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Travel in Japan in December

lkaren52
lkaren52
over 10 years ago
4 responses

Hello,

We are US passport holders and will be traveling to Japan from December 21st to 31st - about ten days. We plan to cover these cities: Tokyo>Hakone>Kyoto>Osaka

I guess my question is does the rail pass also provide travel in between cities? I am not sure if they can be use on the Bullet Train rides. Here is more details:

Dec 21st : HND airport > Tokyo
Dec 25th: Tokyo > Hakone
Dec 26th : Hakone > Kyoto
Dec 29th: Kyoto > Osaka
Dec 31st: Osaka > HND

Given the pass is only good for 7 days - if we were to purchase one: would it make sense to get it as we are leaving Tokyo? What is the best suggestion you have for purchasing the pass based on our iten?

Thank you so much for your help!
Karen

lkaren52
lkaren52
4 posts
over 10 years ago

Actually I guess the last leg is:

Dec 31st: Osaka > ITM airport

Thanks!

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 10 years ago
Expert

Hi Karen,

The JR Pass will cover all your travel, including the Shinkansen (Bullet trains) and Tokyo Mono rail. I looked at ticket prices to see if a JR Pass would be of use:

Tokyo - Odawara (for Hakone) ¥ 3,640
Odawara - Kyoto ¥ 11,950
Kyoto - Osaka ¥ 540
Osaka - ITM ¥ 620 (by bus not covered by JRP).

This would not cover the price of the 7 day JR Pass 28,300yen. So I think you would be best off buying normal tickets as you travel.

Getting to Itami Airport can be a little confusing so I would recommend reading this Guide on how to get there best.

Have a great trip!
Daniel

lkaren52
lkaren52
4 posts
over 10 years ago

Hey Daniel-san,

Thank you so much for your advice. If I were to buy just normal tickets - is there any way I can reserve the Shinkansen in advance? We are traveling during the last week of the year so I am worried that they might get full.

Please advice.

Thanks!
Karen

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 10 years ago
Expert

Hi Karen!

Yes you can do so the moment that you are in Japan, simply go to any manned JR office and tell/show them when and where you wish to travel. They will then book the tickets for you.

There's a JR office at every major airport, so you can do this them moment that you land. I see that you will arrive in Japan on the 21st, this will give you more than enough time to get your tickets reserved and I don't think that you have to worry about all about it.
-Daniel

lkaren52
lkaren52
4 posts
over 10 years ago

Thank you for all your help! :)


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