Pasmo card and other transportation questions

Hello, I'm planning a trip to Japan and I was hoping someone might be able to help with a few questions.

So far, the itinerary looks like the below:
* 5-7 days in Tokyo
* 1-2 days in Hakone
* 2 days in Kyoto
* 2 days in Osaka

I was doing some research and someone pointed me to this link: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359.html

I won't be getting the Japan Rail Card. But I was thinking of getting a PASMO card for Tokyo, a 2-day Kyoto Sightseeing Card, and two 1-day Osaka Unlimited Passes.

PASMO card questions:
* Can the PASMO card be used on the JR Tokaido (from Tokyo to Hakone, from Hakone to Kyoto, and from Kyoto to Osaka) as well?
* Since I can put as much money as I want on the card, can one PASMO card be used by two people (i.e. swipe twice each time we get on a train)?

Tokaido Shinkansen Discount questions:
* If we decide to go with the Hikari Kodama Jiyusekiyo Hayatoku Kippu or the Puratto Kodama Economy Plan, it says I have to purchase this at least one week in advance. Where can I purchase this?

Kyoto/Osaka passes:
* Where can I purchase these passes?


I know there's a bunch of questions here, but I'd appreciate any input on any of these questions.

Thank you so much!!

I won't be getting the Japan Rail Card.

I assume you mean the Japan Rail Pass.

* Can the PASMO card be used on the JR Tokaido (from Tokyo to Hakone, from Hakone to Kyoto, and from Kyoto to Osaka) as well?

Pasmo can be used to travel along the JR Tokaido Line (not Tokaido Shinkansen) from Tokyo to Odawara, but it cannot be used to travel between Odawara and Kyoto. From March 23, it can also be used to travel on non-shinkansen trains between Kyoto and Osaka.

Since I can put as much money as I want on the card, can one PASMO card be used by two people (i.e. swipe twice each time we get on a train)?

No and no. There is a limit of 20,000 yen, and one card per person is needed.

* If we decide to go with the Hikari Kodama Jiyusekiyo Hayatoku Kippu or the Puratto Kodama Economy Plan, it says I have to purchase this at least one week in advance. Where can I purchase this?

The Hayatoku Kippu can be purchased at the ticket office of any JR station. The Puratto Kodama plan, however, has to be purchased at selected travel agencies, for example JR Tokai Tour travel agencies found at major stations along the Tokaido Shinkansen.

Kyoto/Osaka passes:
* Where can I purchase these passes?

The Kyoto Sightseeing Card can be purchased at ticket machines in subway stations, at ticket counters of Kyoto City Bus or through selected hotels.

I don't think the pass has every paid off for me personally. So I stopped using it ten years ago, and use prepaid cards.

1-day Osaka Unlimited Passes

http://www.osaka-info.jp/osp/en/buy/buy.html

Wow... Uji you are amazing! Can I ask some follow up questions?

You mentioned PASMO can be used to travel along the JR Tokaido line, but not the Tokaido Shinkansen. Does that mean there are other trains aside from the Shinkansen that are on the JR lines? (Sorry if this is a silly question. I haven't been to Japan before)

For the Shinkansen discount tickets, aside from the places you mentioned, are there other more convenient places I can purchase these before arriving in Japan (i.e. online)?

Thanks!

JR stands for Japan Rail. Most of the surface rail transport is Japan Rail. The Tokaido line runs from Tokyo to Osaka. It is a slow, local means of transport. The Tokaido Shinkansen (New Trunk Line) is a dedicated high-speed rail line which covers the same route. No other trains are allowed to use the tracks. That's true for most Shinkansen tracks.

Ah, thanks for the clarification.

Here are some basics on using IC cards like Pasmo:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html

For the Shinkansen discount tickets, aside from the places you mentioned, are there other more convenient places I can purchase these before arriving in Japan (i.e. online)?

It seems you can purchase the Puratto Kodama Plan online in Japanese:
http://www.jrtours.co.jp/kodama/

Apart from that, I don't think so.

Thanks again!!

If we decide to go with the Hikari Kodama Jiyusekiyo Hayatoku Kippu or the Puratto Kodama Economy Plan,....

If you fly out via Kansai International Airport [KIX], it sounds better to pay regular fees for JR rides at least after reaching your Tokyo hotel, unless you hope to travel slowly to Kyoto on a Kodama train. A non-JR package / pass can be a good option for your Hakone trip.
: If you make a side trip to Hakone on the way to Kyoto, the two are not good options, because they do NOT allow you to get on a Shinkansen train at Odawara Station.
: If you make a Hakone trip from Tokyo and head to Kyoto later, the Jiyusekiyo Hayatoku Kippu is only valid from Nagoya (further than Odawara) Station and it does NOT allow you to get off on Shinkansen trains at Kyoto Station, so it is not a good option.

