Early morning travel from Haneda to Kyoto?

I will be arriving at Haneda airport at 4:45 in the morning (from San Francisco) and wish to travel directly to Kyoto by train. I was planning to buy a Japan Rail Pass but it looks like the office doesn't open early enough for me to use it. Will I have to buy a separate ticket? And at that hour, is it even possible to buy a ticket? Thanks for any advice/help you can offer!

Huh, this question really got me thinking! The main solution I came up with is to take the train to Shin-Yokohama (you'll transfer at Shinagawa) and activate it there, since that office opens at 5:30 am. If you get an unreserved ticket, it should only cost you about 1600Y. From there, you can hop on the Hikari or Nozomi straight to Kyoto Station.

I used Haneda International Terminal - Shin-Yokohama for the result: http://www.hyperdia.com/

Not sure if you saw this page already; you probably did: https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/common-questions/where-to-activate-jap...

Hope that helps!

Thank you, Heidi! I don't think I ever would have figured that out. Looks like a good solution.

Best,

Kate

I recommend you to go to Sinagawa station by Keikyu line. It is more convenient than going to Sin-Yokohama by bus.

My pleasure! Good luck and have a great trip!