Osaka - Kyoto - Tokyo Dec 2018

[batoman]

my 1st solo trip, usually go with group .

being to osaka before .

but don't know which JR pass is more worth ? the normal JR pass?

my own planing.

5 to 7 nov ,kyoto
7 to 9 nov ,hiroshima
9 to 12 nov, tokyo

 

[Ruriel]

my 1st solo trip, usually go with group .

being to osaka before .

but don't know which JR pass is more worth ? the normal JR pass?

my own planing.

5 to 7 nov ,kyoto
7 to 9 nov ,hiroshima
9 to 12 nov, tokyo

You can use hyperdia to calculate your shinkansen fares. If you are flying in KIX and flying out Tokyo, it's likely that you don't need a JR pass.

 

[kebever]

Definitely a visit to Hakone is a must since you have so many days.
Hakone is doable in 1 day, or you can opt for 2D1 N and stay in a ryokan in Hakone.

You can shorten ur stay in Osaka to 1 day instead if you don't have time.

I think no point shifting from a hotel in Kyoto to a ryokan in Kyoto cos you will be wasting ur time checking in and out.

Since you have so many days, do consider visiting Nikko too.

thank you. yup i agree no point shifting from kyoto hotel to ryokan. From Kyoto, I should taking a detour to Hakone for an overnight stay then move on to tokyo.

I'm looking at the route. The usual route is to use the Hakone free pass to go from Shinjuku to Hakone via romancecar (add on fees) then take the railway, cable car, ropeway to Owakudani, then to Lake ashi to take the round trip of Pirate ship and back.

However, I will be coming from Odawara, I see there is a bus directly to Moto Hakone, I was planning to take that, and start my sight seeing from Moto Hakone, take the pirate ship one way and going up the ropeway up to Owakudani then down back to my ryokan along the touzan railway stations.

1) Will the bus from Odawara to MotoHakone take too long?
2) Any issues with travelling against the normal route?

 

[kebever]

Very slow paced trip. For eg on 24 Dec you do not need 9hrs at the Kiyomizudera / Yasaka shrine area.

yup, i agree, we are sloths.

Any recommendations to visit around that area? Or any places I missed in Kyoto?

 

[princessreiko]

thank you. yup i agree no point shifting from kyoto hotel to ryokan. From Kyoto, I should taking a detour to Hakone for an overnight stay then move on to tokyo.

I'm looking at the route. The usual route is to use the Hakone free pass to go from Shinjuku to Hakone via romancecar (add on fees) then take the railway, cable car, ropeway to Owakudani, then to Lake ashi to take the round trip of Pirate ship and back.

However, I will be coming from Odawara, I see there is a bus directly to Moto Hakone, I was planning to take that, and start my sight seeing from Moto Hakone, take the pirate ship one way and going up the ropeway up to Owakudani then down back to my ryokan along the touzan railway stations.

1) Will the bus from Odawara to MotoHakone take too long?
2) Any issues with travelling against the normal route?

In Feb i took the romance car from Shinjuku.
I travelled the normal direction ie the anti clockwise direction.

In June as I had the JR pass , I started my Hakone trip from Odawara.
I travelled against the normal route this time (ie clockwise direction) and found it had slightly less crowd.

There is no issue at all doing the clockwise direction.
In fact it is better especially if you are interested in the tori gate there and wanna be there early before the crowd gets there.

Also at the end of the trip, you can stop Gora park (1 stop just before Gora station).
From the you can go to Gora Park which is a short walk away and fees covered by the Hakone Pass.
There is a beautiful fountain and a lovely cafe there.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Odawara station, purchase the Hakone pass from Odakyu centre.

Then take the Hakone Tozan Railway to Hakone Yumoto station.

At Hakone Yumoto station, cross the road to the other side, go down the stairs and board the bus for Moto Hakone.
There will be staff there to direct you to the correct bus.

Must remember to cross the road, otherwise you will end up going by the normal route.

