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worth it for me to get a JR pass? 2011/10/20 15:43
hi there,
i'll be going to japan (tokyo, kyoto and osaka)
will be staying in ginza area while im in tokyo.
my plan:
1st day of JR pass
- going to disneysea
2nd day
- going to Kamakura (taking JR Yokosuka Line)
3rd day
- going to Nikko (JR Tohoku Shinkansen to Utsunomiya and xfer to JR Nikko Line)
4th day
harajuku, shibuya, shinjuku
5th day
- Shinkansen to Kyoto
6th day
- Kyoto sights
7th day
Shinkansen to Osaka

still contemplating whether to stay 3days in kyoto and 1 day in Osaka or 2days each.. main objective of trip is actually to see the autumn colors which i believe kyoto will offer more ya?
by ranger03  

... 2011/10/21 08:49
Can you post the rest of your itinerary?
How many days are you in Japan?
Do you leave from Narita/Haneda?
You may find it more economical to delay activating the JR Pass, but that depends on the above.

Also what date do you arrive exactly? It might make some difference on the Autumn colours in Kyoto.

still contemplating whether to stay 3days in kyoto and 1 day in Osaka or 2days each.. main objective of trip is actually to see the autumn colors which i believe kyoto will offer more ya?

Kyoto offers significantly more, yes. If it was me I would probably just stay in one place and visit the other, it is only about 30 minutes each way, and free with a JR Pass. If I had to stay in both I'd do 3 in Kyoto and 1 in Osaka. At this late stage if you haven't booked yet you may find that your only choice at a reasonable price is Osaka as Kyoto is very popular in Autumn Colour season. If you do this and want a budget place to stay then around Shin-Osaka station is convenient as you can catch the Shinkansen to Kyoto in 14 minutes, free with a JR Pass. Alternatively around JR Osaka station is a good option, and then around 25 minutes to Kyoto.

I'd also recommend visiting the night illuminations in Kyoto. We did Kodaiji, Eikando, and Kiyomizudera and they were all great.

Enjoy your trip!
by GC3 rate this post as useful

Re: worth it for me to get a JR pass? 2011/10/21 09:08
Are you returning to Tokyo (after Osaka)? If you are not making a RETURN trip back to Tokyo, buying a 7-day JR Pass will not be economical for you.
by AK rate this post as useful

Re: worth it for me to get a JR pass? 2011/10/21 16:40
thanks for help so far... full itinerary as below...

13th Nov Day 1 (Sun)
night flight to Haneda

14th Nov Day 2 (Mon)
- reach Haneda Airport @ 0515hrs
- Ueno
- Asakusa
- Ginza

15th Nov Day 3 (Tues)
- Tsujiki Fish Market
- not decided yet... probably some shopping or stuff? Ginza

16th nov Day 4 (Wed)
- Tokyo DisneySea Resort

17th Nov Day 5 (Thurs)
- Kamakura
Engakuji, Kenchoji Temple
Hasedera Temple, Daibutsu (Big Buddha)

18th Nov Day 6 (Fri)
- Nikko
Toshogu Shrine
Rinnoji Temple
Futarasan Shrine, Shinkyo Sacred Bridge
Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Waterfalls --- probably missed the peak autumn colors when i'm there

19th Nov Day 7 (Sat)
- Harajuku for cosplay sightings
- shibuya
- shinjuku

20th Nov Day 8 (Sun)
- Shinkansen to Kyoto
- fushimi-inari
- maybe catch a night illum place here too

21st Nov Day 9 (Mon)
- kinkakuji
- kodaiji
- kiyomizudera
- a night illum here before go to Gion

22nd Nov Day 10 (Tues)
- Osaka or maybe still in Kyoto to cover another spot before going to Osaka

23rd Nov Day 11 (Wed)
- osaka castle
- aquarium
- namba area and food at nite!!

24th Nov Day 12 (thurs)
- Flight back from Kansai @ 1100hrs

are my dates in Kyoto good for the autumn colors? I planned it with reference to last year reports and hoping that it'll be more or less similar...
by ranger03 rate this post as useful

... 2011/10/21 17:40
A Rail Pass will not pay off, individual tickets will be cheaper.

I'd consider getting a Suica card to use during your stay in Tokyo. It doesn't give you a discount but makes paying for train trips much easier, just swipe on and swipe off.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_002.html

You could consider a visit to Hama Rikyu Garden after Tsukiji and then catch a Water Ferry to Odaiba? I mostly mentioned that because you mentioned shopping and there are lots of shops at Odaiba.

I'd book with Tobu for the train from Asakusa to Nikko and back.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_002.html
I think the World Heritage Pass might be best. If you wish to maximise your time there you can consider paying a little more for the express train on the journey up to Nikko and just catch the slightly slower train on the way back. I'd book this a day or two before at the Tourist office at Tobu Asakusa station to save some time if you can.

You can save a little bit by pre-paying for a Puratto Kodama Economy Plan Ticket to Kyoto, although this has more stops and is takes more time. I'd probably just pay the extra and take a Nozomi train (the quickest)
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html

I'd suggest a visit to Eikando for the night illumination on the 20th. You might wish to consider seeing Nanzenji or Heian shrine during the day, or Ginkakuji, if you have time.

Do Kiyomizudera and/or Kodaiji at night on the 21st.

are my dates in Kyoto good for the autumn colors? I planned it with reference to last year reports and hoping that it'll be more or less similar...

