JR pass advisable

Hi Terry,

Savings you could make with the JR-Pass:

Osaka --> Nagoya ¥ 6,180
Nagoya --> Takayama ¥ 5,870
Takayama --> Kanazawa ¥ 5,840
Kanazawa --> Toyama ¥ 2,610 (for Toyama Chiho Railway to Tateyama)
Toyama --> Kansai Airport:¥ 10,990

For a total of ¥ 31,490, a 7 Day Rail pass is ¥ 28,300 saving you ¥ 3,190.

To answer your questions:

1.) Yes! That is no problem at all, For economic travel to Osaka I would recommend this 980 Yen ticket.

2.) Looking at the savings above I think a 7 Day JRPass is certainly worthwhile for the journey. Beside the above savings you can also use it for Local trains in Osaka and possibly for an other day trip to Kyoto for instance.

For Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route:
From Kanazawa it is not hard to reach! Take the JR to Toyama and exit the station, besides the Toyama JR station you can find the Dentetsu Toyama Station. From here you can take the Toyama Chiho Railway to Tateyama (1170Yen/One way not covered by JRPass) and enjoy the Alpine Route!
Unless your plane leaves late the following it is indeed smart to plan your last night in Kyoto/Osaka. The journey back to Kyoto from Toyama takes about 3 hours by train and the last train leaves Toyama at 19:56 so be sure to make a good plan for the day and keep an eye on your watch!

Hope this helps!
-Daniel

Daniel San,
Thank you for your reply,still a little confus trying to get the most effective itinerary. Kindly assist if it's possible to plan:
Day 1-Osaka-Nogaya-Takayama
Day 2-Takayama-Toyama-Tateyama Kurobe Route(Does the journey with the 6 different transport ends Ogizawa?Any
accommodation there? Can go to Shirakawa-go from here? This way i can go to Kanazawa from Shirakawa-go, then proceed back to Osaka.

Thank you and i will proceed to buy the JR pass soon.

BR
Terry

Hi Again,

Day 1 is fine! The ride to Nagoya is not far so you will have enough time to walk around.

Tateyama Kurobe Route:
For the 2nd part I assumed you would go to Kanazawa by train from Takayama and from Kanazawa visit Tateyama. The full route for Tateyama is scheduled to open on the 16th of April 2013 so I am not sure if you can complete the full route before then. If you can complete it, the end of the route is Shinano-Omachi. There are a couple of hotels and ryokans available here and the trip back to Osaka/Kyoto from here is roughly 4 hours.

For Shirakawa-go,
The best way to see the area is to rent a car in Takayama if you can and visit Shirakawa-go for the day. Otherwise you can take a high way bus from Takayama (50 minute) and either take a High Way bus on to Kanazawa(75 Minutes) or back to Takayama, I am not aware of any bus that directly serve ones of the stations related to the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. (please note that these High Way buses are not covered by the JR-Pass).

Hope that clears things up!
-Daniel

Hi Daniel San,

Thanks for reply and you are right that i may only be able to do part of the Alpine route to Murodo I think.
You have been wonderful and i thank you for your kind reply. All the best.

BR
Terry

Hi Daniel San,

Appreciate your help as my itinerary goes:
9/04 -Arrive in Kansai to Osaka with 980 yen ticket you recommend
10-12/04- Osaka Seminar.
13/04-Leaves for Kanazawa and stay 1 night
14/04-Leaves for Shirakawa-go and stay 1 night
15/04-Leaves for Takayama and stays 2 nights
17/04-Leaves for Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route via Toyama and checking if i should stay at Shinano Omachi?
18/04-Can i stay at Kyoto and are able to reach Kansai airport for my 1005am flight ?Or better stay in Osaka?
19/04-Flight at Kansai airport 1005.
Will starts my 7day JR pass from 13-19th Apr 13??
Tks n BR
Terry

Hi again Terry,

I see you made quite some changes to your itinerary. This does look great when you plan to visit the Kurobe Alpine route and also looks planned great for the rest. The dates you would use your JR-Pass 13-19th are also optimal.
I am a bit unsure how long the entire Alpine route takes but from what I read it will take about a day, so it is a good plan to plan your night's stay at the end of the trail (Shinano Omachi), there are also hotels available on the way. Personally I also like this because you won't have to hurry for a last train,so you may have a better feeling while you enjoy to trail.

You can stay in Kyoto if your plane leaves at 10.05 but you will have to take an early Haruka Express from Kyoto station. These leave at 5.46 / 6.22 / 6.45 / 7.15 and take about 90 minutes. In your case I would take the 6.22 train or at latest the 6.45 one. This journey is fully covered by the JR-Pass.

Best Regards,
Daniel

Hi Daniel,

You've been wonderful . Wish you all the best

BR
Terry

Hi Daniel,
Hope you are doing well. My itinery is more or less confirm with most of hotel book. Could i check if you could advice
if JR pass is advisable?
9th-13th- Kansai to Osaka for training
13/4-Osaka- Kanazawa
14/4-Kanazawa-Shirakawa-go (By Nohi Bus)
15/4-Shirakawa-go - Takayama(2nights)
17/4-Takayama-Toyama(Tateyama Alpine route) ,Shinano Omachi-Kyoto(2nights in kyoto)
19/4-Kyoto-Kansai Airport
(For 7day pass will start from 13th Apr to 19th Apr13), If not buying JR pass will it be more troublesome?? Look forward to your comment.
BR
Terry

Hi again Terry,

Glad to see things are coming together!
Here is an breakdown of ticket costs without the JR-Pass.

Osaka --> Kanazawa ¥ 7,240
Takayama --> Toyama ¥ 3,080
Shinano Omachi --> Kyoto ¥ 10,010
Kyoto --> Kansai Airport ¥ 3,290

For a total of ¥ 23,620 a 7 day JR-Pass is 28,300. With your itinerary this would not be covered, so unless you want it as a cool souvenir I would not recommend it. Buying tickets as you go does not take that much more time, just be sure to have enough cash with you :)

Best regards,
Daniel

Hi Daniel,

Thank you so very much! You Take care.

BR
Terry

Hi Daniel,

I'm planning my last week in Japan in Central Honshu before going back to Tokyo. But, I need help finalizing my itinerary; so far it looks like this:

Monday - leave Osaka to Takayama via Nagoya (night stay at Takayama)
Tuesday - day trip to Shirakawago (night stay at Takayama)
Wednesday - take earliest train out of Takayama to do the Tateyama Alpine route terminates at Ogisawa and head to Matsumoto for a night stay
Thursday - day trip to Kamichochi (night stay at Matsumoto)
Friday - Hakone/Mt. Fuji
Saturday - Hakone to Tokyo

My concern is Wednesday. Would it be better to stay a night at Toyoma then do the alpine route the next day so that leaves a bit more travel time to Matsumoto?

Now I'm wondering about Takayama - is it possible to stay just 1 night i.e. from Osaka -> Nagano -> Takayama (check in at hotel & leave luggage) -> Shirikawago -> Takayama for the night? The next day travel to Toyoma for a night stay and take the alpine route.

Thanks,
app13rey

Hi Daniel San

Would like to have your advice on the JR pass for the following itinerary :-

Day 1: Nagoya [Arrival]
Day 2: Takayama/Gifu/Shirakawago
Day 3: Kanazawa
Day 4: Tateyama - Alphine Route - Isawa
Day 5: Mt Fuji
Day 6: Tokyo
Day 7: Tokyo
Day 8: Nagoyo [Departure]

Could you please advise the relevant station that we will stopped by on the places above?

What are the differences of 7Day Pass and Daily pass?

Thank you :) Looking forward for your reply and advice!