We are going on a 5 people 8 days trip to Japan.10th to 18th of December 2013.we are staying in hotel Monterey La Soeur Osaka.we are thinking of going to osaka,kyoto,nara and kobe.can any kind soul help us plan the itinerary?we are clueless about the upcoming trip and need help urgently!Also,can u advice on the rail passes we can buy to travel around these places?are the subway passes for travel around osaka different from the passes to travel from osaka to for example Kyoto, Kobe and Nara?another thing would be how to travel from our hotel to the dotonbori area?
Itinerary Check and Japan Rail Pass
Hi there!
Don't worry about getting around! Travel in the Kansai Area (where Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Kobe are located) is fairly easy and low cost. You can easily make day trips to each of these locations if you make your base in Osaka. For there it is less than 1hour travel to each of these towns and cities.
There are two passes I would consider buying. The first is the Osaka Unlimited Pass, this Pass is absolutely great for exploring Osaka because it covers the Osaka Subway and many sightseeing locations.
The second is buying an ICOCA card this is a prepaid travel card which you can use to pay for travel to other areas and within Osaka. It does not offer a discount by itself but it makes travel a lot more convenient.
Hope this helps!
Daniel
what about the kansai thru pass?should i get it?can that go the places i mentioned above?
Hi Again,
Generally I would not recommend it, the price it actually quite steep and it is hard to make enough travel with it for it to become worth the price. It does cover all of your planned places though.
Hi how do u get to dotonbori from Osaka Zohei(mint) museum?
Hi again :)
The mint museum is a 10-15 min walk from Temmabashi Station on the Tanimachi Subway Line and Keihan Main Line.
I would recommend taking the subway from Namba station, which is 5min walk from Dotombori. Here is the route in Hyperdia.
I hope this helps!
Daniel
the kansai thru pass does it cover all trains,buses?
No it does not,
You can find the full coverage on this website:
http://www.surutto.com/tickets/kansai_thru_english.html
Sorry to bother u again,i must be quite a nuisance.but i would like to ask how you go to kyoto without using jr line.we are planning on buying kansai thru pass.
It depends on where you are staying, I would recommend taking a look at this map to get an idea of all stations in the area (Kyoto is to the right).
This is our kyoto itinerary.would it be easier with kansai thru pass?
we are planning on using kansai west pass(jr)
Day 2(Wednesday)
-Go to Kyoto from Kyobashi using JR line.(assuming we leave at 9am)
-Kiyomizudera temple can be reached from Kyoto Station by bus number 100 or 206 (15 minutes, 220 yen). Get off at Kiyomizu-michi bus stop, from where it is a ten minute uphill walk to the temple.(220 yen per persom,total:1100yen.) -Hours:6am-6pm,no closing days.admission:300 yen. -From there we can also shop at higashiyama district which is just close by.We head down all the way to gion district.
-We head back to Kyoto station by bus.
-The Nishiki Market street runs parallel to Shijo Avenue, one block north of Shijo Avenue. It can be reached on foot in less than five minutes from Shijo Station on the Karasuma Subway Line (4 minutes, 200 yen from Kyoto Station -Nishiki market opens at 9. -From the nishiki market go right and then turn left at the intersection.keep walking straight and you will see two shopping arcades side by side.(Teramachi Shopping Arcade and Shin-Kyogoku Shopping Arcade) -Lunch can be eaten in either. -From the shopping arcade we backtrack back to nishiki market.we walk back to shijio station and take the karasuma subway line to karasuma-oike station.we change to the tozai line and stop at nijojo-mae station.short walk from the station along tozai line -15 to 20 mins 250 yen. -admission:600 yen English:good(English audio guides available for 500 yen)8.45 to 1700 -After that dinner can be eaten in a place convenient.we then go back to kyobashi.
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