I would say yes. You could consider a day trip to Nara too if that interests you, it would be possible to do on the 24th (or 23rd and do Osaka on the 24th)

Enjoy your trip!
by GC3 rate this post as useful

Re: worth it for me to get a JR pass? 2011/10/23 14:50
should i get a pasmo or suica card then? i'll probably not only take trains from JR company.. do i need 2 cards?
i'll be arriving in Haneda, should i get the Suica & monorail package? or are there other alternatives I can get to places like Ueno or Tokyo station?

thanks for the suggestion for Nikko. sounds exactly what I need! =)

as for going to Kyoto, I'll probably do the Shinkansen way.. Do I buy the tickets when Im there or? How about when I go to Osaka? take the Shinkansen as well?

I probably should do Yoyogi park when Im at harajuku i think.. looks like a nice place if its all golden in autumn.

kyoto temples and shrines I'll probably be interested in these few: (priority):
- Kinkakuji (as well as Ryoanji Temple if time available)
- Kiyomizudera
- Tofukuji (fushimi inari since its next door)
- Eikando for night illum
am i being ambitious here? as sun will probably set early in nov, not sure if it'll be too rushed to visit all
by ranger03 rate this post as useful

Re: worth it for me to get a JR pass? 2011/10/23 16:50
should i get a pasmo or suica card then? i'll probably not only take trains from JR company.. do i need 2 cards?

You will only need one of these cards. Depending on what transport you use from Haneda, either monorail (Suica) or Keikyu railway (PASMO).

i'll be arriving in Haneda, should i get the Suica & monorail package? or are there other alternatives I can get to places like Ueno or Tokyo station?

The Suica + Monorail package will not be available at the time you will be arriving. It is only available between 11.00 and 18.00.As the saving is on 70 Yen it is really not such a big deal.


as for going to Kyoto, I'll probably do the Shinkansen way.. Do I buy the tickets when Im there or? How about when I go to Osaka? take the Shinkansen as well?

You can buy your Shinkansen ticket and supplement/reservation any time up until just before departure. Buyng a little ahead of time might be good as there are often lines to buy tickets at Tokyo station.

As you will be buying single tickets, it will be much cheaper to take the regular local train between Kyoto and Osaka. Shinkansen is nearly 3,000 Yen, against 540 Yen for regular train. Depending on where you are staying in Kyoto and Osaka, it mght be easier to take a private railway between the two locations.

by RobBeer (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: worth it for me to get a JR pass? 2011/10/24 02:05
in this case, i'll take whatever is available to me when I land to get to tokyo or Ueno and start my sightseeing =)

the way i see the Shinkansen pricing is Total: 13,520(Fare: 7,980 Seat Fee: 5,540) from hyperdia website.. sounds pretty hefty. Just still thinking about the value in getting a JR pass.. I probably wont fully utilise the pass unless I make more trips out to Nara, Osaka or even Kobe i guess?

Thanks so much for ur help! Very kind and helpful people here =)
by ranger03 rate this post as useful

Re: worth it for me to get a JR pass? 2011/10/24 03:45
the way i see the Shinkansen pricing is Total: 13,520(Fare: 7,980 Seat Fee: 5,540) from hyperdia website.. sounds pretty hefty. Just still thinking about the value in getting a JR pass.. I probably wont fully utilise the pass unless I make more trips out to Nara, Osaka or even Kobe i guess?

If you get a Japan Rail Pass and activate it for use from day 6 for Nikko and getting to Kyoto, that would come to around 25,000 Yen with single ticketing. You could then use it on the last day for getting to Kansai Airport (worth about 2,400 Yen from Osaka, more if going from Kyoto). Other random use of JR trains will probably bring it up to being worthwhile getting the pass, and will save a lot of hassle buying single tickets.
by RobBeer (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: worth it for me to get a JR pass? 2011/10/24 08:04
Hmm.. How did u get to 25000yen? I was thinking if I'm not getting the pass, I'll just take the Nikko world heritage pass as well as taking normal trains instead of Shinkansen to Osaka from Kyoto. I probably won't have time for Nara or Kobe. Itinerary looking too packed for my preferred pace =)
by ranger03 rate this post as useful

Re: worth it for me to get a JR pass? 2011/10/24 08:21
25,000 Yen came from about 11,000 Yen Tokyo-Nikko roundtrip (including Shinkansen) + 14,000 Yen Tokyo-Kyoto, although it is actually closer to 13,300 Yen. Add to that Kyoto-Kansai Airport at 3,300 Yen. All that is a few hundred Yen short of the pass.

Of course if you use the Nikko Heritage Pass then the JR pass will not pay off.
by RobBeer (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: worth it for me to get a JR pass? 2011/10/28 01:30
just saw japanguide coverage of the Nikko area "koyo"... seems like the autumn colors season already over. so by the time i go there in 2-3 weeks, some of the trees will be bare? is it still worth going or should i try my luck at Hakone area and see if i can catch Fuji san?
by ranger03 rate this post as useful

Re: worth it for me to get a JR pass? 2011/10/28 06:46
seems like the autumn colors season already over.

No, it isn't. Did you read the entire report?

so by the time i go there in 2-3 weeks, some of the trees will be bare?

In 2-3 weeks, all trees in Nikko's higher elevations will be bare. Down in the town there might be some colors left, but the town is not an outstanding place for autumn colors. For autumn leaves, Hakone is probably the better destination in 2-3 weeks from now.
by Uji rate this post as useful

Re: worth it for me to get a JR pass? 2011/10/28 09:18
Uji, thanks for reply.. what i meant was autumn colors in Nikko. It'll be quite disappointing if the surroundings of the beautiful waterfalls are lined with trees which are bare.. =/

shall determine when Im in Japan and decide where to go.. Will be for a 1 day trip and not staying overnight and accom will not be a prob =)
by ranger03 rate this post as useful

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