueno via Utsunomiya? Or should I stay another night and catch an early morning train back to Tokyo? I must be back in Tokyo around 9am as I am meeting friends and we will go to Osaka together.

4th June - Osaka

5th June - Osaka - universal studios

6th June - Kyoto

7th June - daytrip to Hiroshima and Miyajima from Kyoto

8th June - Kyoto to Tokyo on early train. (since I activated my pass at narita let's say around 930AM, does it maen it expires on 930am 8th June, if so can I use the pass to get on a train back to Tokyo before 930AM?)

Please offer any tips or advice, appreciate it and thank you!
Joe

my_jsh
my_jsh
3 posts
almost 9 years ago

oh I forgot to mention I leave on 9th June on an early morning flight.

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
almost 9 years ago
Expert

Hi there,

Traveling light is great, I always try to pack 1 backpack or less as well. Good to know is that the JR Pass is counted in full days and the last day ends at midnight, this means that in your case the JR Pass is valid from the 2nd until end of the 8th.

Rush hour is around 4:30 - 7:30 although train travel within Tokyo is busy all day. If you wish to avoid some of the crowds, reserve a seat on the Shinkansen between Utsunomiya and Tokyo/Ueno station.

As for the return, the JR Pass is valid on the 8th all day, so just take the train when you like.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

my_jsh
my_jsh
3 posts
almost 9 years ago

Thanks Daniel, very helpful indeed, appreciate the reply. I am still making changes to my itinerary, thinking about skipping Universal and go to Yoshino instead to do some light hikes as I am much more interested in nature than man-made attractions. I noticed I can get there with a JR Pass to a station before transferring to a non-JR train.

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
almost 9 years ago
Expert

Hi there,

Yes you are correct, the JR Pass can be used to Yoshinoguchi, from there you will still have to use the Nankai (non JR) line to Yoshino.

It's one of the best Sakura spots in Japan!


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