From Hakone Yumoto station to Moto Hakone takes about 35-40 min.

 

[batoman]

no im flying in to haneda > kyoto > hiroshima > tokyo (shinjuku )

 

[koohansen]

OP...

You may want to consider reshuffle your Arashimaya & Inari to morning.
If you want photos without crowd, strongly recommended to arrive before 8am. Arashimaya can take quite some time. 1600 hrs is too late.
December sunsets early, that timing it's like 7+ pm SG kind.

 

[princessreiko]

my 1st solo trip, usually go with group .

being to osaka before .

but don't know which JR pass is more worth ? the normal JR pass?

my own planing.

5 to 7 nov ,kyoto
7 to 9 nov ,hiroshima
9 to 12 nov, tokyo

no im flying in to haneda > kyoto > hiroshima > tokyo (shinjuku )

If u r arriving in Tokyo and leaving from tokyo, and geoing to Kyoto and Hiroshima in between, then please get the 7 day JR pass as it is more worth it.

 

[kebever]

In Feb i took the romance car from Shinjuku.
I travelled the normal direction ie the anti clockwise direction.

In June as I had the JR pass , I started my Hakone trip from Odawara.
I travelled against the normal route this time (ie clockwise direction) and found it had slightly less crowd.

There is no issue at all doing the clockwise direction.
In fact it is better especially if you are interested in the tori gate there and wanna be there early before the crowd gets there.

Also at the end of the trip, you can stop Gora park (1 stop just before Gora station).
From the you can go to Gora Park which is a short walk away and fees covered by the Hakone Pass.
There is a beautiful fountain and a lovely cafe there.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Odawara station, purchase the Hakone pass from Odakyu centre.

Then take the Hakone Tozan Railway to Hakone Yumoto station.

At Hakone Yumoto station, cross the road to the other side, go down the stairs and board the bus for Moto Hakone.
There will be staff there to direct you to the correct bus.

Must remember to cross the road, otherwise you will end up going by the normal route.

From Hakone Yumoto station to Moto Hakone takes about 35-40 min.

thank you for the super detailed explanation. i will take the clockwise direction and follow your instructions.

btw, now i'm checking to see if i can book romancecar one way from hakone to shinjuku.

I read on odakyu website, if i buy hakone free pass at odawara station, it cost less at 4000 yen, but does not include the round trip between hakone and shinjuku.

in this case I should book the one way romancecar from hakone to shinjuku?

thank you once again

 

[Gixxerfied]

thank you for the super detailed explanation. i will take the clockwise direction and follow your instructions.

btw, now i'm checking to see if i can book romancecar one way from hakone to shinjuku.

I read on odakyu website, if i buy hakone free pass at odawara station, it cost less at 4000 yen, but does not include the round trip between hakone and shinjuku.

in this case I should book the one way romancecar from hakone to shinjuku?

thank you once again

So are you going to buy the full pass which covers the trip from Shinjuku to Odawara and onwards or?

If yes then you can just get Romancecar one way top up. I did this recently for my trip when heading back from Hakone-Yumoto Station, i purchase another one way Romancecar back to Shinjuku. Same when i was heading to Hakone from Shinjuku.

 

[kebever]

So are you going to buy the full pass which covers the trip from Shinjuku to Odawara and onwards or?

If yes then you can just get Romancecar one way top up. I did this recently for my trip when heading back from Hakone-Yumoto Station, i purchase another one way Romancecar back to Shinjuku. Same when i was heading to Hakone from Shinjuku.

hi, i'm coming from kyoto, so i will arrive at odawara, from what i understand on their website, buying the free pass at odawara will cost less but does not include the round trip ticket between shinjuku and hakone-yumoto. just want to confirm this.

So i'm thinking to just book a one way romancecar from hakone-yumoto to shinjuku.

