saphir odoriko

Have anyone bought this outside japan? I will going japan in feb but i not sure how to collect/use the pass.

The train does not carry ordinary class seats. So, you will need a Green Car Japan Rail Pass to use it. Seat reservations are mandatory.

I've been looking at this train, too. As Uji pointed out, if you're going to use a rail pass, it has to be good for green cars. As far as I know, the nationwide JR pass is the only one that has a green version available, so a regional or local pass won't do. And you typically cannot just pay a little extra to upgrade to a green car when you have a regular pass; it's more complicated (and expensive) than that. And if you just buy tickets (without a rail pass), this train is going to be pretty expensive. But if you were already planning to buy a nationwide green pass, then this would be a very good use of it.

The Saphir Odoriko seems to be a very popular train, so you are going to want to make reservations as soon as you can. February might not seem like a very busy time for visiting the Izu peninsula, but in fact it is one of the few places where you can see cherry blossoms during that month, which makes it a popular destination. (Did you see Japan Guide's page on the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival? https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6314.html )

If you are going to be buying the JR Pass online, you might be able to make reservations online as soon as you buy the pass. (You will then pick up the actual tickets after you get to Japan.) Otherwise, do it as soon as you get your pass in Japan. (You might be able to make the reservation at the same service window where you receive your pass, or possibly at a ticket machine. They can tell you when you get the pass.) It will likely be easier to get seats for a weekday than for a weekend.

The Saphir Odoriko departure times from Tokyo seem to be very late for a day trip, so I am planning to take a regular Odoriko (not as fancy, and you don't need a green pass) to get there, and then try to book the Saphir coming back. As far as I understand it, they have new train sets for the "plain" Odoriko trains, so it will be a nice experience but just not as fancy as the Saphir. (The Odoriko trains used to be kind of old and ordinary, although by no means like commuter trains.)

Be aware that the Odoriko trains are operated by JR but the lower part of the Izu Penninsula (below Ito) has tracks belonging to another train company, so I believe you have to pay a surcharge even though you have the JR pass. (You don't have to change trains or anything but the pass doesn't cover this fee.) I can't remember the details but they might come and collect this on the train, so don't be surprised if this happens. Or the surcharge might be paid when you get your seat tickets.

https://www.eki-net.com/en/jreast-train-reservation/Top/Index
Do not skip "User Guide".

Available Seats check, you can see it fr one month before of yr travel date.
https://www.jr.cyberstation.ne.jp/index_en.html

If u meant the "pass" is "Japan Rail Pass (ordinary/Green)", read the notes, bc "Green" and "Premium Green" cars only.
https://japanrailpass.net/en/about_jrp.html#anchor05
You can get on with "ordinary pass", but it doesn't cover everything.

If you haven�ft used a rail pass and trains in Japan before, this all may be seeming very complicated, but don�ft be put off by all the details. It really isn�ft all that difficult. Just read the various information pages about buying passes online (either from the official JR site, which allows you to make reservations, or from a travel agency that will just give you a voucher). Japan Guide�fs summary page is good, and you should also read the japanrailpass.net page that Benitoite provided a link for. It is also possible to wait until you get to Japan to buy a rail pass. If you buy a JR green pass, it will not be hard to make the reservations as long as seats are available. The link Benitoite provided for JR Cyberstation is quite helpful for checking in advance; select �gconventional lines�h to find seat availability for limited express trains like the Odoriko (and Saphir Odoriko). I�fm not sure if you can book the Saphir Odoriko online before you get to Japan, but I don�ft see any particular reason why you can�ft. (I am not experienced with online booking from abroad as I have always waited until I get to Japan to redeem my rail pass voucher.)

