Dear Sir / Madam
Please could you give me some advise on purchase & use of JR Rail pass so I may take advantage of this great ticket. My itinerary is
23Oct - Narita to Asakusa - staying near Asakusa (tsukubai) station. Shall train it to Asakusa.
24Oct - Tokyo - explore Asakusa, Imperial Gardens from Tokyo station; Mario gokart 2 hour trip.
25Oct - Asakusa to Hakone (via Tokyo main station). After day at Hakone - train to Nagano via Tokyo station.
26Oct - 30 Oct - pick up car in Nagano and explore Alps area - scenic drives, small towns, national parks
31Oct - Nagano - Alpine Route to Toyama (prepurchase tourist trip ticket). Catch train to Kanazawa from Toyama.
1Nov - Kanazawa - at midday catch train to Hiroshima
2Nov - Hiroshima - Miyajima day trip - Hiroshima
3Noc - Hiroshima to Onomichi
4Nov - Cycling / temple walk Onomichi area
5Nov - Onomichi - either stop in Himeji to see castle or stop in Nara to see temples/deer/day trip - then onto Kyoto - check into accomm. Closest station - Higashiyama on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line.
6Nov - train or bus? to Fushimi-Inari-Taisha / or Nara day trip if no time to visit day before- return to Kyoto
7Nov - train Kyoto to Kurama - day trip return / or Hozu-gawa river trip
8Nov - explore Kyoto Gion and temples
9Nov - explore Kyoto - temple visit -meditation
10Nov - depart Kyoto midday for KIX to depart
I was planning to purchase a 7 day JR ticket - and commence using it on either 31stOct for train trip from Toyama to Kanazawa -then the ticket would expire end of 6Nov. Alternative, please advise if better to commence using it 1Nov - Kanazawa to Hiroshima - then it will run to 7Nov. I am not sure how much use JR ticket shall be in Kyoto for local travel, as it may be better to look at one of the local train/travel tickets?
Please advise if we can go to a JR office on arrival and advise which day we wish to start using the ticket? Then can we book the tickets we need to after that at any JR office?
Please advise if the JR shikansen is running / or will be running from Kyoto through to Hiroshima on 1Nov? and then from Hiroshima to Onomichi on 3Nov? I have been told that there was a landslide and the JR train is not running from Hiroshima to Mihara - how shall this affect the trip to Onomichi etc or are there buses/alternatives running. Please advise if we should take an alternative route to get to Onomichi?
Thanking you so much for your assistance
Best Regards
Michele