 

[Gixxerfied]

hi, i'm coming from kyoto, so i will arrive at odawara, from what i understand on their website, buying the free pass at odawara will cost less but does not include the round trip ticket between shinjuku and hakone-yumoto. just want to confirm this.

So i'm thinking to just book a one way romancecar from hakone-yumoto to shinjuku.

I see..Yes it cost less since it doesnt cover the segment from Odawara back to Shinjuku.

So if this is the case, it's likely that your romancecar ticket would be regular ticket(Odawara > Shinjuku) + limited express top up.

 

[princessreiko]

thank you for the super detailed explanation. i will take the clockwise direction and follow your instructions.

btw, now i'm checking to see if i can book romancecar one way from hakone to shinjuku.

I read on odakyu website, if i buy hakone free pass at odawara station, it cost less at 4000 yen, but does not include the round trip between hakone and shinjuku.

in this case I should book the one way romancecar from hakone to shinjuku?

thank you once again

hi, i'm coming from kyoto, so i will arrive at odawara, from what i understand on their website, buying the free pass at odawara will cost less but does not include the round trip ticket between shinjuku and hakone-yumoto. just want to confirm this.

So i'm thinking to just book a one way romancecar from hakone-yumoto to shinjuku.

If you are starting from Kyoto, are you using the JR pass?
If you are using the JR pass , then no need to purchase the romance car as you can take the shinkansen from Odawara back to Tokyo (U either drop off at Tokyo station or Shinagawa station as the shinkansen does not stop in Shinjuku station).

 

[kebever]

I see..Yes it cost less since it doesnt cover the segment from Odawara back to Shinjuku.

So if this is the case, it's likely that your romancecar ticket would be regular ticket(Odawara > Shinjuku) + limited express top up.

yup thanks, i see i can book the romancecar directly online via odakyu website. I assume this is the full ticket? https://www.web-odakyu.com/e-romancecar/?STICKY=11074

If you are starting from Kyoto, are you using the JR pass?
If you are using the JR pass , then no need to purchase the romance car as you can take the shinkansen from Odawara back to Tokyo (U either drop off at Tokyo station or Shinagawa station as the shinkansen does not stop in Shinjuku station).

hmm i sort of did a rough calculation and decided not to go with the JR pass, as i will only be taking a one way from kyoto to odawara.

on a sidenote, for my transfer from osaka to kyoto, i will be staying at namba. What's the best way to get from namba to kyoto station, with big luggage?

thank you very much again

 

[kebever]

also updated my schedule on first post

 

[Gixxerfied]

yup thanks, i see i can book the romancecar directly online via odakyu website. I assume this is the full ticket? https://www.web-odakyu.com/e-romancecar/?STICKY=11074



hmm i sort of did a rough calculation and decided not to go with the JR pass, as i will only be taking a one way from kyoto to odawara.

on a sidenote, for my transfer from osaka to kyoto, i will be staying at namba. What's the best way to get from namba to kyoto station, with big luggage?

thank you very much again

I check, price per ticket is $1090(Hakone-Yumoto to Shinjuku) and $890(Odawara to Shinjuku), this pricing is the top up required for romancecar booking on top of the pass/regular ticket.

If not wrong, you can buy the Romancecar top up at $890 or $1090(Departing from Odawara or Hakone-Yumoto respectively). This ticket is just to show that you have a reserve seat, at the station entry you can tap your Pasmo/Suica or purchase a required regular ticket($1190(Hakone-Yumoto), $880(Odawara), this would be use for station access and exit at Shinjuku.

Total would be Romancecar($890/$1080) + Regular($880/$1190).

https://www.odakyu.jp/english/romancecar/surcharges/

Assuming from Namba Station to Kyoto Station, subway to Umeda(Towards Shin-Osaka) then take JR Special Rapid Service to Kyoto.

 

[Gixxerfied]

also updated my schedule on first post

If lazy like me in the morning, get express bus ticket from Shinjuku Express Bus Terminal for Disneysea/land.

