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JR pass routing for 16 days Japan holiday! Help...

Dez
Dez
almost 11 years ago
4 answers

Hi,
need help on my intended itinerary pls...

Purpose of this entire trip is to see the beautiful Cherry Blossom, visit some nice castles/shrines, attraction & sights of Japan and not forgetting a little winter fun in Hokkaido.

We'll be arriving in Nagoya on 31st Mar 2014 in the late afternoon.
Thought of staying a nite there and explore Nagoya the next day (01st Apr).
Then we would like to travel to Osaka for a night before travelling to Kyoto on 02nd Apr for two nights.
Departing Kyoto on 04th Apr for Hokkaido, spending 4 nights there.
Leaving Hokkaido on 08th Apr for Tokyo, we want to spend around that prefecture touring Yokohama, Mt Fuji, Odakyu, etc (open for suggestion pls...) for the next few nights before we fly back home on 16th Apr 11.55pm from Tokyo Haneda Airport.

Will JR pass be valid on Hokkaido as I read they have a separate 'Hokkaido pass'.

Pls advise if it is feasible to travel any of the above routes by bus or is it more cost effective to activate our JR pass straight away?

If by bus how long is the journey on each route and by which bus company?
If by train how much if I go by per routing and how long as well?

Your reply will be of great help!
Thanks!
Dez

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Daniel-san
18919 posts
almost 11 years ago
Expert

Hi Dez,

The JR Pass is valid nation wide, this includes Hokkaido (and hopefully Okinawa by 2115).
Depending on what type of JR Pass you want to buy (7 or 14 days) traveling to Kyoto on the first of April by bus or local train may be an option. If you want to hop on the Shinkansen right away - go for the JR Pass :) I don't know the exact price for the bus fare, as this depends on the company and time of booking (the earlier the cheaper). Travel by local train will set you back ¥ 2,520 and takes about 140 minutes, the Shinkansen is ¥ 5,440 but just take 35min.

As for travel to Hokkaido? Are planning to travel there by rail or air? The JR Pass covers the complete route (there are no direct buses) but I would like to point out that travel time is still extremely long - which may be a waste of your time.

When you travel around the Tokyo area and greater Kanto, consider a visit to Nikko which is one of my favorite places in Japan and very impressive. Also include a visit to Kamakura if you wish to add some extra culture.

I hope this helps with your planning!
Daniel

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Dez
Dez
4 posts
almost 11 years ago

Hi Daniel,

Thank you so much for your reply.

You mentioned travelling to Hokkaido is long. How long is the duration via train (Shinkasen)?
A waste of time you said...so there is nothing much to see and explore in Hokkaido?
I thought of going to Hakodate, Matsumae, Lake Toya, Noboribetsu then Sapporo.
Is it really not worth travelling up there for it?

Also, will the JR trains get me all the way to Mt Fuji?

Thanks again.
Regards,
Dionne

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Daniel-san
18919 posts
almost 11 years ago
Expert

Hi Doinne,

Sorry if I was not clear - what I meant to say was that it really takes long to get to Hokkaido and that this travel time may be waste since your time in Japan is limited. For instace travel from Kyoto - Hakodate takes nearly 10 hours of straight travel, even with the high-speed Shinkansen! That's why I would recommend taking a domestic flight to Hokkaido, at least you could get Kyoto - Sapporo covered this way (which is 14 hour by train). Hokkaido itself is amazing though!

As for travel to Fuji, it depends on how you wish to approach the area, the Wiki travel page has a good overview of possible routes.

I hope this helps too!
Daniel

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Dez
Dez
4 posts
almost 11 years ago

oh I see what you mean :)
Thank you so much for your explanation.
I suppose we will settle for a 7 day pass in Japan and buy return Hokkaido domestic flight to save time :)
Have a Merry Christmas!

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Dez
Dez
4 posts
almost 11 years ago

oh I see what you mean :)
Thank you so much for your explanation.
I suppose we will settle for a 7 day pass in Japan and buy return Hokkaido domestic flight to save time :)
Have a Merry Christmas!

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