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Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/27 07:43
Hello,

I'm planning a trip to Japan and thinking about taking the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Hiroshima.
I will be getting a 7-Day JR Pass. I understand I can't use it on Nozomi and Mizuho lines. From what I read, I can either take Hikari or Sakura. If I take Hikari (next fastest) on the Sanyo line, it seems to me the last stop is Okayama then I'd have to transfer to the Sakura line to reach Hiroshima. This is what I'm confused with. If you read this link:

https://www.jrailpass.com/shinkansen-bullet-trains#tokaido-shinkansen

and click on the section "Sanyo Shinkansen", it shows you the Line Map. So am I correct that the Hikari line does not go straight to Hiroshima from Kyoto?

Thanks!









by Sydney (guest)  

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/27 12:02
At certain times of the day there are direct Hikari from Kyoto to Hiroshima (usually around 8:00 am) but usually you do need to transfer because most Hikari only go as far as Okayama. Going by Hyperdia, Shin-Kobe is the usual recommended transfer point to a Sakura train or you can just pick up a Sakura in Shin-Osaka to start with.

If you are not planning other long distance outside of Kyoto to Hiroshima, you might want to consider getting a JR West Kansai Hiroshima Pass. You would need to pick up the shinkansen at Shin-Osaka vs. Kyoto, but it's considerably cheaper and does allow travel on the Nozomi.

Good luck!
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/27 13:40
Kyoto isnt on the Sanyo shinkansen line.

Most of the free to use trains start and finish at Shin-Osaka. Some but little continue through.

Is you are only doing Kyoto to Hiroshima. I'd suggest the Kansai-Hiroshima pass instead. Much cheaper but you can only use non reserved seats for the shinkansen.
by H (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/27 23:00
You guys are right. Hikari can go straight from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima depending on the time
of the day. Appears to be early mornings. So I checked out Hyperdia on my phone. Whether the connection
from Shin-Osaka or from Shin-Kobe depends on the time you search. For example, I just looked up
for 02/28/20 around 9AM local time. Hyperdia shows five options of which two are transfered at Osaka.
One using Hihari and the other on Sakura. Kobe is not even part of my search results.

A slightly different question but related. If I decide to take Nozomi (non JR Pass) from
Kyoto to Hiroshima, can I get off at Kobe and hop back on a few days later?

Thanks much for your feedbacks.
by Sydney (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/28 01:32
Hi Sydney,

I'm a little confused, do you mean without a pass can you go Kyoto to Kobe and then go from Kobe to Hiroshima?

I would honestly recommend still getting the JR West Kansai Pass: https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai_hiroshima/ since it is 13,700 for 5 days and it is 9,890 yen one way between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima.

There are 3 "main" train stations in the city of Kobe Japan. "Shin-Kobe Station" which is along the Sanyo shinkansen line and is often a recommended place to transfer from the Hikari to the Sakura because the Sakura will be faster and it is a relatively easy transfer because the station is quite small. If you have a reserved seat, it makes the most sense. There is "Sannomiya" which is what many people think of as the main station in Kobe City. It's on the Hankyu line and the conventional JR lines but NOT the shinkansen. And finally there is "Kobe Station" which is 1 to 2 stations further than "Sannomiya" on the JR lines. Again this is not a shinkansen station and is more useful if you are spending time in Kobe City.

If you plan to tour in Kobe City you most likely want "Sannomiya" or "Kobe" Stations, in which case it is not that much slower to just use a Special Rapid conventional JR train from Kyoto Station to one of those stations because taking the shinkansen will get you to "Shin-Kobe" where you will need to walk or use a bus or the subway the 1.3 kms between them.

This map of Kobe train stations on Japan Guide might help:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3557.html

The JR West Kansai Hiroshima Pass would cover taking a Special Rapid or Limited Express from Kyoto Station to either Sannomiya or Kobe Stations. It would also cover taking a Special Rapid to Shin-Osaka Station and switching there for a shinkansen to Shin-Kobe Station. There is no JR Pass that will cover transit between Shin-Kobe and the other JR Stations in Kobe because there are no JR lines which connect them.

