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lilimichael
lilimichael
almost 10 years ago
2 responses

Hi,

We are travelling to Japan for 28 days and are trying to choose the best options to cover our rail travel, being that the JR rail pass only covers us for 21 days.

Our rough itinerary is below:

Day 1 Arrive at Narita, travel to Tokyo NEX Tokyo Direct Ticket (1,500 yen)
Day 2-6 Stay in Tokyo Suica IC Card for subway
Day 7 Travel to Kyoto (use as base) Activate JR 21 Day Rail Pass
Day 8-18 From Kyoto visit:
Nara Osaka Koya-san Kumano Kodō Naoshima Nagoya
Hiroshima (Possible day trip?) Day 19-20 Kinosaki
Day 21 Travel to Kamikochi
From Kamikchi visit: Kanazawa Day 25 Travel to Tokyo
From Tokyo visit: Nikko Mt. Fuji Fuji Q Highland Day 28 Travel to Narita Airport Last day of JR Pass

We have heard of the Kanto pass which we wondered might be better for the last 3 days of the trip should we adjust our itinerary by activating the JR Pass earlier. Our we correct in thinking we can us this to get to Nikko and back to the airport via the bullet train?

We would really appreciate any advice or suggestions regarding itinerary and travel arrangements.

Thanks very much!

Michael and Lisa

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
almost 10 years ago
Expert

Hi Michael and Lisa,

You've both done some great research upfront, NEX Ticket, Suica, best date to activate your JR Pass! There's honestly not much for me to add.

The JR Kanto pass, is a bit of an odd one. It covers the Kanto region and should be considered if you wish to visit, Nikko, Karuizawa, Fuji five lakes or the Izu peninsula. It is 8,300 yen and valid for 3 days in a row. So far I think that the JR Pass and the above planning is the best way to go. However you could add a Kanto pass if you would do at least 8,300 yen worth of travel outside of the 21 day JR Pass validity period. The Kanto pass can't be used on the Tokaido Shinkansen for Nikko (the JR Pass does cover this) but you can use the Spacia Kinugawa limited express train to Nikko.

A couple of notes.
Kyoto - Naoshima, is possible as a day trip but I would suggest staying the night on the island if you have the possibility. It just gives you a much better experience all together.

Hiroshima can also be visited as a day trip from Kyoto, however travel time for a one way trip is a little over two hours (124 Minutes) so you may want to leave early.

Hope this helps!
Daniel


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