confuse where to go

Hi there,

I think that you have enough time to make a visit to Tokyo, visit a snowy area and have a good time in Osaka.

With 8 days to spend, you could spend the first 3 days in Osaka then travel on the Tokyo, stay 2 days there and visit a city of resort where you can enjoy the snow.

Two places for snow fun come to mind,
1.) Gala Yuzawa this is an easy trip from Tokyo by Shinkansen and is a popular snow resort.

2.) If you don't fancy winter sports, then you could head to Nagano. Here you can visit the Snow Monkey park of Jigokudani and enjoy Japanese Onsen at Yudanaka.

I would reserve 2 days for the snow experience before returning to Osaka.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

hi daniel,

nice spot you suggested there and definitely i dont have to go to sapporo to experience it. ill note it down then. thanks

by the way, i have a few question.

1. since ill be coming back here from osaka.. is it preferable if i go direct from kansai airport to tokyo (let say 3-4 days in tokyo) and only come back to osaka for a visit before flight?

2. is JR pass covered from kansai osaka to tokyo. i got confuse with the 'shinkasen' thingy . from what i study from the google, where shinkasen covered from osaka to tokyo direct.

3. is it worth it to get the JR pass if i wanna go direct from kansai osaka (activate my jr pass at the airport) - tokyo (thinking of going to nagano/shinjuku/shibuya/gotemba/mt fuji/sharakawago) -osaka(thinking of going to nara/kyoto/kobe) - kansai airport

4. during my visit, as stated places above (excluding nagano which you already mentioned), any of the above names covered in snow? as i need to plan my luggage.

many many thanks

Hi again!

1.) Travel from Kansai Airport - Tokyo means that you either have a transfer at Kyoto station or Shin-Osaka station. There are no direct lines.

2.) The JR Pass covers the Shinkansen lines. These are routes on which bullet trains travel. Some train services, the Nozomi and Mizuho trains are not covered. You can however use the Hikari/Sakura Shinkansen services instead, these travel the same route but stop at more stations on the way.

3.) Yes! You'll do plenty of travel and make good savings. Some parts, such as the bus to Shirakawago are not included.

4.) You may find snow in Shirakawago but I don't think the other places will have snow at that time. Though you never know what weather will do.

Hope this helps,
Daniel