Good luck, I hope this helps!
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/28 08:03
Hi rkold:

You said "I'm a little confused, do you mean without a pass can you go Kyoto to Kobe and then go from Kobe to Hiroshima?" Sorry for the confusion. That was just a general question I had. Basically I was just trying to find out how the Shinkansen ticket works. If I have a round trip ticket on the Nozomi say from
Osaka to Hiroshima, can I get off at Kobe; do a 2-3 day visits of the city then get back on the Nozomi from Kobe station continuing onto Hiroshima. My guess is not possible.

I did check out your West Kansai JR Pass. Yes, it looks like this works out much better and more economical since I'm only going to be visiting between Kyoto and Hiroshima and most likely making stop at Kobe. It's unlimited trips within the purchased travel timeframe.

I appreciate your help info.

Sydney

by Sydney (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/28 08:07
I understand I can't use it on Nozomi and Mizuho lines. From what I read, I can either take Hikari or Sakura.
Those are the names of the services, there is only one shinkansen line. With the JR pass you can use Hikari services, Sakura services or Kodama services on the shinkansen lines south of Shin-Osaka. As others have mentioned above, the actual stops the different trains make and the through services depend on the train. Shin-Osaka is a boundary between JR West and JR Central so a lot of trains stop there. The Sakura service is a JR West offering (like the Mizuho service) so do not go beyond Shin-Osaka.
by JapanCustomTours rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/28 10:12
Hi JapanCustomTours,

Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

Sorry I didn't use the right terminology to describe the various train services that run on the Sanyo Shinkansen line. I knew what I wanted to say but just didn't say it the right way. When I said the Hikari line or Sakura line, I meant the physical train and not that it runs on its own separate Shinkansen 'track'. Thanks for pointing that out.

Just wanted to confirm. So if I buy the JR West Kansai Pass (as suggested by rkold), I can hop on and off and as many times as I can for those trains that use this pass, right?

by Sydney (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/28 10:21
Yes, if you have a JR Kansai Hiroshima Pass you can hop on and off as much as you like for 5 days. You can not reserve seats but can use any shinkansen between Hiroshima and Shin-Osaka including Nozomis. To get between Kyoto and Shin-Osaka you can either use a limited express train or a Special Rapid train for free with the pass. Taking the Special Rapid only takes about 10 minutes longer than the shinkansen and if you plan to actually tour Kobe you might want to consider just taking a Special Rapid there. The Pass also covers the ferry from Miyajimaguchi to Miyajima as long as you take the JR Ferry.

Though honestly, I would think Okayama might make more sense as a stop over just because again, with Kobe the stations for the actual city where most people want to visit are pretty far from the Kobe shinkansen station.

There are ways without a pass to hop on and off shinkansen as well, but I have a hard time thinking it will save you any money vs. the pass. I think it really helps when there is no pass or you can not get a pass.

Good luck!
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/28 10:37
Hey rkold,

You said "if you plan to actually tour Kobe you might want to consider just taking a Special Rapid there." You mean taking the Special Rapid from Kyoto to Kobe, right?

I definitely want to visit Kobe for sure since I'll be 'passing' by' between Kyoto and Hiroshima. Just haven't decided how best or which route is the most straightforward and easiest for this 'stopover'. I'm definitely taking your suggestions seriously. That's why I'm looking for help here.

Trains in Japan are just massive and can be 'intimidating' at first. Sometimes it's confusing even for local Japanese. Good example is what I said in above when I was looking at the 'Line Map' for the Sanyo Line. The picture definitely shows Hikari stops at Okayama and does not go any further. Here's the url again:

https://www.jrailpass.com/shinkansen-bullet-trains#tokaido-shinkansen

You would have to believe you can't take Hikari straight into Hiroshima. I certainly couldn't tell from the picture until you guys pointed out that yes it is possible BUT ONLY at certain times. That's Hyperdia did not show me this because I was looking in the afternoon at the time when I was searching. That's another reason why I thought you couldn't take Hikari.

I love this forum. Thanks for everyone who have contributed.

I'm sure I will more questions before I go.

Sydney









by Sydney (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/28 11:56
Note that the website youfre quoting is nothing to do with JR but is a third party website based in Spain, whose primary goal is to lure (gullible) travelers into buying JR Passes from them. Nothing wrong with them, per se, but unless you live in Spain, why buy from them? Use an agent in your own country. You can find the list of agents at this (JR) site -

https://japanrailpass.net/en/purchase.html

by tt7 (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/28 13:28
Hi!

