Osaka Hiroshima Travel

I have a travel itinerary for a trip KIX to Hiroshima return

23 April - Arrive KIX 21:30 - hotel in Osaka
24 April - Travel to Hiroshima
25 April - Rabbit Island
26 April - Onomichi
27 April - Takehara
28 April - Miyajima and travel to Osaka
29 April - Kyoto
30 April - Universal Studios
1 May - depart from KIX

I need some advice on if a rail pass is a good idea. The JR Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass and ICOCA looks like a good option. The pass is active for 5 days - should I activate on 24th April for the long distance travel?

Thanks

I agree with the start date and pass used.

Thanks Hakata.

Leading up to Golden Week, would unreserved seats on Nozomi be a bad idea? The pass is not valid for reserved seats.

What do you think?

Yes and no.

Sakura shinkansen services start at Shin-Osaka, so you can be the first one on if you queue up early enough.

Coming back, some Hikari services start at Hiroshima, but most from Okayama, so again be the first to queue up, or possibly stand to Okayama, and queue up for a service from there.

Doing some more research, the JR Sanyo Sanin Area Pass is valid for 7 days, and I can reserve seats. Looks like it comes to the same price as adding a reserved seat on one leg.

Onomichi is celebrating its Minato Matsuri (Port Festival) on the 27th and 28th. I will be there on the 28th to see the elementary and junior high students parade around town in a dance festival. I would at least try and hit the town on that Saturday or Sunday if I were you.

Sanyo Sanin is 5500 yen more. A bit much just for the opportunity to get reserve seats back to Osaka.

To make it work, I'd use it on your arrival date. Get a JR airport service into Osaka. And switch your Universal Studios and Kyoto days around as access to Universal Studio is by JR trains, and Kyoto is better served by non-JR serivces.

My guess is that on 28th to Osaka, you might be standing (first day of GW).
Last week (not a special event or anything unusual) I made sure I had reserved seats by using a combination of Kodama/Hikari partly because the Sakura was sold out (again), and the previous week I used a non-reserved Sakura option and while we had seats (early line up), the non-reserved car had more than 40 people standing (packed like a commuter train in rush-hour).