If you buy a regular JR pass and want to book the Saphir Odoriko with it, it is my understanding that you have to pay not only a Green car fee but also a limited express fee, as the ordinary pass will only cover the basic seat charge for green seats on limited express trains. (I have never quite understood why this is the case, because the ordinary pass covers the limited express fee for ordinary seats, but this is the way things are. See the Q&A �gUpgrading to Green Car Possible?�h on Japan-Guide�fs information page for the JR pass https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361.html .) It is possible that the Saphir Odoriko is an exception for some reason and you don�ft have to pay a limited express fee (only the green charge), but I wouldn�ft count on it. At any rate, you will definitely need reservations no matter what pass you use.

I hope you do ride this train, and enjoy it. It has always seemed to me that an awful lot of Japan tourists see train travel only as a means of transportation (a necessary evil) and don�ft seem interested in some of the amazing scenic and recreational train-riding possibilities available in Japan. Some of my own all-time best memories from trips to Japan were acquired riding limited express and specially-themed trains over there. The Odoriko route is a nice one, with good scenery once you get to the Izu peninsula. I�fm very keen on trying the Saphir myself!

One thing you have to keep in mind about JR Cyberstation is that the site doesn�ft work between 11:50 pm and 6 a.m. Japan time.

�eIn contrast, the journey is fully covered all the way to Shimoda by the JR Tokyo Wide Pass, JR East Nagano Niigata Area Pass, JR East Tohoku Area Pass and JR East South Hokkaido Pass thanks to an exception to the rule�c�c�f

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6305.html

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_06.html

I checked this on Navitime, selected TWP and there�fs a Odoriko Saphir at 16.51
As noted above, the fares on Odoriko Saphir is very expensive but if it�fs covered by TWP, then it becomes quite feasible.

Postscript: to travel on Saphir Odoriko using the Tokyo wide pass, there is a supplement of 5850\ - one way (Kawazu-Tokyo) confirmed by JR East representative on the phone.

aa, thanks for clarifying! As I understand it, the 5850-yen one-way charge (to Kawazu) is because the Saphir is all green car (and above).

Based on all of the information I have seen online, I believe it is the regular (not green) seats on the regular Odoriko (not the Saphir) that are covered 100% by the Tokyo Wide Pass and the JR East regional passes. Did you happen to confirm this with JR when you were on the phone? Regular seats on the regular Odoriko would still be a very nice train ride, and an excellent use of any of those passes.

To complicate things, unfortunately, I believe you still have to pay the Izu Kyuko surcharge if you take any of these trains using a nationwide JR pass! The nationwide pass is the one that doesn�ft cover that particular fee, but it isn�ft all that much.

I hope that the original poster hasn�ft given up�c.

@Kim
That�fs correct. The Saphir Odoriko is an all Green/ Premier/ First class train.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/traininformation/saphir/

From my research , JR nationwide pass is not terribly useful in this region tho it covers a small section eg Tokyo to Atami.

The Tokyo Wide & JR East pass allows you to travel on the ordinary Odoriko trains (on some sectors, depending on route). I agree the ordinary Odoriko train is just as nice in terms of train rides.
This is most likely what I�fll do. Train (Odoriko + other)down central Izu, then bus across to Kawazu, then train (Odoriko) to Tokyo.
This will enable me to see a bit of the peninsula and hopefully return to do a more comprehensive trip. And travel on the Saphir.

With so many railway companies involved, it is complicated at times to work out supplements. They are generally not large amounts and I just factor that in.
JR East have been extremely helpful and knowledgeable over the phone, through the years I�fve contacted them. They all speak perfect English.

Have you seen this link? There�fs some calculations pertaining to Izu Kyuko lines.
Scroll down to see some of the Q&A. Very good information on train travel on this site, especially on complicated transfers in busy stations.

https://jprail.com/trains/sort-by-type/limited-express/odoriko-super-v...

BTW, have you been to Izu? If you�fre considering, this link might/or not be of interest.

http://www.izudreampass.com/english/

Would be good to hear from the original poster�c�c

It�fs good to hear that you can get good information by phoning JR East. For some reason, I have never thought of doing that! But now I will be more inclined to if I have a question.

