help with rail passes

Hello Janine,

1.) Yes, they do. Just be aware that the Takayama-Hokuriku area Tourist Pass follows a very specific route, but yes, it'd get you to Osaka.

2.) Yes, but you'd have to buy normal tickets to Nagoya and back from Kansai to Tokyo.

3.) The Sanyo-San’in Area Pass does cover bullet trains, even the Nozomi.

4.) Currently Suica cards are not sold, but you can get a similar IC card at Tokyo Station. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QcUTzeJgkM

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Thanks Daniel-san,

Would you have any suggestions for rail passes? We were only heading to Takayama area and then to Osaka via Nagoya.
I can justify getting a 7 day rail pass and using it for part of our trip, but a 21 day pass will be over 300,000 yen. The calculator said that it would not be worth while.

I saw your reply about Suica cards. Can you get any cards from Narita Airport? We are arriving in the evening 6pm, and need to get to our Hotel in Tokyo.

Regards Janine

Sorry,

Also do I need to buy the regional passes before I get to Japan?

Hi Janine,

The passes already mentioned are the ones that make the most.

We do suggest buying regional passes ahead of time, because they are not everywhere available and may cost a little bit more in Japan.

There is a welcome Suica card, but this card expires after 1 month and not refundable, it can be purchased at Narita Airport but is not a product I can recommend.

Hi Daniel-san,

Thank you so much for your help with this.
I am just about to order my passes and wanted to check what I have is correct.

Arrive at Narita Airport - Buy a Suica Card.
Travel to Hakone Using - Hakone Free Pass.
QUESTION 1 - How do we get from Hakone to Nagoya, what do we buy? Is the Shinkansen to Nagoya covered in any pass?

BUY - Takayama-Hokuriku area Tourist Pass
Nagoya to Takayama to Osaka - including day trips travel to Nara, Koyasan, Kobe etc
QUESTION 2 - was planning to purchase the Takayama-Hokuriku area Tourist Pass. However I understand what you mean when you said it takes a specific l route. We wanted to travel a more direct path to Osaka, even if that means going back via Nagoya. Any other pass suggestions? Or should we just buy a separate ticket from Nagoya to Osaka?

BUY - Sanyo-San’in Area Pass 7days
Osaka , Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kyoto.
QUESTION - Does this pass let you travel around Fukuoka? Or only to the train station?

QUESTION - how to get back to Tokyo from Kyoto? DO we get the Bullet train and pay for this?
Or Use our area pass to go back to Osaka and fly to Tokyo?

Kind Regards
Jainne

Hi Jainne,

I just read about an update that normal Suica cards are sold again at Tokyo station, but not at the airport. I would recommend getting this if you have the chance.

The Shinkansen station for Hakone is called Odawara, from here the bullet train will directly take you to Nagoya. The JR Pass will cover this.

Sanyo-San’in Area Pass 7days will include travel to Hakata station, the main station for Fukuoka but you'll likely need additional transport around the city, as there are not many JR lines.

The "Takayama-Hokuriku area Tourist Pass" does not cover the Shinkansen from Nagoya to Osaka, you'll have to travel Nagoya - Takayama -[bus] Shirakawago -[bus] Kanazawa and then the train to Osaka. This is what I meant by specific route in my first post. However, if you're already in Shirakawago, then this is not extra travel time.

Finally, to Tokyo. Simply buy a one way ticket, either by rail or air.

Happy travels,
Daniel