Hyperdia suggested 6 transfers and the duration between the transfer is about 3 or 4 minutes... Hyperdia does not always return simplest routes. It returns routes which are considered to be only logically possible.
A simpler route with more time for transfers is at the bottom of this post.
Please note that with a Japan Rail Pass you cannot take a Shinkansen Nozomi train or use Aichi Loop Line. In Okazaki you will have to purchase tickets of Aichi Loop Line outside the station, so several minutes may well be not enough for the transfer.
I need to store my luggage somewhere, any suggestion? If you stay in the same Kyoto hotel for two or more nights and the hotel is OK to accept your luggage, a delivery service is worth considering.
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http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.htmlAnyway, I recommend you would minimize the amount of luggage to carry around.
On the same day, I suppose to exchange/activate my 7-day JR pass You can receive Japan Rail Passes earlier on the previous day, designating the starting date as 14 March 2013.
If you fly into KIX on 13 March early enough to reach Namba by the midnight, you can receive the passes in Kansai-airport Station of JR-West.
If you leave Namba Station of subway by 10 pm, you can receive the passes at a JR-Central office (open until 11:10 pm) in Shin-Osaka Station and come back to Namba Station by 00:30 am.
Regarding rail fees, a child rate will apply to the 8-year-old kid. (Child Japan Rail Passes are available.)
When the 5-year-old kid is accompanied by one of the three other travelers and does not solely use a reserved space, he/she will be free from rail fees. If he/she has a reserved seat on a Shinkansen or a Ltd. Express, a child rate will apply to him/her, so I suggest you would check whether a child JRP or regular tickets will be better.
[Namba Shin-Osaka -- Nagoya -- Mikawa-Anjo -- Okazaki -- Mikawa-Toyota]
Namba (06:28)
{Subway Midosuji Line}
(06:42) Track 2: Shin-Osaka: Central Gate
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http://www.kotsu.city.osaka.lg.jp/station-guide/M/m13/pdf/station.pdf: You will go down using an escalator shown as C / D on the map or a nearby elevator / staircase, pass through the gate and go up to the Shinkansen concourse.
Shinkansen Central Gate: Shin-Osaka (07:13)
{Shinkansen: Hikari 508}
(08:23) Track 14: Nagoya: Track 15 (08:28)
: You can change Shinkansen trains at the same platform in Nagoya.
{Shinkansen: Kodama 636}
(08:39) Mikawa-Anjo: Shinkansen gate;
gate: Mikawa-Anjo: Track 4 (08:53)
{Tokaido Line: Local}
(09:03) Okazaki: gate
: With a Japan Rail Pass you will have to exit the station through a gate, purchase tickets of Aichi Loop Line and enter the station through the same gate. The one-way fare is 430 yen per adult or 220 yen per child.
gate: Okazaki: Track 0 (09:31)
{Aichi Loop Line}
(09:59) Mikawa-Toyota.
