Checking times and whether this is do-able

Hi Liu Shueng,

1.) How many days would you like to spend traveling on the route Hiroshima - Kyushu (where?) and up to Kanazawa. Making this trip is certainly possible but I think it would be too much if you would do it all in a single day.

2.) I think it would be better to stick to ordinary class / normal JR Pass if you plan to travel past the coastline, Green Class in both the Tohoku Shinkansen and limited express trains is very nice but I think that you will be fine with Ordinary class card.

3.) There is a night train going from Hokkaido to Kyoto, called the twilight express, however this train is unfortunately not covered by the JR Pass. You could however take one of the other night trains that are covered by the JR Pass and will cover part of the way. There are 3 options here:
a.) Hamanasu - between Sapporo and Aomori.
b.) Akebono - between Aomori and Tokyo
c.) Sunrise Express between Tokyo and Osaka (and on to Izumo / Takamatsu).
All of these night trains are covered by the JR Pass if you take a normal seat. Do note that night trains can sell out very quickly so it may not be possible to make use of them. You can make a reservation for them the moment that you are in Japan and have exchanged your pass.

Have a great time in Japan!
Daniel

Daniel San,
Thank you so much for being so helpful.
I will do as you say for No 2, No 3 questions. Thank you.
Now for No 1 question. I am happy to be on a train for 2 or three days. I have travelled through many countries, looking at the country side, and admiring how different it is to New Zealand. For me it is one of the most pleasant ways of travel, and one of the ways to 'take in' the country side. This is the reason why I prefer a slow train rather than a fast train. On this trip I am in Japan for 2 months, so I can afford the time to be relaxed, and just enjoy it.
Hope you might be able to tell me what trains should I catch and at what time, to do this trip. Perhaps it is better I heave Hiroshima a little later in the day if that fits into the timetable better. Getting to a place where I will get off the train is better in day light hours though.
I do hope you can help.
LS

Hi LS,

Going from Hiroshima all the up to Aomori on the west side of Japan is going to take a good amount of time (days even). Especially if you travel by local train, it is worth it though because you get to see a lot of the beautiful country side as well as some panoramic coastlines. Setting this up though will require a good amount of time and planning too.

There are two tools here that will help you out a lot! First use our interactive map. I added some landmarks that you can use as reference points as interesting stops on the way. Your 2nd tool is Hyperida which you can use to look up train time tables and other route information. It would be hard for me to look up every time schedule for you but here's a first Hiroshima - Kokura that will get you started to the top of Kyushu. The route is without traveled on slower local trains so you can enjoy the view a lot more.

Let me know if I can help in any other way!
Daniel