What PP said. I've seen that particular website spam this forum multiple times and I don't really want to give them additional clicks by going onto their website.

This is the official English website:
https://japanrailpass.net/en/

The truth is *MOST* Hikari end in Okayama except early in the morning. I know this for a fact since I've taken direct Hikari from Kyoto to Hiroshima in the last 5 years but in the evening, there are no direct trains, so you'll end up transferring somewhere. I picked Shin-Osaka simply because I know the station well and know there are lots of Special Rapid trains from there to Kyoto. Once you are reliant on a JR Pass the amount of time you save using a shinkansen vs. a Special Rapid between Kyoto and Shin-Osaka drops because there are limited shinkansen you can use with a JR Pass.

Shin-Kobe is on the way between Kyoto and Hiroshima, Kobe itself is about 1.3 kilometers. I usually walk it in about 15 minutes, but depending on how much you are trying to fit into your day, it is something you need to take into account. If you end at JR Kobe Station it's more like 30+ minutes from Shin-Kobe Station. So if you're day tripping, I think you are likely to not have as much time as you would like in one of those locations.

Good luck!
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/28 17:42
I've never seen the attraction of Kobe - I've asked people I meet on my travels why they are going there and they struggle to justify the stop. My staff did a stop there with guests a while back and struggled with places to go - really not a highlight of Japan, but popular maybe because it is a cruise port - not a reason to visit.
I often visit Okayama and nearby places, but there are better places to visit. Mostly I concentrate on Okayama, Hiroshima and Takamatsu (great place, and good for day-trips to Naoshima) and with some trips to Kurashiki or even Adachi Art Museum (over-rated). Occasionally to Himeiji (not often, it could be better).
by JapanCustomTours rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/28 22:35
Hey guys! Thanks for pointing out the link I posted. I had no idea it's based in Spain. I came across that site while trying to find out what trains are available on the Sanyo Line and which ones I can use with the JR Pass. I particularly just wanted to see the 'Line Map' on the Sanyo Line. I'm sure all the train
services (Nozomi, Hikari, Sakura and etc) and the line stations they posted are accurate. I initially was just confused with whether Hikari goes straight to Hiroshima or not. That's the reason for this thread.

I wasn't even planning to purchase anything from them. It was just more of a resource at this point. I had in mind to contact my local JPTO in USA how to go about buying one. But you guys have been very helpful and posted useful links for the JR.

I think I have a pretty good idea on the transportation part.

Thanks!!
by Sydney (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/29 04:07
Hi,

Got a question. Please refer to this url and look at the station map.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018_sanyo.html

For the Sakura train (green line), after Shin-Kobe, the next station is Himeji. It has an empty square in the notation/legend. Does this mean, all Sakura trains will just run through this station (no stop) and only stop by some other trains? Is this how I interpret this notation? It looks like the next complete stop on the Sakura is Okayama after Shin-Kobe.


by Sydney (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/29 04:29
http://www.hyperdia.com/en/cgi/en/search.html?dep_node=SHIN-OSAKA&arv_...

Just click on the "Interval Timetable" in the first option and you'll see all the trains from Shin-Osaka to Hakata for today and where they stop. This is the easiest way to explain which trains do what.
by John B digs Japan rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/29 05:09
Awesome! l like the 'Interval Timetable'.

So it looks like a very limited Sakura train does not stop at Himeji. An example would be this one

http://www.hyperdia.com/en/cgi/en/traintime.html?dep_node=SHIN-OSAKA&a...

That's the Sakura 557.

by Sydney (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/29 06:19
Himeji is mostly a Kodama-service station.
by John B digs Japan rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/29 06:22
Forget what I just said. I wasn't thinking. The times I alighted at Himeji were from Nozomi service trains from Hiroshima.
by John B digs Japan rate this post as useful

Re: Sanyo Shinkansen - JR Train Question 2020/2/29 08:12
For Himeji, depends on the train - Nozomi, Hikari, Sakura "it depends". The all stop Kodama will stop there.
by JapanCustomTours rate this post as useful

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