I have been to Ito once or twice and to Shimoda once. On the Shimoda trip, I used some sort of Izu Kyuko special ticket (not the Dream Pass) that covered the Izu Kyuko trains plus the ropeway in Shimoda and maybe some other discounts. At any rate it saved me some money. I forgot the details (it was at least five years ago), but as I recall, I got off JR in Ito to buy the ticket. I think it might have been the Izu Mankitsu Free Kippu but I�fm not sure. It was a long time ago and as I recall they had a special price for foreign passport holders, but that probably went out the window with the pandemic.

Thanks for the links. I did see that jprail.com table, but to be honest I just found it confusing, along with some of the other information about restrictions for JR pass users. I somehow believe that the Izu Kyuko surcharge for either regular or green nationwide pass holders is something around 2000 yen, and some of the fees in the table are redundant or irrelevant in my case. But I haven�ft bothered to find out for certain because it won�ft really affect my decision about whether to make a day trip to Kawazu or not. I will have a nationwide JR green pass anyway, so my main concern is whether I will be able to get a reservation before the Saphir Odoriko books out. I�fd really like to ride that train because I do think it would be fun. I rode the Izu Craille once (in 2019 I think it was), and thought it was the most overhyped JR train I ever saw, but the Saphir Odoriko does look more like something I would enjoy. (The Izu Craille was fine, but so overpromoted that it lost some of its appeal in my book.) I would also be happy to ride the regular Odoriko and pay any Izu Kyuko surcharge I have to pay, and I don�ft see any reason why I won�ft be able to get tickets on that train.

If the original poster is a Japan travel newbie, the poor guy probably gave up on this thread a long time ago. I always get a kick out of those people who have been to Japan a bazillion times (learning from mistakes along the way, I�fm sure) and then pronounce that it is �geasy�h to travel in Japan without any assistance whatsoever from a travel agent or tour planner. I certainly will agree that it can be done, but there is a lot of research involved. And the finer points of choosing the most suitable rail passes or discount tickets for any given person or group on any given trip can get rather complicated. It takes a certain type of mind to make it worth the trouble.

Have fun in Izu, if you go. Maybe one of us will run into bill on the Saphir!

Re booking the Saphir Odoriko or any services operated by JR East: You can reserve a month in advance on JR East website. However, you need to specify pickup location (of ticket) & collect the ticket a day in advance.
Can�ft recall if there is a specified timeframe (JPtime) to do so - JR West stipulates the time I think?
Anyway you can give it a try.

https://www.eki-net.com/en/jreast-train-reservation/Top/Index

Set up an account
Insert credit card details- there is a charge for ppl that make the reservation but fail to turn up.

For me personally, I always like to provide information that travellers can arm them with and go forth. Alas, too many can�ft be bothered to do even the barest of reading.

I hope bill stops & say hello too!

As far as I understand it, if you want to purchase the JR pass online and then make reservations with it before you get to Japan, you can only do that if you buy the pass from the official JR pass site. For reasons I won't get into, for my case I prefer to buy the pass voucher from a travel agent (not the official JR pass site) and redeem it in Japan. So I have to wait until I get there. If I wanted to just buy tickets (not using the rail pass), then I could make advance reservations on ekinet but I can't use the rail pass if I go that route. I could be wrong. My own limits at this point are just getting the voucher and redeeming in Japan like I always have, and then learning how to use the ticket reservation machines using the JR pass. I am an old dog and there are limits to how many new tricks I can learn at one time. I'm just happy that I will be able to use ticketing machines to make reservations now, instead of having to go to the Midori no Madoguchi. And also that I can put my pass into the wicket and not have to stand in line at the staffed window waiting for some special needs people to get their special needs met, when all I need is to make eye contact with the agent, flash the pass, and be waved through.

Izu dream pass
3 day =3900 yen (green line)
3 Day =3700 yen (red line)
2 Day =2800 yen (blue line)
Izukyu rail enjoyment pass 1 day=1900 yen
(Valid ito station to izukyu shimoda station)

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies!! I wasnt expecting so many responses. It took me a while to read them all. The notifications to my email doesnt seem to work as well.

