Connecting on JR

Hi there,

The transfer at Shin-Osaka is easy. You go down one escalator and up the next, 5 minutes enough time to make the transfer without having to run. The Shinkansen area is only one squire block of the station and getting lost is nearly impossible.

Coming down Tokyo to Beppu, I would suspect a transfer at Kokura station. Where you get of the Shinkansen and board the limited express train to Beppu. This transfer is a bit more complicated as you have to exit the Shinkansen part of the station and travel to the conventional lines. Still, it won't be hard if you follow the signs, there are also plenty of JR Staff members who you can ask for assistance.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Hi,
It can vary a bit depending on the date and time. With some trains you might not even change trains from Kyoto in Osaka, but rather someplace else like Shin-Kobe or Hiroshima.

You can see routes, schedules and platform info on Hyperdia.
Under "More Options", be sure to uncheck the Nozomi box since you can't ride that train using the pass.

Please be aware that to go to Beppu takes close to 4 hours with a good connection, and you wouldn't be changing trains at Hakata (which is in Fukuoka City and has a number of good places unto itself, especially the Nanzoin Temple 20 minutes from Hakata Stn by train), but rather at Kokura Stn in Kitakyushu City.

It does not take long to go from one train platform to the next, but there is not a lot of time and Japanese trains are extremely punctual. If you are concerned about taking a lot of heavy bags, you should consider using one of the takuhaibin delivery services which can ship your bags in a day or two to nearly any place you tell them for a reasonable fee. You can drop off your bags at any number of places, including participating convenience stores like 7-11.

The main attractions of Beppu aside from the hot springs there are the Hells Tour in which there are 8 "Hells" with 6 of them very close together. Plus nearby is the Takasaki Monkey Park & Aquarium and the view from atop Mt. Tsurumi when the weather is good is just spectacular.

Good luck.

Hi Daniel and Toraneko, thank you so much for the advice and details. . It is very helpful espcially my group at all elderly folks.
my plans are
Depart Kyoto on Shinkansen Hikari 461 at 9.45am and arrive at Shin Osaka at 10.00am platform 21
Depart Osaka on Shinkansen Sakura 553 at 11.09am on platform 20
and arrive at Kokura at 13.25pm on platform 12
Depart Kokura on SonicExp 29 Platform 7 at 14.37 and arrive Beppu at 15.49pm.
a total of 6 hours. Am I giving myself too much time for the transfers especially in Osaka from Platorm 21 to platform 20>
Thank you.

Hi,
It certainly does not take an hour to change trains at Shin-Osaka or Kokura. As you can see in the first example here, if you left about 9:45 AM you could arrive in Beppu at 1:48 PM - giving you about 2 more hours of time by changing trains at Shin-Kobe with plenty of time for the transfer.

Best of luck.

Thank you very much. It is much clearer now and I can safely assure our folks that it is manageable. Appreciate the time n detailed explanation.

Thx u again.

Thank you very much. It is much clearer now and I can safely assure our folks that it is manageable. Appreciate the time n detailed explanation.

Thx u again.

Thank you very much. It is much clearer now and I can safely assure our folks that it is manageable. Appreciate the time n detailed explanation.

Thx u again.

Thank you very much. It is much clearer now and I can safely assure our folks that it is manageable. Appreciate the time n detailed explanation.

Thx u again.