Osaka and Tokyo - 30 Mar to 10 Apr

Hi! I am going to be in Japan between 30Mar and 10Apr; the following is an itinerary that, most probably, seems to be my final one. Your assistance is needed in tuning it.

====================================
30-Mar Osaka Arrival (5pm), Namba

31-Mar Osaka Osaka Castle, Kita, Osaka Bay Area

******* 7days JR Pass activation *******
01-Apr Osaka Morning to Okayama Okayama: Kibi Plain, Korakuen Garden. Osaka:Umeda

02-Apr Osaka Morning to Kyoto Kyoto: East Trail. Osaka: Shin-Osaka area

03-Apr Osaka Morning to Kyoto Kyoto: North Trail, Fushimi Inari (Todii gates). Osaka: Station area

04-Apr Osaka Morning to Nara Nara: Todaji, Isuien, Nara Park. Osaka: Namba

05-Apr Tokyo Morning to Tokyo Ginza. Akihabara: Sofmap, Gamers, Mandarake.

06-Apr Tokyo Morning to Hakone Hakone. Shinjuku: Yamada Denki, Kabuchiku, Golden Gai

07-Apr Tokyo Morning to Yokohama Yokohama: Minato Mirai, Osanbashi Pier, Chinatown, Motomachi. Shibuya: Loft, Love Hill, Center Gai. Tokyo Tower.
******* 7days JR Pass expiry *******

08-Apr Tokyo Shinjuku: Gyoen, Takashimaya, Lumine, Metropolitan Govt., Omoide Yokocho, Yadobashi Camera, Isetan.

09-Apr Tokyo Harajuko: Yoyogi Park, Takeshita Dori, Kiddy Land, Daiso Harajuku, Oriental Bazaar, Dora

10-Apr Tokyo Departure (9pm)
====================================

1. Days 04, 08 and 09 of April have room for more activities, any suggestions?

2. Do any of the days appear hectic?

3. My understanding is that, in addition to the Shinkansen, JR Pass can also be used on any other service that starts with 'JR,' like Chuo, Yamanote, Shonan, Negishi and Saikyo. Am I correct?

4. I read that 7:30am to 9am and a little after 5pm are rush hours in Japan. Since I will be making most of my morning trips from Shin-Osaka and Shinjuku, what time would be favorable? Are the rush hours really that bad?

5. On my trip from Shin-Osaka to Shinjuku, one of the options is to take Shin-Osaka - Shinagawa - Osaki - Shin-Okubo. According to Hyperdia, JR Yamanote Line will go from Shinagawa to Osaki, then to Shin-Okubo. Does this mean I have to get off the train in Osaki and take the opposite bound train, or can I just be seated till it starts moving again? I ask this because JR Yamanote is mentioned twice.

6. My hotel is 3 minutes away from Shin-Okubo. How long will it take to walk to Shinjuku from the hotel?

7. Thank you very much for your help; people on this forum are very helpful, and I just can't thank you guys enough. Japan-Guide has been practically the only site I referred to while planning for this trip.

5. The Yamanote line runs in a loop, so you wouldn't have to get off. Osaki is sometimes mentioned as a "terminal" station but you'd never notice it riding in either direction. Perhaps early in the morning or late at night some of the trains may end there, but during the times you'd probably use them, it's not a problem.

3. With a JR Pass, you can't use the Nozomi service on the Tokaido or Mizuho service on the Sanyo Shinkansen. There are other minor places where the JR train runs on private rail lines and you'd have to pay for that portion. Some night trains, even though they are JR, are not free with the JR Pass either. But for the most part, if it's JR it would be covered.

Please see this page for more details:

http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en004.html

The Japan Rail Pass will be more expensive than regular tickets for your itinerary. I hope you have not purchased it yet.

Note also that Kita, Umeda and the Osaka Station area all refer to the same district.

Also, I don't know of anything interesting to see in the Shin-Osaka area.

Days 04, 08 and 09 of April have room for more activities, any suggestions?

I feel day 4 is pretty full already unless you like to travel at a very fast pace.

As for days 8 and 9, I recommend to read more on Tokyo and pick the sites depending on personal interest:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html

2. Do any of the days appear hectic?

In some cases it is difficult to judge because it is not clear how much you want to see, e.g. "East Trail" and "North Trail" in Kyoto. I am not sure what exactly you are referring to. And the Hakone day looks hectic. Most tourists spend an entire day there. But you would have to be back quite early in the late afternoon in order to visit all these stores. Note also that Hakone is somewhat along the way between Osaka and Tokyo. You could consider visiting at that time.

