Osaka-Kinosaki-Kyoto-Osaka- Hiroshima- Osaka All in 7 days

Hi Mark,

Here's a little oversight of what you would pay without using the JRPass.

Osaka --> Kinosaki ¥ 5,450
Kinosaki --> Kyoto ¥ 4,710
Kyoto --> Nara ¥ 690
Nara --> Kobe ¥ 2,520 (or 1,380 by local train only)
Kyoto --> Osaka ¥ 540
Osaka --> Hiroshima ¥ 9,950
Hiroshima --> Osaka ¥ 9,950

In total that would be ¥ 33810 a 7 day JR rail-pass costs 28,300, saving you 5510 Yen. In your case I would recommend this pass because it covers all your travels, for instance the JR West pass does not cover your trip to Hiroshima and the The JR Sanyo-Shikoku-Kyushu Rail Pass would not cover your trip to Kinosaki.

As to your questions,
1.) When looking up Itami Airport using Hyperdia you can use ''Osaka Airport'' or hotarugaike (for the hankyu railway company). Itami JR is more than 5km walk from the airport, so I would not recommend it :)
2.) The total amount is the price for the ticket, unless you are travelling by local train only, than the Seat Fare is 0¥.
3.) In Japan it is normal to buy one way tickets, in some cases returns are available but will only save you small amounts and and they don't seem to be available for Shinkansen as far as I am aware.
4.) Train departures in English can be found on most stations and for sure on the bigger stations, your ticket will also tell you from what platform to depart, if you travel by express train or Shinkansen.
5.) Yes you can take a later train in case you missed it, even if you reserved seats. I would however ask you to be careful with this in order for the JR to be able to keep offering the JRPass in the future. In case you are unsure of what time you will take the train you can simple take an unassigned seat or make seat reservations 10-15minutes before departure.

Hope that answers your questions :)
-Daniel

Thanks Daniel, it's really useful info.
Another few more question:
1) Is JR Pass a standard pass for the journey i'm using throughout (except the subway)? and is it just called JR Pass and not by any other name.
2) i'm arriving from Haneda airport to Itami airport, is there a JR Counter to activate the pass or should i do it in Haneda?
3) Itami Airport (also known as Osaka airport) but there is also a Kansai Osaka airport, they are different or are they?
4) Is there a train station in Itami airport to Osaka?
5) Reservation can be made in the train station JR Pass manned counter or machine?

Picking up JR Pass soon.
Thanks in advance.

Hi Mark,

Glad to hear you found it useful!

1.) Yes, I the pass I was referring to is simple called the ''7 day JR pass'' and can be used nationwide! It will cover all of your travel except for Osaka - Itami (see answer 4)
2.) You can exchange your pass at Haneda, other exchange point in Osaka include Osaka Station and Shin-Osaka.
Unfortunately there is no exchange point at Itami Airport. So I would recommend exchanging your pass at Haneda.
3.) Yes they are different, Itami used to be the airport for Osaka and the Kansai Region. In 1994 the much more modern and larger Kansai International airport was completed and took over almost all International flights. Nowadays Itami is still used for many Domestic flights.
4.) There is no JR station near Itami Airport, instead you can use a direct bus from Osaka (¥620) or a combination of the Hankyu line + Osaka Monorail (¥ 420) see http://bit.ly/U4x4VR for an example.
5.) Reservations with the JR Pass can be made at any manned counter, every station has at least one,so you should have no problem whatsoever receiving your tickets.
Please note that ticket machines can not be used with the JR Pass.

Enjoy your trip!
-Daniel

Thanks again Daniel. I'm pretty sure now i can move around with ease in Japan. Next question is ;
1) when i show my pass and walk right through, hop into a train, do the train staff tell us the stations name, and available transfer or connection when it stop at every station?
2) side racking, i have watch some leisure program on tv ppl only pay when alighting from bus, is that correct? Do i have to prepare exact change?
3) what is usual end time for last JR train of the day?

Thanks again, all replies is much appreciated.
Mark

Hi Mark,

Happy to hear things are coming together!

1.) In all major cities an automated voice will tell the next station and lines you can transfer too.
This is done in both Japanese and English. In the rare case that English is not available listen for ''Tsugi wa'' and the next word after that is the station name.
2.) You pay the bus fare when you exit the bus, the payment machine is able to break down 500 Yen coins and 1000 Yen bills is smaller coins but it is always handy to have a couple of 100 Yen coins with you!
3.) As a general rule trains in Japan stop running at midnight (0:00). For instance if your train ride takes 1 hour, the last train you can take will leave around 11 p.m.

Bon Voyage!
-Daniel

Thanks Daniel again for the tips.
Happy Holidays!!
Mark