My 17 days Japan Trip with 14 days JR pass

Hi there,

Very nice itinerary! By going to both Hokkaido and Kyushu you will be sure to make great use of the JR-Pass.

1.) You can not travel to the way from Fuji-san to Sapporo but it will get you very far! The best thing to do is to travel to Otsuki near Tokyo,using the Fujikyu railway which is 1,100 Yen from Kawaguchiko, from there the JR-Pass will take you the rest of the way!

2.) It will still be cold in Sapporo, so take a couple of warm sweaters to wear under your normal jacket, expect temperatures to be around 5 degrees Celsius.

3.) OH YES! I can list way too many! Since you would have 2 days I would recommend a visit to Nagasaki and Mount Aso! If you want to enjoy some of the nightlife in Japan go to Fukuoka and if you would like to try an onsen or sand bath visit Beppu. My personal favorite is Kagoshima maybe just because of the beautiful panorama view it offers on Sakura-jima and the ocean.

4.) I think by starting to use your JR-Pass on day 4 you will make the best use of it! This because you can cover all your major travel with it, including the way to Kansai Airport.

Hope this helps and have a great time in Japan!
-Daniel

Hi Daniel-San,

Thanks for yr Great Advise =)

1) Where can i get all the time table for all the Shinkansen ( and other in-town JR Rail) that coverd by JR pass, so that i can plan my time to make it night travel or day travel?

2) Is there a good view/ scenario if i travel shinkansen at day time (from tokyo to sapporo and from sapporo to kyushu area)? Is there any extra charge if i choose night travel?

"It will still be cold in Sapporo, so take a couple of warm sweaters to wear under your normal jacket, expect temperatures to be around 5 degrees Celsius."

Ok, then i will not bring any winter attire but sweater (like heattech cloth by Uniqlo) to save my space, since i am backpacking. BTW, i plan to go at Sapporo in many places: Ramen Street, Chocolate and Beer factory... Is that any other interesting place in Sapporo ?

"OH YES! I can list way too many! Since you would have 2 days I would recommend a visit to Nagasaki and Mount Aso! If you want to enjoy some of the nightlife in Japan go to Fukuoka and if you would like to try an onsen or sand bath visit Beppu. My personal favorite is Kagoshima maybe just because of the beautiful panorama view it offers on Sakura-jima and the ocean."

Wow, what u suggested i am really interesting, but wonder if i can finish all the place that u mention in 2 days. BTW, it all the place access by JR train? Where do u think i should based so that i can go to the attractive spot?

I am currently still a student and hope that can save unessary money by using JR pass, And this is my 1st time backpacker, no experience, thanks for yr advice very much. =)

Jacky

Hi Jacky!

Glad to hear you found it useful!

For planning your train trips I would recommend using Hyperdia it has all the information you may need. Sometimes a little too much, so I would recommend reading our guide about planning with Hyperdia first. We also have a great map resource that you can use to find stations and see if the place where you would like to go is covered.

2.) The view from the Shinkansen can range from very beautiful (for instance on a clear day you can see Fuji) to boring minutes in a tunnel. The first time always is a great experience but if you plan on using the Shinkansen a lot I would recommend you bring a book or something else to keep you occupied with.

For Sapporo:
Personally I think this is the best place in Hokkaido, there is a lot of great stuff to do in the city! The beer factory is very nice and if you wish to go up a mountain, I would recommend going to the top of mount Moiwa as it is very beautiful after dark. If you can I would also recommend that you try the Hokkaido dish called Genghis Khan, I love it!

For Kyushu,
All those places may indeed be a little too much to visit in two days! If you want to spot in the middle I would recommend that you stay in Kumamoto, from there you can visit most places quickly as it is served by the Kyushu Shinkansen! All places can be reached by the JR and are covered by the JR-Pass, I suggest that you pick 2 or 3 of them, so you have some time to enjoy them.

Have a great time in Japan!
-Daniel

HI Daniel San,

Arigator Gohzaimatsu, yr info really help me a lots in the planing stage. =)

By the way, my friends suggest me to take a 7days pass and start to use it in day 6 and then skip the Hemeji station (which means go Osaka area directly). May i know yr opinion?

Sorry that i have so many questions.

Cheers,
Jacky

Hi Jacky,

You could that if you want to save some money, it kinda comes down to money vs flexibility. For instance if you really enjoy Kyushu you could also stay there a little longer and even drop Himeji with the 14-Day JR-Pass.

It is a bit hard though to say how much you would save by buying the 7-day JR-Pass. The difference is about 17,000Yen with the 14-day JR Pass. I'd estimate that you would use at the very least an other 6,000Yen with your travel in Tokyo and the Kansai Region (Osaka and Kyoto) so the rest would be the price you'd pay for the added flexibility and a possible visit to Himeji.

If you do go with the 7-day pass you can reach Fuji by Highway bus from Shinjuku directly, which is 1,700Yen, so not that much more than the train.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

HI Daniel San,

OK, Thanks for yr advise. =)

Cheers,
Jacky

Hi,

Any idea how to go to OSAKA/Kyoto/Nagoya from Aomori with JR pass for free at Day time?

Thanks.

Cheers,
Jacky

Hi Jacky,

Yes of course :)

Here is the route. This train also stops at Nagoya/Osaka.

Feel free to change the times in the settings below on the Hyperdia website.

Hope this helps,
Daniel