My understanding is that, in addition to the Shinkansen, JR Pass can also be used on any other service that starts with 'JR,' like Chuo, Yamanote, Shonan, Negishi and Saikyo. Am I correct?

Yes, it is explained here:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361.html

If you use Hyperdia, note that some JR limited express trains are not labeled with JR in Hyperdia, which can be slightly confusing.

I read that 7:30am to 9am and a little after 5pm are rush hours in Japan. Since I will be making most of my morning trips from Shin-Osaka and Shinjuku, what time would be favorable? Are the rush hours really that bad?

It is mainly the morning rush hours and the final sections of the suburban train lines leading into Tokyo that are extremely crowded. But even within central Tokyo there are some very crowded sections. Other section are more "normally crowded" as seen in cities across the world during rush hours.

According to Hyperdia, JR Yamanote Line will go from Shinagawa to Osaki, then to Shin-Okubo. Does this mean I have to get off the train in Osaki and take the opposite bound train, or can I just be seated till it starts moving again?

In almost all cases, no transfer is needed at Osaki. Only very seldomly does a train retire at Osaki Station to go into the garage, in which case you have to alight and wait for the next train to come.

I ask this because JR Yamanote is mentioned twice.

Note also that if Hyperdia displays a grey double arrow next to a station name, it means that no transfer is necessary.

My hotel is 3 minutes away from Shin-Okubo. How long will it take to walk to Shinjuku from the hotel?

It takes about 20-30 minutes to walk from Shinjuku Station to Shin-Okubo Station, depending on where around Shinjuku Station.

Thank you John B digs Japan.

Thank you Uji;
I haven't purchased the JR 7days Pass yet, what do you suggest? JR West Rail Pass - Kansai Wide Area? If I use this, what options do I have for traveling to Tokyo? I do not want to travel by neither airplane nor bus.

By East Trail in Kyoto, I mean
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3950_eastern_kyoto_full.html
North Trail
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3950_northern_kyoto_half.html
I do not plan on going to all the temples and shrines on the trial, as I'll skip most of them.
As for Hakone, I understand that it's somewhat along the way, but I have already booked my hotels, and I rather travel 'light' to Hakone. I know that there are services that would take my luggage to any destination. However, if that seems hectic, I may cut back on the things I'd do after returning from Hakone.
What would be the best time to leave for Tokyo from Shin-Osaka?
20-30 minutes of walking to Shinjuku may be fun at times, but it seems I'll be using Shin-Okubo a lot more than I initially planned :)

Thanks again, guys :)

I meant, what would be the best time to travel from Shin-Osaka to Tokyo.

I meant, what would be the best time to travel from Shin-Osaka to Tokyo.

Well that depends entirely on you. If you want to have an extra day in Osaka, then the last trains (around 8:30pm) would be the best, getting you to Tokyo before midnight.

On the same token, if you want to have an extra day in Tokyo, the first one leaves about 6:00am, getting you there about 8:30-9:00. If you're not getting the JR Pass, you can use the Nozomi service trains which take less time to get there and are more frequent early in the morning.

I recommend to buy an Icoca card and use it on urban travel. And buy a regular shinkansen ticket from Osaka to Tokyo. For city travel you may also want to consider a day pass. They are introduced on each city's transportation page. But if you plan your days "geographically wise", then paying just regular fares with your Icoca prepaid card is often the cheapest way.

By the time of your visit, Icoca will also be valid on virtually all trains in the Tokyo area.

@John B digs Japan; thanks again. I was referring to the best time in order to avoid rush hours.

@Uji: thanks again. I tried adding up for fares in case I do not buy the 7days JR Pass, I ended up exceeding its value while I was still in Osaka. eg., return trip to Okayama from Osaka would cost around 12K yens, Osaka to Tokyo would cost another 13K, which adds up to 25K, only 3.3K less than the pass (unless I did something wrong). Thus, I think a 7days JR Pass would allow for better savings.
Upon arrival in Kansai, I am planning to get Icoca & Haruka.

I am sorry, you are right. I overlooked the side trip to Okayama!

Thanks Uji :)