Which pass to use?

Hi,

I will be travelling to Japan with the following itinerary in mind. But I am not sure which pass should I buy? Will JR pass be worthwhile? Please advise me

19 Mar – Nagoya to Shirakawago (by bus)
20 Mar – Shirakawago to Takayama (by bus)
21 Mar - Takayama to Kyoto (by train)
22 Mar - Kyoto to Kinosaki Onsen (by train)
23 Mar - Kinosaki Onsen to Amanohashidate
(by train)
24 Mar – Amanohashidate to Kyoto (by train)
25 Mar – Kyoto to Shiga Ryuo Mitsui Outlet Park (by train & bus)
26 Mar – Kyoto to Arashiyama (by train)
27 Mar – Kyoto to Nagoya (by train)
28 Mar – Nagoya to Toki Premium Outlet (by train & bus)
29 Mar – Depart Nagoya (by train to airport)

Thank you,
juz

Since you are mixing bus and trains, I would first suggest that you go from Takayama to Kyoto by Nohi bus. There is not a direct train to Kyoto, but the Nohi bus line has a direct bus to Kyoto. Here is a link:

http://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/

This could be the same bus line that you will use to get from Nagoya to Shrakawa-go.

As for a JR Pass, the best one appears to be the JR Kansai Wide Area Pass, whick will cost 8500 yen for five days. The train tracks around Amanohashidate are privately owned, so go by JR train to Fukuchiyama station, and then catch the Kitakinki Tango railway to Amanohashidate.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_08.html

When you leave Amanohashidate, take the private railway back to Fukuchiyama Station, and then use the JR Pass to get back to Kyoto.

If you delay your trip to Kinosaki Insen and Amanohashidate a day or two, you should be able to use the JR pass on it's final day to get to Tsuge Station, which is closer to Nagoya.

Since you are looking to go to outlet malls, I remember going into the outlet mall in Kurashiki and thinking it was nice. The JR Kansai Wide Area pass covers train transportation to Kurashiki, and the outlet mall is just behind the station. The outlet mall is at Trivoli Park, which was once a Danish Amusement Park. The canal area of Kurashiki is also very nice, and will have local artists vending alsog the canal.

I hope this helps.

I would suggest:

Take the train from Nagoya to Takayama first then to from Takayama to Shirakawa-go. Then take the bus down from Shirakawa to Kanazawa and take the train from Kanazawa to Kyoto. Its a beautiful loop without any backtracking.

Hi hi,

Thank you for your advice and recommending the other mitsui outlet mall to me.

At first, I thought of taking train from Takayama to Kyoto because I heard that the route is scenic. Is it correct?

In this case, maybe I can consider going to Kyoto from Kanazawa too.

By the way, I am checking the hyperdia timings and noticed that there are reserved seat (high season). Is it really necessary to reserve seat during high season? So, if I am using JR pass and make reservation before that, I have to pay the extra fee for reservation at the counter is it?

Thank you.

I have also heard that the train ride from Nagoya to Takayama is very scenic. The limited express is a wide view, which means that the first class in the first car gets an almost a 270 degree view from the first row, because the front of the first car is all glass.

On of my guilty pleasures when I travel in Japan is a first class green JR Pass, so that I can ride the wide view limited express trains. I especially like the trip from Osaka down the Kii peninsula to KiiKatsuura Station, and the trip from Okyama to Shikoku Island across the bridge spanning the Seto Inland Sea.

If you are interested in going by train, you might consider getting a Takayama-Hokuriku Pass for the first five days, because it will cover all of your transportation to Kyoto, as long as you don't mind taking the route suggested by Ric.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_takayama_hokuriku.html

Once again, you could stay a day in Kyoto on the 22nd, and go to the Mitsui Outlet Mall. This one day delay would allow you to cover the 23rd to 27th with the Kansai Wide area pass, and get closer to Nagoya. This would drop your costs.