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Hi. We are travelling to Japan for the first time in March/April 2015. We have 18 clear days(excluding arrival and departure day) for touring. The route I have planned is Tokyo-Hakone-Hiroshima-Kanazawa-Takyama-Kyoto-Nagano (Shibu Onsen)-Tokyo. We may be able to fit in one more destination (Nikko?) as we are planning to stay 5-6 nights in Tokyo (split between beginning and end of trip), 3 nights in Kyoto and 2 nights in other desinations. Is this the most efficient route to use Japan rail or is there a better route to follow to best access destinations via rail. Alaso keen to catch Cherry Bossom somwhere along the way. I was also thinking of not starting my rail pass until the trip from Hakone to Hiroshima so a 14 day pass would suffice. Your advice would be appreciated.
Cheers
Anjim
Itinerary
Hello Anjim,
I would recommend familiarizing yourself with the Shinkansen. The Shinkansen is basically one long route on which the bullet trains travel. It helps greatly to have a feeling for the route. A very useful map can be found here.
In terms of using the JR Pass, I would agree that a 14 day JR Pass would make sense, especially if you plan to use it after Hakone. The Shinkansen station for Hakone is Odawara, be sure to mark it on the map.
There are different places you could visit as a day trip from Tokyo, some popular places include Nikko, Kamakura, Yokohama and Mount Fuji. My personal favorite has to be Nikko.
Hope this helps,
Daniel
Thankyou Daniel. Just one more question. Is the Shinkansen covered by the JR pass
Hi again!
Yes all Shinkansen routes are covered!
