Home
Back

Dear visitor, if you know the answer to this question, please post it. Thank you!

Note that this thread has not been updated in a long time, and its content might not be up-to-date anymore.

Narita to Hiroshima in one day 2015/4/23 11:22
The facts
I arrive at Narita (T3) Monday August 10, 9 am. In order to make some personal commitments, I intend to sleep that night in Hiroshima, travelling by rail. We are a party of two.

Purpose of the thread
I know this probably seems crazy to a lot of you, I know it is poorly planned, but itfs happening and the earlier we arrive in Hiroshima, the better. So every minute we save helps, and while I realise itfs not ideal, I want to make the best of a bad situation.

General flow of activity for the day
Land, Customs, Walk to T2, Post office for Wi-Fi, JR Pass Exchange, Train Tickets, Narita Express to Tokyo station, Train Tickets, Hikari to Shin-Osaka, Train Tickets, Sakura to Hiroshima.

Details/Specific Questions
Are there timesinks Ifm not considering or better options in the above timeline?
I know I cannot reserve Shinkansen seats before I get my JR Pass. I understand that they are generally reserved well in advance during Obon week.
So as each ticket is just for ASAP, it seems like I will be lining up for non reserved seats for each leg of the journey, correct?
It seems like they all leave every half an hour – is there any chance of us not getting on either of the next two available trains?
Green JR passes seem to be recommended for ensuring seats as they are much more empty, but does this ring true during Obon week? I know no-one can guarantee they wonft be full, but the ability to (almost) ensure seats would definitely be worth the extra money to me. The extra comfort, not so much, so if theyfll be full anyway - forget it.
How much time can potentially be saved by buying NfEX tickets and getting our JR passes at Tokyo station?
Assuming there is a long queue for JR passes, is it frowned upon for my travel partner to go and find food, go to the post office, etc, while I hold our place in the queue? I wouldnft think twice here in Australia, but my dadfs british and the horror of seeming impolite is hardwired.

Most important question
By your estimation, what time do you see us arriving in Hiroshima?

Thanks for reading!
by pynchonwithit  

Re: Narita to Hiroshima in one day 2015/4/23 12:24
If time is your biggest constraint, then the best option is to fly. It's cheaper as well (at least for this single trip).
by Firas rate this post as useful

Re: Narita to Hiroshima in one day 2015/4/23 12:26
Are you set on travelling by train? Because the easiest fix would be to fly to Hiroshima, as you can reserve flights now, it cuts down on transit time, and can be cheaper than a JR Pass. The only setback is that the direct flights from Narita are not good for your itinerary so you're best off going via Haneda instead. With the transit times you can expect to be in Hiroshima around 2pm at the earliest.

If you are set on trains then I would estimate about 2+hours to get everything done at Narita and then 6 hours transit time to Hiroshima. Recent forum posts have identified the JR Exchange office as the biggest time sink so you might be able to save by paying to go to Shinagawa or Tokyo and exchanging there instead. It depends on the day but it could be a savings of an hour or more. Overall I'd estimate an arrival around 6-7pm.

May 10 is not the busiest travel day but I still wouldn't be surprised to see trains sold out around the time you are travelling. Green car may help but it may not, so mentally prepare to have to stand for the full 6 hour trip.

Assuming there is a long queue for JR passes, is it frowned upon for my travel partner to go and find food, go to the post office, etc, while I hold our place in the queue?

No problem, and it would probably go smoother if everyone did that. Just make sure you have all of the passports or you can't do the exchange.
by yllwsmrf rate this post as useful

Re: Narita to Hiroshima in one day 2015/4/23 12:28
Assuming you are able to leave Narita airport after 10:30 or so (I'm a local resident so do not know how long JR Pass queue is at Narita), by taking trains: Narita - Tokyo, TOkyo - Shin-osaka, Shin-osaka to Hiroshima, you reach Hiroshima around 16:50.

If you give up JR Pass, and just by Nozomi Shinkansen train tickets, that would get you to Hiroshima around 16:00.

If you are good at navigating train transfers, you could take trains to Haneda Airport and fly to Hiroshima Airport. That should get you Haneda - Hiroshima (13:15 departure, 14:35 arrival).
by AK rate this post as useful

Re: Narita to Hiroshima in one day 2015/4/23 13:40
Thanks for the responses! I am considering flying, definitely, but I'm getting the JR pass, regardless, so rail travel is already funded.

