Nihon ressha de no idō

[Guest]

Nihon ressha de no idō - Travelling by train in Japan.

We visited Japan in 2013 and we fell in love with it. OK, so we only got to see the Tokyo area and had a day trip out to Mount Fuji. There was just something about a country full of tradition, culture and above all - manners. It left a lasting impression. So much so that we vowed to return.

We have started planning for next year - our travel will be aided by the marvelous Japan Rail pass which you can buy for 7, 14 or 21 days. It's not available to Japanese residents and to ensure only tourists can use it, you purchase a voucher which has to be presented at an agency in Japan along with your passport. Only then do you get the actual pass. You can use it on all Japan Rail lines wit the exception of two express Shinkansen (Bullet trains) namely the Nozomi and Mizuho services. That is no problem as there are frequent other trains.

The value of the pass shows itself when you look at the price of a single journey. A Tokyo to Nagasaki journey is 2/3rds the price of a 14 day pass. It's a "no brainer." Also you can reserve seats at no cost.

So I've mapped out a basic itinerary. We will fly to Tokyo - either Haneda or Narita whichever is the cheaper. A few days in the city as we know the layout now. Then its on the train all the way down to Nagasaki - some 760 miles to the west of the capital city. It will be an all day journey but as train enthusiasts we'll just sit back and enjoy the view. We will have a few days to explore then we will move on to Hiroshima. A side trip here will be to Miyajima and the Shinto shrine where a Torii gate sits in the sea. The one at Epcot is a kind of tribute to it.

Moving on it'll be a train to Osaka. From here we will visit the Himeji - Ji (castle - it appeared in You only Live Twice), Universal Studios - they still have the Jaws ride! and a day in Kobe.

Another train will take us on to Kyoto for a few days. Loads to see.

We return to Tokyo but head to Chiba for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea to round things off.

Hotels have yet to be organised - we will be using DVC points (Disney Collection) ) for our accommodation at the parks but we can't book any yet as Japanese hotels only have a 3 or 6 month window and we are way off that mark. We are also looking at the possibility of staying at a traditional Ryokan - that is a room with tatami straw mats and futons for your bed and meals served by a Geisha. A hot spring tub can also feature!

So lots to organise but I'm making good progress.

[Gryff]

Plans coming along nicely then

[Gev]

Wow Geoff, sounds exciting. You two always have some fab adventures. Looking forward to reading more.

[Bianca]

This sounds really exciting. You definitely sold Tokyo Disney to me last time and I'm interested to learn more about Japan generally. (It's very much unknown to me.) So, I'll be following along.


Happy Planning!

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Geoff. Sounds like a good plan especially as both of you love train journeys. What a great deal the Rail Pass is, no wonder they are very stringent on its issue to ensure locals can't get it.
Happy planning.

[disney332]

Japan is firmly on our radar.

Love the planning so far Geoffa and watching with interest.

Disney332

[Guest]

Thanks everyone. I love reading up on the information and doing the research on places and this one is proving more and more fascinating as it goes along.

[Eeyore rocks]

Wow, your planning is coming along nicely...love the amount of details you go into.

[Guest]

Well - dinner at a Robot Restaurant in Tokyo, dinner with a Geisha and Meiko and a trip to Miyajima are all organised.

[Gryff]

Getting things together now