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Which JR pass do I buy to travel from Tokyo-Kyoto-Kyushu

Janet
Janet
almost 12 years ago
6 answers

Hi,
I'll be arriving at Tokyo Narita airport on 21/3.
I intend to spend 1 day in Kyoto and 6 days in Kyushu.
The places that I'm likely to visit in Kyushu are:
1. Fukuoka
2. Kumamoto
3. Mt Aso
4. Beppu/Yufuin
5. Miyazaki

Do I need to buy 2 passes: 1 JR pass and 1 JR Kyushu pass?

Thank u!

Regards,
Janet

Janet
Janet
6 posts
almost 12 years ago

Sorry I forgot to mention that I'll be leaving on the 30/3 fr Tokyo Narita airport

avatar
Daniel-san
18919 posts
almost 12 years ago
Expert

Hi Janet,

You can use the JR Pass Nationwide so you can use it to get to Kyushu and use it to travel around there too.Will you be traveling back to Narita/Tokyo as well? If you have an itinerary with dates I can help you find the right pass/passes.

While you are in Kyushu don't forget to visit Kagoshima too!

Kind Regards,
Daniel

Janet
Janet
6 posts
almost 12 years ago

Tks Daniel! That's fast!:D
Any recommendation in Kagoshima? I'm traveling with an elderly couple, the journey to Yakushima will be too strenuous for them. We also have time constraint.

Janet
Janet
6 posts
almost 12 years ago

Hi Daniel,
My tentative itinerary:
21/3 Tokyo Narita
22/3 Kyoto -Arashiyama and Kiyomizu
23/3 Fukuoka
24/3 Kumamoto- Takachino- Kumamoto
25/3 Aso - Kurokawa Onsen
26/3 Oita - Beppu and Yufuin
27/3 Kagoshima
28/3 Fukuoka
29/3 Tokyo
30/3 Tokyo (Narita)

Really appreciate yr advice.:D

avatar
Daniel-san
18919 posts
almost 12 years ago
Expert

Hi Again :D

Now that is going to be a great trip! Personally I really love Kyushu and this trip already looks amazing.
Sorry I could not follow up with you Yesterday, it was getting a bit late here in Japan but here we go!

I was looking at what pass would help you out best and it was a bit hard to find something that would fit ideally.
I think the [14 Day JR Pass] will be your best option. You can use it for all your train travel including to and from Tokyo and Narita Airport.

To see if it would be cost efficient I made a little overview of normal ticket prices:
Narita --> Tokyo: ¥ 2,940
Tokyo -->Kyoto ¥ 13,220
Kyoto --> Fukuoka (station name is Hakata) ¥ 15,210
Fukuoka --> Kumamoto ¥ 4,990
Kumamoto - Aso ¥ 2,180
Aso --> Kurokawa By bus 960 ¥ but not covered by JRPass :(
Kurokawa Onsen --> Oita to Beppu by bus(2.300 Yen) and on to Beppu by JR ¥270
Oita Yufuin (return) ¥4,020
Oita --> Kagoshima ¥ 15,540
Kagoshima --> Fukuoka :¥ 10,170
Fukuoka --> Tokyo ¥ 21,720
Tokyo --> Narita :¥ 2,940

For a total of ¥ 93,200 the 14 Day JR-Pass is ¥ 45.100 saving you at least ¥ 48100

For Kagoshima, I would recommend walking up in Shiroyama park to see a breathtaking view of the city, ocean and Sakura Jima an active volcano in the bay of Kagoshima. You can visit it too, by ferry. The Senganen Gardens are very beautiful and peaceful and may be worth a visit too!

Takachiho can be a bit hard to visit as trains no longer go there. I would recommend reading the Wikitravel page about it, as has a great list of additional options of how to get there.

Hope this helps!
-Daniel

Janet
Janet
6 posts
almost 12 years ago

Hi Daniel,
Thank u for the detailed information.
That's very helpful.
Now I've a better idea.
Last question:
I'm still very confused by the different lines to take.
Is there a website for me to figure that out? I'm so worried that I'll miss the train.
Is it true the JR national pass only provide the slower train service in Kyushu?

Blessings,
Janet

avatar
Daniel-san
18919 posts
almost 12 years ago
Expert

Hi Janet,

Hyperdia is a really great tool for planning, you can use it to look up all kinds of things regarding your journey. We have a great blog post about it that will explain you how to use it.

In general though, don't worry about taking the best route. When you go to reserve your tickets, just tell the staff where you would like to go and they will find you the best route!

As for Kyushu, you can pretty much use any JR-train in Kyushu with the pass and no restrictions apply, so feel free to ride the Shinkansen in Style!

-Kind regards, Daniel

Janet
Janet
6 posts
almost 12 years ago

Thank you Daniel.
Will use Hyperdia for my planning.:)


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