5-7 days in Tokyo
1-2 days in Hakone
2 days in Kyoto
2 days in Osaka

When you reserve your Shinkansen seats and purchase your JR tickets at a JR ticket counter, please show your latest itinerary including airports.
: According to this current itinerary shown above, you can pay a base fare
either for Odawara -- Osaka shinai (= inside the city) if you make a side trip to Hakone
or for Tokyo tokunai (= inside the 23 city wards) -- Osaka shinai if you make a Hakone trip from Tokyo
and use the base-fare ticket for 4 consecutive days unless you turn back or skip a section.
: Your Shinkansen reserved-seat ticket for Odawara -- Kyoto will be issued separately.
: After getting off a Shinkansen train in Kyoto Station, if you hope to get out to Central Exit (near Kyoto Tower), you will pass through two ticket gates.
: At a Shinkansen transfer gate, your Shinkansen reserved-seat ticket will be collected.
: If your base-fare ticket is valid further, the ticket will be returned both at a transfer gate and at a gate to an exit, so that you can pick it up and use it later.

PASMO can be used to travel along the JR Tokaido line, but not the Tokaido Shinkansen.

Yes. An IC transportation card is valid only on non-Shinkansen lines.
Tokaido Shinkansen connecting Tokyo and Shin-Osaka is operated by JR-Central, while Tokaido Line is of three parts operated by three different JR companies, which are JR-East, JR-Central and JR-West. The section Tokyo -- Odawara is a JR-East section inside Suica-PASMO network.

John:The Tokaido line runs from Tokyo to Osaka.

It is Kobe Station which is at the west end of Tokaido Line and at the east end of San'yo Line, not any of major terminals Shin-Osaka, Osaka and Sannomiya Stations. I know this belongs to trivia, however, because JR-West is using nicknames for sections given regardless of boundaries of lines, such as "JR Kyoto Line" for Kyoto -- Osaka and "JR Kobe Line" for Osaka -- Kobe -- Himeji.

John: The Tokaido Shinkansen is a dedicated high-speed rail line which covers the same route.

Practically a Shinkansen line and a non-Shinkansen line are sharing a route only partly. And a Shinkansen line has far fewer stations. So, you can make a transfer between them only at a small numbers of stations.

two 1-day Osaka Unlimited Passes.

You will tour Osaka on 2 consecutive days, so a 2-day Pass sounds better.

In my previous post, "get off on Shinkansen trains" should have been "get off a Shinkansen train" and "a small numbers" should have been "a small number."

Omotenashi, thank you for your wealth of knowledge. I am so grateful. I don't think I completely understand everything yet, so I'm hoping for a little more clarification.

So the itinerary would be:
* Either Narita or Haneda Airport to a hotel in Tokyo
* Tokyo to Hakone (Odawara Station?). I won't be heading back to Tokyo and will instead go straight to Kyoto afterwards.
* Hakone to Kyoto
* Kyoto to Osaka
* Osaka to most likely KIX

So correct me if I'm wrong. With the above itinerary, I should NOT get the Hikari Kodama Jiyusekiyo Hayatoku Kippu or the Puratto Kodama Economy Plan.

I'm also still a bit confused with Shinkansen reserved vs. unreserved. But from what you're saying, I should be getting two tickets? One for Odawara-Osaka and one for Odawara-Kyoto? Do I need another one for Tokyo-Odawara?

As for the 2-day Osaka Unlimited Pass, I didn't know that existed. Thanks!

Part of most Shinkansen trains are non-reserved and part is reserved. If you have a JR Pass, seat reservation is free, so most who have one actually reserve a seat if they know that's the train they want.

Unreserved seats. Ean you don't have to pay for the seat reservation but you are not guaranteed a seat on that train. People will line up at each station on the spots where the doors will open to each of the non-reserved cars will stop. They line up in single file so when the doors open, they board and seat on a first-come, first -serve basis. The closer your station is to the beginning of the run, say Tokyo or Shinagawa for the Westbound run or Shin-Osaka or Kyoto for the Eastbound route, the chances of an empty seat are greater than approaching Nagoya, for example.

Since Shinkansen run often, people who don't want to commit to a specific time will take the chance at an unreserved seat so they don't miss the train they actually reserved a seat for. Rush hours trump this though and all bets are off then-it's a mad dash for seats. You can actually stand in the areas around the doors, but a long ride could get tiring.

I'm also still a bit confused with Shinkansen reserved vs. unreserved.