I usually buy JR pass to explore japan from klook and collect it back going japan. But it seems that my itinerary this time round does not work well with JR pass and it looks to be cheaper if I dont get JR this time.

Narita -> Yokohama (3 nights) via Narita Express
Yokohama -> Atami (2 nights) via JR
Atami -> Izu-inatori (2 nights) via JR
Izu-inatori -> Tokyo (2 nights) via Saphir Ophir

i wouldnt be travelling much for Atami and Kawazu since I booked ryokan for both. Probably 1 train stop back and forth? But i think it is a good opportunity to enjoy the Saphir ophir.

@aa,
Thanks for checking on the Tokyo-wide pass discount.

I checked using google maps. From atami -> izu inatori, 1,540 yen by JR and from izu-inatori -> kawazu, give and take, 800 yen via Izukyuko line. But the train comes every hr which is the downside. The total cost would be around 2,340 yen. Plus the 5,850 yen discount would be 8,100 yen +/-. So it still wouldnt be worth it to get the pass.

@kim,
Please tell me more about the different trains in Japan! I only happen to find out about Saphir Ophir from instagram.

I tried booking the premium green car for Izu-inatori -> Tokyo, but i cant seem to get pass the "insert credit information" page. It seems unable to process credit card at this time? I tried dbs, citibank, revolut and youtrip but none seems to work.

Bill, I�fm glad you are still there! I�fm afraid this thread did get a bit off track as far as your original question and needs go. I did not know what �gpass�h you were looking at, or anything about your itinerary, and I kind of went off on a tangent�c In my case, I am thinking about just doing a day trip to Kawazu, and not a multiple-night trip with ryokan stays in a couple of towns. It sounds wonderful�c

For your itinerary, there are many details involved in train choices, total ticket cost including limited express fees and any supplement costs, and online booking procedures. And when you add the complexities of trying to book the tickets online from abroad, it becomes a fairly complicated proposition. Furthermore, Google Maps is not a resource that I would rely on as a primary source of information on train fares, departure times, and routings. It is a wonderful tool, but don�ft always give you the whole story, to put it simply. But there isn�ft any one single site that does, unfortunately. Hyperdia used to come close, but it is no longer available.

If you were already in Japan, you could just go to a JR East Travel Service Center where they could explain everything in detail and help you book the most appropriate tickets. (Or you could just go to a ticket window at a station where they could at least sell you the tickets.) A Travel Service Center could also advise you as to whether any of the available rail passes or discount tickets might save you some money. (The Tokyo Wide Pass doesn�ft really work in your case anyway because it is only good for three days, and passes that cover a longer time period are all going to be more expensive than buying individual tickets.)

Given that you are not in Japan and that you are talking about a trip in February, to be honest I would recommend that you call the JR East Infoline. Besides being able to tell you the exact total costs for the various trains and classes of service, they could presumably tell you the best way to book the tickets online from wherever you live. For the online booking, I think one problem might be that you are simply trying too early. I don�ft know much about online booking of JR tickets, but my understanding is that you cannot do it more than 30 days in advance.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/customer_support/infoline.html

As for recreational trains in Japan, if you start googling I think you will find that there is a great deal of information online. Here are a couple of pages that sort of give you an idea of the types of trains available. I am particularly fond of the JR Kyushu trains myself.

https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/joyful-character-trains

https://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/english/train/index.html

Update:

I reserved the car 3 (room for 6 ppl) using the reserved ticketing machine. Very convenient. I booked all I need in narita airport terminal. The car 1 were fully booked so not much choices remaining.

One of the best rides I have ever taken. However, the route did not have view of the sakura. I only viewed the ocean from my room window. The meals were so-so. The ice cream was very good.

