hello. this is not Europe but hope someone can help.
we will be in fukuoka, japan on feb 13. plan to travel to Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo on the japan rail pass. am wondering if anyone has used it to travel to these places.
what are the legs or where do we change trains? how long does each leg take? can we buy the rail pass while in japan already?
thanks.
olivia
Here is a link with information about the pass: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361.html
We bought the pass online in 2008. It was easy to use. We were not in Fukuoka. I recall changing trains in Osaka when traveling from Hammamatsu to Hiroshima. You will need to check schedules to see if you will need to change trains.
Enjoy your trip!
The Japan Rail Pass is well worth the investment! We used it when we visited Japan years ago. More than paid for itself just between Tokyo and Kyoto. We went all over Japan using it. I am a retailer of Japanese paper and this requires for me to visit small washi villages and dealers and we used the pass to get to these villages. Never needed a car.
First, the Japan Rail Pass CANNOT be purchased in Japan. You must purchase it outside of Japan. The price for the Pass is the same (I believe) but there can be quite a difference in the cost of shipping. My vendor charged a flat $5 fee and it came FedEx express saver (maybe 3 days).
Tokyo to Kyoto is about 2.5 hours by high speed train (Shinkansen). Kyoto to Osaka is less than 30 minutes. Train makes stops but you don't change trains.
This past summer (2017) we used a 3 week pass which covered our entire stay. It saved us a lot of money. It was awesome. It can also be used for travel within cities where there are JR lines. Another plus is that you don't have to figure out how much you have to pay each time you get on the train. You just flash your pass each time you enter and leave.
I purchased our passes from ntaamerica.com
thank you all for your inputs. the japan guide website has very good information.
I was in Tokyo almost 50 yrs ago. we met up with university students who spoke English very well. am wondering if english is spoken by more people now. navigating the train stations can be quite stressful if no one speaks English. are there English translations in train stations? what about those manning them?
thanks again.
I speak enough Japanese to get around Japan. However, what I did notice this past trip was that every station agent I encountered understood and spoke enough "train related" English to get you where you needed to go.
One time I was staring at the arrive and departure sign. I knew something was wrong but couldn't figure it out. The station master came out from his office and spoke to me. I don't know what he said so I showed him my tickets. He took our tickets and came back with a new set of tickets and motioned for us to go upstairs and catch the train. We later figured out what happened. Our train and a lot of the trains were running an hour late due to weather (Japanese trans are always on time). The previous train was still on the track so he switched us to that one. Furthermore he notified the train that we were on our way and they waited for us. I love Japan.
thanks, jehb2.
from what I remember from 50 yrs ago, japan is clean, people are disciplined, trains are on time and doors even open exactly where it should on the drawing on the pavement, kinda expensive, food so-so but I have acquired the taste for sushi. it is great country to visit.
