Itinerary Check & Travel mode

Hi Forum - I am planning a trip that is a partial wander and ski trip I have the itinerary below in mind and am planning on train travel for the most part.

But, does this work and what are your recommendations for travel around the Wakayama area, are the buses fine or would a hirecar be better??

I have been looking at rail passes that might fit but I don't think any will, the decision is between the full JR pass or the JR East Tohoku Area Pass. Verdict?

Day 1 – Osaka to Mt Koya = Train
Day 2 – Mt Koya to Tanabe/Shirahama = Train
Day 3 – Tanabe to Yunomise Onsen = bus or self drive???
Day 4 – Yunomise Onsen to Shingu = bus or self drive???
Day 5 – Shingu
Day 6 – Shingu to Ise = Train
Day 7 – Ise
Day 8 – Ise to Tokyo = Train
Day 9 – Tokyo (collect +1)
Day 10 – Tokyo to Zao Onsen = Train
Day 11 to 14 – Ski Days
Day 15 – Zao Onsen to Tokyo = Train
Day 16 – Tokyo to Shiga Kogen = Train
Day 17 to Day 20 – Ski Days
Day 21 – Shiga Kogen to Ito (via Haneda to drop off +1) = Train
Day 22 – Kawazu to Tokyo = Train

I would consider driving most of those first days. Pick up Wakayama or south Osaka and drop of Ise or south Nagoya etc.

Japan's public transport is superior to anything you could hope to achieve by unnecessary car rental.

I assume you mean YunomiNe Onsen? I would advise a combination of bus and hiking along the Kumano Kodo routes to get the full experience the area offers. Check out the Kumano Travel website. There is a transport pass, the Ise-Wakayama-Kumano Area Pass, that could be worthwhile (although I have not checked the numbers for you).

Hi!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this fatal flaw yet.

I'm 99.9% sure Shiga Kogen and Zao onsen are on two different passes offered by JR East. Shiga Kogen is accessible via bus from Nagano Station which is part of the JR East Nagano-Niigata Pass while Zao onsen is accessibly via bus from either Yamagata Station or Sendai Station (in ski Season) which are both on the JR East Tohoku Pass.

If you are going to rent a car, make sure to look into whether there might be snow on the route and drop-off fess since you would be picking up the car in Wakayama-ken and returning it in Mie-ken. Frequently the fees are like 10,000 yen or higher for drop-offs in another prefecture. If you were doing this in Summer, I think there is a bus route from Koya-san to Tanabe, but I think in Winter the route is closed because of snow.