When to buy tickets

Hi there!

You can use the JR Pass to travel to both Osaka/Kyoto and Takasaki. However you may be better of buying normal tickets if you stay a longer time in Kyoto, this because the JR Pass is great if you travel around the country but you can't use it's real value if you stay locally. Unless you plan to make some good day trips of course from Kyoto to Hiroshima for instance.

The station for Takasaki-shi is Takasaki station, to get there take the Shinkansen to Tokyo station, at Tokyo station you can transfer to the Nagano shinkansen which brings you directly to Takasaki.

As for buying train ticket, you can do so when you arrive in Japan. However you don't need to worry about seating, as trains depart very frequently and rarely sell out. So you can just buy the tickets before you depart unless you travel on a public holiday, than it is smart to buy your tickets at least 2 days ahead of time.

Have a great time in Japan!
Daniel

Thanks Daniel. We are planning on doing at least one day trip somewhere at the weekend in the middle - Hiroshima is one option - how long does it take to get there?

Any other recommendations for day trips?

Thanks,

Hi again,

Travel from Kyoto - Hiroshima takes about 2 hours and is mainly traveled with the Shinkansen.
Other places I would certainly recommend for a day trip from Kyoto include, Nara, Kobe, and Mie.

Cheers!
Daniel