Hello to all! My family and I are traveling to Japan on the 22nd of June and returning on the 7th of July.We intend to cover Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Koya-San, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kurokawa, Kanazawa, Takayama, and possibly Nikko. I know this sounds like a whirlwind tour, but I think we're up for the challenge. Do you think we need to invest in the 14 day rail pass or not?

Easy answer, I am living in Japan and a one-way ticket from Tokyo to Hiroshima will cost me around 19000 (12000 ticket and 7000 reservation) yen. So just imagnine how much it will cost you.
And if I miss my train, I have to pay the reservation fee again.


So yes and re-yes, the Jr pass is the best option, you are free to take the train you want and if you miss it, change your mind, dont really care, just take another ticket. You can also use it inside tokyo using the Jr lines.

Thanks so much Alessandro. I thought that was the best option, but I wanted to confirm with someone who actually had a good understanding of the system.

While I have your expertise, I'd like to ask whether or not you know if it's possible to see Koya-San as a day trip out of Kyoto? If so, can we use our JR passes to get there and what would the route be? I'm a little confused by some of the things I have read regarding the train and then a bus into Koya-San. Will our passes get us on the bus too?

Songo

It is possible to visit Koya-san from Kyoto in a single day, but this would make you spend quite a lot of time in trains. The total journey takes between 2:30 and 3:00 hours.

You have to first go to Osaka and then SHINIMAMIYA or NANBA, and from there take the Nankai Koya Line, which is not a JR line and therefore not covered by the JR Rail Pass, to GOKURAKUBASHI; a cable car will then bring you to Koya-san (not covered neither).

You have to pay 1230 yen per way for the Nankai Lines, more if you take a limited express with a reserved seat.

Check the timetables on Hyperdia : http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi


sanji

Good evening ( Paris time )
I am going to go to Japan in July for forteen days. My round trip is Tokyo with visit nikko, Kamakura and go to takayama via Nagoya. Then we'll finish our journey by Kyoto with visit to Himeji and Nara. We leave Japan from KIX. Is the forteen days JR pass rail give me a best price for this trip.
I wait for your answer ASAP
Best regards
Marc

Thanks Sanji. I think we might not visit Koya-San this trip based on the time we would have to spend in transit. I appreciate your detailed input and I will remember for next time. Can you suggest a good day trrip out of Kyoto besides Nara and Osaka?

-> plessis94 :

Check this link which allows you to calculate the price of all journeys; you then can compare them with the cost of the JR Pass. In your case, traveling without the pass would probably be cheaper, as you can reach Nara and Himeji without using the shinkansen...


-> songo :

Check this map on Secret Japan with the list of all guides of the Kansai area! A visit worth doing could be Horyu-ji, one of the oldest temple in Japan...


sanji