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Osaka-Tokyo Hokuriku Arch Pass-Itinerary Check

DaryaLe
DaryaLe
10 months ago
1 answer

Hello Daniel-san,

I will be taking my elderly parents to visit Japan during the last 2 weeks of March 2024. I plan to buy the tickets independently using the Suica/Icoca card for the first 3 days and then the Osaka-Tokyo Hokuriku Arch Pass for the remaining 7 days.

Day 1-6 Kyoto: Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Maruyama Park, Kinkakuji Temple, Nijo Castle, Nishiki Market, Philosopher's Path, Gion Geisha District, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Fushimi Inari Shrine, (Thunderbird to Kanazawa)
Day 7 Kanazawa: Kenrokuen Garden, Kanazawa Castle (Shinkansen to Tokyo)
Day 8-10 Tokyo: Sumida Park, Meguro River, Asakura Shrine, (Shinkansen to Mt. Fuji-Chureito Pagoda, Oishi Park, Oshino Hakkai)

Questions:
1. I'm a little confused as to which trains/busses are cover by the pass. Can you advise if the Hokuriku Arch pass will cover the shinkansen/train/bus for the destinations in the itinerary above and if it's worth it/cost effective?

  1. Can I activate the pass for a future date or do I have to activate on the day of use? If I can activate ahead of time, then is there a place at Haneda or Itami Airport where I can activate it?

  2. Does the pass cover for reserved seats and which website should I refer to reserve the seats ahead of time?

  3. Can I use the Suica card anywhere in Japan or do I need to use the Icoca only in Kyoto and Kanazawa, and Suica in Tokyo?

Any feedback/advice is very appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Darya

Alexis
Alexis
1023 posts
10 months ago
Expert

Hi Darya,

  1. The Arch Pass will cover all of your train travel, however it won't cover any buses. Since it covers all of your train travel it is worth buying. You can always nominate a later date meaning that when you exchange the pass you can set it to be activated for a later date. And yes, you can activate it at Haneda or anywhere else with a JR travel office.

  2. Yes, you can reserve seats with the pass. Once you purchase the pass from our website, you can head here to log in and reserve seats:

https://www.japanrailpass-reservation.net/

  1. The Suica can be used in places other than Japan, such as in Kyoto and Osaka. The areas where the Suica card is valid can be found here:

https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/suica.html#:~:text=Valid%20Areas%20and%20Transportation%20Systems&text=In%20addition%20to%20the%20Tokyo,West%20Japan%20and%20Kyushu%20areas.

Hope this helps!

Alexis


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