Order Your JRPass
Back to Itinerary check

First Trip to Japan

Josht101
Josht101
6 months ago
1 answer

Hello,

First tip to Japan this year, planning to go from end of September through October for just over 3 weeks. Itinerary at the moment is roughly as follows:

Tokyo 5 nights (day trip to FujiKawaguchiko)
Matsumoto 2 nights
Takayama 2 nights
Kanazawa 2 nights
Kyoto 4 nights (day trip to Nara)
Hiroshima 3 nights (visiting Himeji on the way, and day trip to Miyajima)
Osaka 2 nights
Hakone 2 nights
Back to Tokyo

I may need to reduce by one day, thinking either Matsumoto or Hakone are likely to go down to one night- any advice on which would be better to spend more time in and around appreciated.

Difficulty is also working out trains and buses between the destinations. Whether a JR pass is now worth the extra cost, or all of the individual type of rail passes and then what they actually cover! Think I will need to get a few buses as well. Is it a risk turning up on the day for transport in Japan? Or should I look to prebook where possible?

An hints or trips on travel and this itinerary would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Alexis
Alexis
1052 posts
6 months ago
Expert

Hi there,

Apologies for the late reply. Choosing to reduce time in Matsumoto or Hakone is ultimately your choice, but Matsumoto is a significantly more urbanised area than Hakone so it depends if you'd want to spend less time in a more or less urbanised area.

I would suggest trying to prebook a few days in advance, but because you're not going during an extremely busy time you won't find much difficulty booking trains on the day - especially for buses considering how frequently they depart.

I think that even if you decide to not purchase a JR Pass for your trip, I'd suggest looking into a Hakone FreePass (not offered on our site - it is offered by a non-JR company), as it will cover transport to and from Odawara near Tokyo and covers bus/train travel across Hakone, as the JR Pass does not currently fully cover travel to and from Hakone.

Hope this helps!

Alexis


Looking for more information? Search the forum

Select Category

Instant Quote

Starting from $336.00 for 7 days of unlimited Japan Rail travel

Can’t find the answer?

Learn from over 18045 questions about the Japan Rail Pass, or ask our Japan Rail travel experts

Ask Question

Get pocket Wifi in Japan

Get pocket Wifi in Japan

Visit us on Facebook

Get inspired for your visit to Japan by following us on Instagram and don't forget your own shots once you are there.


Find out where to buy the japan rail pass online.

Order your JRPass Now!

We have special prices for children and great first class options. See all tickets or see our range of Regional Passes