It costs us around 13,000 yen each for 3 guys for 2hr+ ride direct from kawazu to tokyo. One bad thing is that i cant seem to find the luggage storage on board so we have to put all in the room. Even though the room is big, it would be nice if there wasnt packed with baggage.

Update:

The following is a very long-winded account of my experience booking Odoriko and Saphir Odoriko tickets (from Tokyo to Kawazu) using a JR green pass, which turned out to be somewhat complicated. If somebody is thinking of doing this, they might possibly want to wade through my account; otherwise there is absolutely no point. It would be faster and easier just to call JR and ask them how to handle things. And there might very well be a better way to do it than I ended up with, especially if you can deal directly with Izu Kyuko Railway to make advance reservations and pay for them (I did not do this). It will also much easier if you don�ft try to book the trains using a nationwide JR green pass. If you have one of the JR East regional passes mentioned on the following Japan Guide page, it is probably as easy as pie to book the �gplain�h Odoriko (assuming seats are available). https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6305.html

I went to the Kawazu festival on Sunday, February 26, and rode the Odoriko and the Saphir Odoriko trains (departing from Kawasaki and returning to Yokohama). It turned out to be peak bloom time and perfect weather, which brought out very large crowds, making the train bookings fuller than they would ordinarily be. So my partner and I were extremely lucky to get seats using our JR green passes. As it turned out, JR would only reserve the seats for us as far as Ito and back. If (like the poster Bill above) you are purchasing tickets (i.e., not using a pass), then you can do so for the full length that the Odoriko and Saphir Odoriko trains run, including the Izu Kyuko sections. But for JR (green) pass holders, JR will only issue tickets (at no cost) as far as Ito. Then you have to deal with Izu Kyuko directly to get reservations and tickets for the segment beyond Ito and the return to Ito. The agent at the JR Travel Service Center in Kawasaki, where my partner and I redeemed our rail pass vouchers and got the tickets to Ito, said that normally the Odoriko is not sold out below Ito and we could just stay on the train, probably in the same seats, and arrange the booking of them with the Izu Kyuko conductor on the train. The JR agent said we probably wouldn�ft have any problem getting the Saphir back to Ito because people normally don�ft book it only for that segment. This worked out fine as far as getting to Kawazu went. The Izu Kyuko conductor came by after we left Ito and he said we could stay in our existing seats unless someone with a ticket for them came, and if that happened we could take any available seats. Then we needed to settle the costs when we got out in Kawazu, at a ticket adjustment window inside the exit wicket. And we would need to book seats (if possible) on the Kawazu to Ito segment once we got to Kawazu. Indeed, we kept our seats to Kawazu and paid the Izu kyuko charge when we got out. I think it was something like 2400 yen (we were in the green car of the Odoriko). So that part was fine, but the Saphir we had tickets for (from Ito to Yokohama) was sold out from Kawazu to Ito. Fortunately, there was an Odoriko that left a little earlier that had seats available, and we were able to book those (for something like 1875 yen as I recall; they were not green seats but were very nice ocean-side seats). So we had to leave Kawazu a little earlier than planned and wait about 30 minutes in Ito for our Saphir to show up. The timing was actually fine, as we had allowed ourselves enough time in Kawazu that cutting it a little short didn�ft really matter.

So anyway, as far as the train reservations and fees are concerned, using a JR green pass and settling with Izu Kyuko for their segments, it can be tricky. In the worst case scenario, you could take local trains on the Izu Kyuko line for those segments (and stand if necessary), but those trains are quite slow, so for something like a day trip, that fallback solution might be untenable if you wanted to do anything other than just ride trains up and down the Izu peninsula. On a weekday in the off season, it would be a much less risky proposition, I think.

Is the Saphir worth it if I plan to depart from Tokyo and end my trip at Atami?

If you have a JR green pass, sure�c It�fs kind of a fun ride. But if you have to pay for a ticket? I really don�ft think so. I�fm not sure how the price compares to the other options, but it�fs a pretty short trip to Atami and the best scenery comes after, not on the way.