Need some checking please

Hi there,

I would definitely recommend a 7 day JR Pass for your journey as you can save some good money by using it from Kawaguchiko/Tokyo - Kyoto - Hiroshima - Nagoya.

Coming from Kawaguchiko 5th station, there's no direct service to Kyoto. My advise would be to return to Tokyo by express bus and take the Shinkansen (bullet train) from there. From Kyoto the Shinkansen will also take you to Hiroshima and later to Nagoya. It's all quite convenient once you are on the Shinkansen, as it basically is one long high speed railway service throughout Japan.

I think your itinerary looks great in general, there's a lot of travel involved (day 5 especially) but you get to see a lot of great places in return. Also nice to know is that the JR Pass does cover the ferry to Miyajima.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Dear Daniel San,

Thank you for your quick reply. Regarding the Kawaguchiko to Kyoto, isn't there another way where we don't have to go all the back to Tokyo? Like from Gotemba? Cos the travel to Tokyo again takes about 2.30 hours.

The most convenient would be to take a Fujikyu bus from Kawaguchiko Station (1½ hours, ¥2260 one way) to Mishima Stn and then catch the bullet train to Kyoto. You don't have to go back to Tokyo at all. For getting to Asakusa, take the N'Ex to Tokyo Stn., then change for a train to either Ueno or Kanda, and then take the subway to Asakusa (not covered by the pass).

Daniel san, I will be traveling to Japan on the 4th July 2015. How can I purchase the JR Pass?

Is it true I have to order this 90 days before?!!!!! then I'm doomed! Becaus I only have a free days before I leave to Japan!!!! I didn't realise this. What should I do? I leave in Abu Dhabi right now.

Hi,
You don't have to order it 90 days before. The exchange order is valid for 90 days from time of purchase - so you must exchange it in Japan during that period. It just means for example you can't order the exchange order in January and then fly to Japan in May. According to their delivery table, if you order it through this site, by FedEx Express delivery to the UAE is 4 days. Do you have that much time? If not, it may be possible to order it before you leave, and have it delivered to you in Japan, provided you have a stable address to deliver it to.

Hi again!

See you've done some chatting in the meantime. Starting from Kawaguchiko, I think Toraneko mistook Kawaguchiko 5th station with Kawaguchiko train station. There's a big difference, coming from the 5th station. Not just that, there's no bus from 5h station to Mishima. Gotemba is on the other side of Fuji and you won't easily get there either. Travel around Fuji is pretty difficult, if you want to see it on a map see this link.

Now to shipping, you can indeed order the JR Pass online. However we may not deliver it on time given the 4 days we need to get it to UAE.

We can ship the JR Pass to your accommodation in Japan, given that you place the order before departure. An alternative would be to purchase a JR Pass locally where you live. Please contact us with your full address via [email protected] and we can tell you actual shipping times.

Hello,
The above actually is correct in that the 5th Stn is not Kawaguchiko Stn. However, you can go to Kawaguchiko Stn and then take the bus down to Mishima. If you are deeply concerned about the time it takes to leave the area, then going to the Subashiri or Gotemba 5th Station might suit you better.
But re-reading your post, you mentioned "decent from Mt Fuji". It is a bit unclear - are you climbing to the top? If not and you only want to see the scenery of Mt. Fuji, then you will actually get very little from the 5th Stations. Mt Fuji is more attractive with it in the background than partway up it where these is actually little to do or see. If that is the case, it would be better to visit Hakone or the Fuji 5 Lakes Area, using an Odakyu regional pass.