A Shinkansen charge on a ride without seat reservation for Odawara -- Kyoto is 4920 yen. If you use a seat requiring reservation, this charge is a bit higher by 310 to 710 yen, depending on seasons and days.
(You can pay the gap and switch to a reserved seat if there is vacancy, but you cannot do the reverse.)
You will hold both a base-fare ticket and a Shinkansen ticket for your Shinkansen ride.

A train on Tokaido Shinkansen is composed of
Ordinary-Class cars with seats used without reservation,
Ordinary-Class cars with seats requiring reservation,
and Green-Class cars (called "Green Cars").
A Green Class is a higher class. If you are in a Green-Class car, a Green-Class charge is required even if you do not have a seat. Please pay attention to car numbers.
- http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018.html

I have heard that some of people who are living apart from families for commuting to a workplace use Shinkansen to go home and come back in weekends.
Business persons can make a daytrip using Tokaido Shinkansen between two offices located apart in two of Tokyo Metropolis, Nagoya City and Osaka City.

Tokyo to Hakone (Odawara Station?).
Do I need another one for Tokyo-Odawara?

Hakone area is not served by JR companies.
You can get to Odawara either by Odakyu or by JR.
- http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5206.html
You will stay in Hakone area for at least one night. So, a Hakone Free Pass issued by Odakyu may be a good choice.
- http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_008.html
(You will not head back to Tokyo, so an inside-the-area edition will be enough.)

I won't be heading back to Tokyo and will instead go straight to Kyoto afterwards.

Then it sounds good to pay a base fare either of 6830 yen for Odawara Station -- Kyoto Station or of 7350 yen for Odawara Station -- your JR station in Osaka City. The base-fare ticket will be valid for 4 calendar days. (Kyoto and Osaka are connected by JR and non-JR lines.)
A base fare is a fee required regardless of trains / classes. If you take a train on Shinkansen / a Ltd. Express train on a non-Shinkansen Line, a service charge is required in addition.

Your route to KIX depends on the location of your Osaka hotel.
- http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2033.html

Thank you so much!! You've been so incredibly helpful. I really appreciate your detailed advice.

Final question (hopefully): If I get a base fare Odawara-Osaka ticket, does that mean I can get off in Kyoto, spend some time there, and then get back onto the Shinkansen towards Osaka with that Odawara-Osaka ticket as long as it's within 4 days?

I can get off in Kyoto, spend some time there, and then get back onto the Shinkansen towards Osaka with that Odawara-Osaka ticket as long as it's within 4 days?

You can take a direct train on a non-Shinkansen "JR Kyoto Line" to Osaka Station, while on Shinkansen you can choose Shin-Osaka Station only in Osaka City, and a Shinkansen charge is required for Kyoto -- Shin-Osaka.
So, I recommend you would take a train on "JR Kyoto Line," avoiding rush hours on weekdays.

In Kyoto, Shinkansen tracks are at the south end, on the 3rd floor. You can go down to the concourse on the 2nd floor.

(a) If you visit Tourist Information Center (open 08:30 - 19:00) first, get out through a gate for Kintetsu. (You can ask a station attendant "How can I go to a Kintetsu Railway's entrance?" and get a correct answer.) You will turn right at the exit, walk a little, go up to the pathway connecting south and north ends, walk for a while and find this center on your left.

(b) If you visit your hotel near the north end [Karasuma end] first, I recommend you would pass through Central Transfer Gate [Chuuou norikae-kaisatsu], walk a little, go up and walk through the bridge, and go down to the right. You can get out through nearby Central Gate.

Your Shinkansen ticket will be collected at a gate in Kyoto. Make sure to pick up your base-fare ticket.

Buses in Kyoto City are NOT ready to accept IC transportation cards. If do not take a train in Kyoto City, you will not need an ICOCA Card there.
From 23 March 2013 you can use either a Suica Card or a PASMO Card on subway lines in Kyoto and Osaka, but you cannot return the card to a rail operator in any of the cities. You can return an ICOCA Card to JR-West.

Trains running for Osaka on "JR Kyoto Line" use Tracks 4 and 5 in Kyoto. All of the trains make stops at Shin-Osaka and at Osaka on the way to a further destination.
From Osaka Station of JR-West you can make a simple transfer to Umeda Station on subway Midosuji Line. (This line also has Shin-Osaka Station, but Umeda Station is closer to JR-West.)

After you will decide airports and hotels, I recommend you would make a new thread for questions about airport - hotel accesses.

Enjoy your trips!

Thanks again for your advice! I'll definitely post updates once we get our flights and hotels booked.