Flying definitely leaves me with much less time sitting on a moving vehicle, but I don't think it gets me to the destination that much sooner.

I've still got the same airport errands, then I travel to (for example), shinagawa, then to haneda, then to hiroshima airport, which is still almost an hour from hiroshima, itself.

If I manage to catch that 1.15 flight, it could be worth it, but that's pretty tight considering it's my first time, and then if my flight in to Japan gets delayed an hour or so, everything goes out the window. The 3 pm flight is more realistic, and then I only save an hour or so for a couple of hundred dollars.

I should clarify - I'm only committed to get to hiroshima by 10pm or so. Getting there as early as possible is just me saying why not? More time in Hiroshima.

by pynchonwithit rate this post as useful

Re: Narita to Hiroshima in one day 2015/4/23 13:56
I've still got the same airport errands, then I travel to (for example), shinagawa, then to haneda, then to hiroshima airport, which is still almost an hour from hiroshima, itself.

I think you're overestimating the travel times and cost between airports. The Narita errands should take less than an hour (activate your JR Pass in Hiroshima) and the transfer to Haneda is about 100 minutes by direct train. So the 1:15 or 1:30 flights should be no problem. Since they are JAL and ANA flights you can get discount tickets for about 10000-13000 yen:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2364.html

The bus transfer into Hiroshima takes about an hour from when you land. So you'll save about 3 hours overall compared to train for about $100. Most importantly you'll have a guaranteed reserved seat! That alone may be priceless.
by yllwsmrf rate this post as useful

Re: Narita to Hiroshima in one day 2015/4/23 13:59
Note that 1) there are direct trains between Narita and Haneda (about 90 minutes), and 2) ANA flights are available at a flat rate of 10800 yen for tourists. But I agree it's probably not really worth it in your case, as your flight does not connect well with the available flights from Narita to HIroshima.
by Firas rate this post as useful

Re: Narita to Hiroshima in one day 2015/4/23 14:17
Arriving (landing) at 9 a.m. you should be in T2 by 9:30. The good thing about that is the initial early morning queues get shorter so it might take less time, but you would still need to wait for the next train into Tokyo.

Irrespective of using the N'Ex or the other one (Skyliner to Ueno) you still have transfer times to take into account (eg, I had 30 minutes at Shin-Osaka this week but I was able to buy in advance for the best transit timing (6.5 hours Hiroshima to Narita) and I already had my pass.

If you're lucky, maybe 4:30pm in Hiroshima by train. Easily later than that.

Just on green car travel, for the Sakura services there are not that many seats to start with, so that does not necessarily help - you might be ok with non-reserved seats.
by JapanCustomTours rate this post as useful

Re: Narita to Hiroshima in one day 2015/4/23 20:13
The queue for JR Passes at Narita 2 at 9.30am was horrific: we were in it, and we landed in Narita 2 at 7.20am: I would not expect to be on a NEx until at least 10.18am, which gets you to Hiroshima at 16.26pm, OR 10.48am NEx arriving at Hiroshima at 16.52pm.
We did the same thing, almost, going as far as Okayama; it is a good way to spend the first day after a night time flight. Relaxing, warm, sleep inducing....
by AusTF rate this post as useful

Re: Narita to Hiroshima in one day 2015/4/24 00:06
One of the advantages of starting your trip in Tokyo for non-reserved seats is that the train is empty when you board it (apart from the people on the platform).

As such, there is a reasonable chance of getting a non-reserved seat to Hiroshima if it's not Golden Week or Obon. You will also be travelling in the middle of the day which reduces the number of people who are normally travelling.
by mfedley rate this post as useful

Re: Narita to Hiroshima in one day 2015/4/24 10:21
You can surely reach Hiroshima before ten.
I took landed in Narita a few minutes after two. I reached Hakata before eleven. I was in Hiroshima about ten.

If you arrive before noon, i do not see any issue with time. You can go all the way to Kagoshima and still be fine. (Last station along the shinkansen line. about an hour & half away from Hiroshima)
by jh (guest) rate this post as useful

reply to this thread