Hello,
We will be in Japan from Sep 21 - Oct 4. I have booked the places we want to go before doing much research so we'll be somewhat all over the place for the whole trip. Below is our itinerary:
21-Sep from Narita Airport to Haneda Airport to Chiba to Tokyo
22-Sep Chiba to Disney Sea
23-Sep Chiba to Ghibli Park
24-Sep Chiba to Tokyo then to Nagano
25-Sep day trip in Nagano
26-Sep Nagano to Tokyo to Kyoto
27-Sep Kyoto to Osaka Expo
28-Sep Kyoto to Tokyo
29-Sep Kyoto to Osaka (planning on going to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove to Fushimi Inari)
30-Sep Osaka to Universal Studios
01-Oct Osaka to Hiroshima (day trip to Hiroshima)
02-Oct Hiroshima to Miyajima
03-Oct Hiroshima to Nagoya
04-Oct Nagoya to Tokyo
I already have the 7-days JR pass which I will activate as soon as we land to Japan which will be on the 21st. I understand it will be valid until the 27th. I was looking online from Tokyo to Nagano/Kyoto/Osaka requires the Nozomi, but I also saw the alternative to Nozomi is the Hikari line which is included in the JR pass. Would this work for us from the 21st to the 27th? If not, how much is the add-on to the JR pass to take the Nozomi to get to Nagano and Kyoto/Osaka?
For the second half of our trip, I am thinking whether I should get another JR pass for 7 days since we will have to be back to Tokyo for our return flight home or just buy the JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass which will be good for 5 days and buying individual tickets for the other 2 days. Or would the 7 Day JR-WEST All Area Pass be better?
Also, is there a website aside from google maps that I can use to search for directions which will tell me in detail which train/bus to take?
Thank you in advance for your help!
