JR EAST PAss TOHOKU Fukushima Yamagata Akita

Hi there,

Yes, this is all very doable, as it is all within the JR East area with direct connections available.

You could even book a hotel in Sendai or Fukushima and do day trips each day.

Kind regards,
Daniel

Thanks a lot!!

Thats so much help in finalizing my itinerary :) Now, I can go nx steps reserving my accomodations ...

By the way, Is there any other onsen/ beginners snow park town - other than Ginzan Onsen- I can visit with above route?

If you're looking to combine winter sports with Onsen, then Ginzen is likely your best bet in the area.

For more inspiration, I'd have a look at snowjapan.com

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Reading the winter events, i am redrafting my earlier itinerary :)

NOTE - Ill be in Tokyo for 1 week , then use my JR EAst pass 5 days as follows:
DAy 1 JAn 31 2026 - Tokyo to Fukushima/ SENDAI/ Yamagata (overnite)
DAy2 Feb1 --------- Yamagata Ginzan Onsen (overnite)
DAy3 Feb2 ...................Yamagata/Akita? AOMORI (overnite)
DAy 4 FEB 3 ..............AOMORI/ Tokyo
DAy 5....Feb4...............Tokyo to NArita Airport

1. CAn i still squeeze in Sendai in DAy 1? I read oysters are best in winter in Sendai MAtsushimakaigan area :)
2. Is it possible to do Aomori ( LAke Towada Winter Snow Festival) with above schedule ?
3. Where can I see the travel time between JR stations ? I'm just using google map now.

I'm willing to forego Fukushida Tadami River Bridge because of a 2km walk fr the JR station...unless theres a bus ride or train ride available :) I'm 70 yo. :)

Hi again!

Good to see your plans are taking shape!

1.) Yes, Sendai is directly on the route and should be an easy stop to make for a few hours.
2.) Yes, you'll be spending several hours on the train that well but start early and finish late and you should have enough time to enjoy the festival. Make sure to book your seat reservations ahead of time.
3.) Navitime and Jorudan are the best for these, do note that official schedules are released 3 months ahead of time, so changes can still happen.

Taxis are not that costly in Japan, you can easily go 2km and pay 5-10 bucks at most.

Kind regards,
Daniel

That's great!!
Ill study the travel time so that i can finetune my daily schedules.
Thanks a lot, Daniel-san :)

Hi DAniel-san,
During my 5 day trip to the Tohoku region, I'll be coming from a one week stay in Tokyo and thus having luggages with me. I'm travelling with a companion. I see from the blogs that they only carry small backpacks. Where can I leave my luggages if I would be walking around and transferring from shinkansen to buses and non-JR trains?

Does all JR stations have a locker where I can leave my big bags for 1 day?

Thanks!

Hi again,

Yes, nearly all stations have coin lockers, same for department stores.

It should be no problem at all, at any major station to find some. Most allow up to 3 days of storage.

Kind regards,
Daniel

Hi, DAniel-san,
I'm planning to buy the JR EAst Tohoku 5 day pass. Still finetuning my itinerary. here goes...
Fri Feb 6 - tokyo to YAmagata ( ZAo onsen/ Ginzan Onsen)
Sat Feb 7 - Fukushima ( Tadami train tour )
Sun Feb 8 - Aizu Snow Sightseeing tour
Mon Feb 9 - AKITA Nyuto onsens
Tu Feb 10 - Akita to Kakunodate then to Tokyo

Do you think above is not too tight a schedule?
Should I depart from Fukushima on sunday for Akita ? How long is travel time fr Fukushima to Akita?
Is one day enough for departing Akita, stop by Kakunodate then onwards to tokyo by night?
I'm depending on trains n buses and i'd be leaning towards less walking. I'm 70 , travelling with my 35yo son.with 2 hand carry bag each and 1 big luggage. willing to catch the early train.

Thanks again for any input !