Going back time can take bus if lazy again or train if miss the bus timing(I did this in 2015 but took both bus during my recent trip).

Your Tokyo i think can do more places. Like Asakusa i srsly dont think need one whole day, from there you can take river cruise(If you are okay) straight to Odaiba(Did this once, arrive close to sunset). Nicer in the evening too with the lights and i dun think you will spend lots of time there.

Spoiler

Current Unicorn

 

[kebever]

I check, price per ticket is $1090(Hakone-Yumoto to Shinjuku) and $890(Odawara to Shinjuku), this pricing is the top up required for romancecar booking on top of the pass/regular ticket.

If not wrong, you can buy the Romancecar top up at $890 or $1090(Departing from Odawara or Hakone-Yumoto respectively). This ticket is just to show that you have a reserve seat, at the station entry you can tap your Pasmo/Suica or purchase a required regular ticket($1190(Hakone-Yumoto), $880(Odawara), this would be use for station access and exit at Shinjuku.

Total would be Romancecar($890/$1080) + Regular($880/$1190).

https://www.odakyu.jp/english/romancecar/surcharges/

Assuming from Namba Station to Kyoto Station, subway to Umeda(Towards Shin-Osaka) then take JR Special Rapid Service to Kyoto.

ah ok thank you, in this case maybe i just purchase the direct ticket online. i just checked though the front observation deck for my day is already fully booked!

for the subway Namba to Umeda, do they allow large luggage? Or many steps to climb?

If lazy like me in the morning, get express bus ticket from Shinjuku Express Bus Terminal for Disneysea/land.

Going back time can take bus if lazy again or train if miss the bus timing(I did this in 2015 but took both bus during my recent trip).

Your Tokyo i think can do more places. Like Asakusa i srsly dont think need one whole day, from there you can take river cruise(If you are okay) straight to Odaiba(Did this once, arrive close to sunset). Nicer in the evening too with the lights and i dun think you will spend lots of time there.

Spoiler

Current Unicorn

Thank you, hmm i booked the Klook disneysea ticket, which I have to collect at JR Maihama station, does the bus bring us directly to disney sea or the train station?

Will also take a look at the river cruise.

 

[Gixxerfied]

ah ok thank you, in this case maybe i just purchase the direct ticket online. i just checked though the front observation deck for my day is already fully booked!

for the subway Namba to Umeda, do they allow large luggage? Or many steps to climb?



Thank you, hmm i booked the Klook disneysea ticket, which I have to collect at JR Maihama station, does the bus bring us directly to disney sea or the train station?

Will also take a look at the river cruise.

The link you show is just for romancecar ticket reservation. Rem that you would need to use Suica/Pasmo or purchase a separate regular ticket at the station before you can enter.

There are escalator and lift. As always i would advise avoiding the peak hours which is before 9am, since you're checking out around 11am then no issue with crowds and also, just be considerate with the luggage, that's all.

The bus will go direct to Disneysea and then Disneyland(Stopping at the bus bay). Why dun wana use print out voucher?

 

[JIERRARD]

Questions!!

Hey all,

I am doing a similar trip as well but starting from Tokyo and ending at Osaka.

12-15 Dec
Tokyo and a Nikko day trip

15 Dec-17 Dec
Tokyo - Kanazawa - staying 2 nights here

17 Dec - 19 Dec
Kanazawa - Takayama - 2 nights at Takayama with a trip to Shirakawago

19 Dec - 24 Dec
Takayama - Kyoto - Osaka

Hotels all booked. Now the problem for me is JR PASS. It seems like i can only get the 7 day pass and i was looking up the train tickets and can't really make out how it works?

If i am using the JR pass do i need to pay extra for train tickets? i dont need to reserve any seats cos it is just me and my wife and on Hyperdia, there is this price to add on, even on unreserved seats? how does this work?

Sorry for hijacking this thread but thought i will continue on this post rather than creating a new thread