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Which Train Pass is Best for My Japan Trip? Need Your Expertise!

Zohane
Zohane
about 1 month ago
1 answer

Help Needed: Choosing the Right Train Pass for My Japan Trip!

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to figure out which train pass would be best for my upcoming trip, but there are so many options, and it's starting to get overwhelming. I hope someone here can help!

Here’s a rough outline of our itinerary:

  • Arriving on October 28th at Narita Airport, then traveling to Osaka.
  • Using Osaka as a base for day trips to: Kyoto, Hiroshima & Miyajima, Kobe & Uji, and Kurashiki & Himeji.
  • Afterward, we’ll do a 3-day trip to Kanazawa, Shirakawago, and Takayama.
  • Finally, we’ll return to Tokyo and use it as a base to visit Kamakura (possibly Enoshima), Nikko, and hopefully get a view of Mount Fuji (either Hakone or Kawaguchiko).

I’m currently considering two passes: the JR West All Area Pass for the first part of the trip or the JR Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass. However, I'm not sure if these are the best choices for my itinerary.

I’m also confused about what "partial" coverage means in this context—does it mean we’ll have to pay extra for part of the journey or change trains at some point?

I’d appreciate any advice, experiences, or suggestions on the best train passes for this itinerary. Thanks so much!

Alexis
Alexis
1050 posts
about 1 month ago
Expert

Hi there,

Travel to Shirakawa-go is not directly covered by any JR Regional Pass - the JR West All-Area Pass would cover all of your itinerary in the JR West region, and so it just means that you’ll have to purchase tickets individually for travel to Tokyo and the surrounding areas (Fuji, Nikko etc.) and a bus ticket for Shirakawa-go.

Kind regards,

Alexis


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