my trip in Kansai & Nagoya

Hi Winnie!

A Surutto Kansai pass doesn't cover all of the locations you mention, so the Rail Pass is the best option to compare against the normal ticket option. For a 7 day Japan Rail Pass to be worth it for you you need to spend over ¥28,300 on JR tickets. Lets take a look the ticket prices of your trip from Day 2:

1. Osaka > Kobe(hyogo): ¥390, (27mins, 33km)
2. Kobe(hyogo) > Nara: ¥1380, (90mins, 81km)
3. Nara > Osaka: ¥780, (55mins, 48km)
4. Osaka > Kyoto: ¥540, (29mins, 42km)
5. Kyoto > Osaka: ¥1680, (27mins, 42km)
6. Osaka > Wakayama: ¥2820, (70mins, 79km)
7. Wakayama > Osaka: ¥1210, (83mins, 72km)
8. Osaka > Nagoya: ¥6180, (67mins, 190km)
9. Nagoya > Takayama: ¥5870, (150mins, 166km)
10. Takayama > Nagoya: ¥5870, (145mins, 166km)
11. Nagoya > Matsuzaka: ¥5870, (145mins, 166km)
12. Matsuzaka > Nagoya: ¥5870, (145mins, 166km)
13. Nagoya > Kansai airport: ¥8270, (114mins, 247km)

TOTAL: ¥46730 for 13 legs

As you can see you'll make a saving of ¥18,430 with a 7 day Japan Rail Pass.

As the Surutto Kansai 3 day is ¥3,800, I think for the first few days I would recommend you to simply purchase individual tickets as you need them (subway and transport from the Airport). You can get to Osaka from Kansai Airport for around ¥1160, and from Day 2 can us the JR Pass for transport between all your main locations. Bus fares and and subway charges per day are likely to come to around ¥500-800, so I think you'll find paying as you go makes most sense here.

Hope this helps!

Dear Mari,

Thanks for your valuable information. Few more questions,

1. Is that convenience to take the JR train from Osaka to Nagoya with our luggage carrying? from Nagoya to kansai airport? We will each have a suitcase tho.
2. from Takayama to shirokawago is extra pay right? how much will it charge each trip?
3. Im in HK, is that possible to deliver the JR pass? Where can I order it?
4. I know it has to exchange the real tkt at tkt office, if I change every day before I get on the train, is that risk for seats? How much time earlier that I need to arrive the station to exchange the tkt?
5. The JR 7-day pass is valid for 3 months right? if I need to postpone my trip to end up May, still can order it first right?
6. Do you think my trip schedule is feasible? too tight time?
7. May I have the name of the station in osaka that take me to Nagoya?
8. May I have the name the station in Nagoya to Kansai airport? do I need to change train?

Thanks.

Winnie

HI Winnie,

Here are some answers for you:

1. Is that convenience to take the JR train from Osaka to Nagoya with our luggage carrying? from Nagoya to kansai airport? We will each have a suitcase tho.

Yes - the Shinkansen has space for suitcases behind the last seats in each carriage where you can stow your luggage. For more information, see our blog post on luggage on the bullet train. For Kansai Airport, you should aim to use the Haruka Express, which has luggage racks for you to use

1. from Takayama to shirokawago is extra pay right? how much will it charge each trip?

Yes - for the journey from Takayama to Shirakawa you'll need to use the Nohi bus from the Takayama Nohi Bus centre, which is a short walk from the station. At 50 mins, the bus journey is quite short. Please be aware that this bus is not operated by JR and so you will have to buy separate tickets (¥4,300 round trip). You can find timetable information on this bus at the [Nohi Bus online english timetable].

1. Im in HK, is that possible to deliver the JR pass? Where can I order it?

Yes - we deliver to Hong Kong for $19USD.

1. I know it has to exchange the real tkt at tkt office, if I change every day before I get on the train, is that risk for seats? How much time earlier that I need to arrive the station to exchange the tkt?

You only need to activate or exchange the rail pass once at the start of your trip. After you have done this you can use the Rail Pass to get through ticket barriers and jump on trains. Reserving seats is free with the JR Pass and will be the only reason to visit the ticket office once you have activate your rail pass.

1. The JR 7-day pass is valid for 3 months right? if I need to postpone my trip to end up May, still can order it first right?

Yes - the 7 day rail pass can be activated anytime up to 3 months from the date of purchase. This means that if you were to order a rail pass today, you would be able to activate it is July the 7th.

1. Do you think my trip schedule is feasible? too tight time?

It will be a pretty busy trip - but as you'll be based out of Osaka until day 5, I think you'll be able to modulate your plans at this stage depending on how you feel. Because fo this, I think your trip is well structured.

1. May I have the name of the station in osaka that take me to Nagoya?

The station you'll need is Shin-Osaka. Here's an itinerary from Osaka to Nagoya.

1. May I have the name the station in Nagoya to Kansai airport? do I need to change train?

You'll need to board the bullet at Nagoya station, and then change to the Haruka at Shin-Osaka all the way to Kansai Airport. Here is a sample itinerary.

You can look up train timetables and costs at the hyperdia travel planning website and learn how to use Hyperdia for Japan Rail Pass holders through our video blog.

Hope this helps!

Dear Mari,

Thanks for the speedy reply. But few more questions still need your advice.

1. Can I use the JR pass on Huruka express?
   2.When is the best time to watch the sunset at shirahama in wakayama?
2. During the time of may trip, when is Japan's sunset time? I mean when is the day time until?

Thanks.

Winnie

Hi Winnie,

Can I use the JR pass on Haruka express?

Yes, the JR Pass can be used freely on the Haruka Express.

When is the best time to watch the sunset at shirahama in wakayama? During the time of may trip, when is Japan's sunset time? I mean when is the day time until?

In may, sunset is around 6:30pm. You can check the exact times for sunrise and sunset online here. Times in Tokyo are virtually the same as Wakayama, so this should give you good guidance.

Hope this helps!

million thanks , mari