Hi,

Planning a trip over X'mas to Osaka and Kumamoto... anyone have any tips on the cheapest, and reasonably quick way to get to there from Osaka other than flying?

Certainly the quickest (and perhaps the cheapest) way is to fly. The alternatives involve taking the Shinkansen to Hakata and then express trains on down. The whole thing would take you about 6 hours at least, since it is 3:00 or so from Osaka to Hakata on the Nozomi. But its a fun ride. If you want cheap-cheap, you can always take slow trains. I took one once, in my salad days, from Tokyo to Nagasaki. 18 memorable hours. Another one was from Ueno to Sapporo, which was only about 14 hours, including a stop for sushi at the Noboribetsu fish market and a soak at the onsen.

JR pass is still not good on Nozomi, even though beginning in October/November, most of the Shinkansen on the Tokkaido line will be Nozomis. Hope they change the rules before then!

There is something called the "Seshun 18" coupon (spelled vaguely like that) which JR offers over holiday periods. Each coupon allows you to travel as much as you want for a day provided you do it on local or express trains. If available -- this is described by JNTO or JR on one of their English web pages, do a search -- these are by far the cheapest way to get around Japan but as Pickles noted, it will take a long, long time.

Provided you can spell the station names properly, there is a web site which will give you a great idea how to get from one place to another (in English). It only has schedules for 1-3 months out, but is still immensely helpful:

http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/

Flying on a discount ticket will be the least expensive option.

If you opt for the train, a Japan Rail Pass should pay for itself on this trip. A slightly less expensive West Japan Rail Pass would actually cover your needs.

Trip times:
- Shin-Osaka to Hakata: ~2:21 by Nozomi 500 series (an outrageously expensive, 64-motor, brazed aluminum honeycomb trainset, of which only 9 were made), ~2:29 by Nozomi 700 series, ~2:45 by Hikari Railstar (trains # H3xx). Exact trip time depends on time of the day.
- Hakata to Kumamoto, by LEX Tsubame: 1:17

From Osaka to Hakata, the Nozomi costs about Y16,000 one-way in 2nd class, the Hikari Y14,500. The Nozomi is not included in the Japan Rail Pass.

The Railstar series Hikari, which only run from Osaka to Hakata, don't have Green cars (1st class), but have 2-2 seating (regular Hikaris have 2-3 in 2nd class), and power ports on the front rows.

The Osaka-Hakata run is not scenic at all, as much of it is through tunnels.

JR Kyushu traditionally has the most spectacular and luxurious, if slow, trains in Japan. The most impressive are the Kamome tilt trains between Hakata and Nagasaki, some of which are also used on the Tsubame service: all wood and leather, with matching leather slippers in 1st, although the hot towel and free drink service was discountinued recently.

If you at all like trains, Osaka-Kumamoto would let you sample Japan's finest with a little planning.

The new Kyushu Shinkansen will start operating from Kumamoto in 2004, but won't reach Hakata till 2012.


If you are feeling adventurous, there are overnight ferries between Osaka/Kobe and various points in Kyushu. Unfortunately, they are not quite as romantic as I had imagined, as most of the passengers are truck drivers and farmers... Standard class entitles one to a mat in a 24-mat cabin, and free use of the on-board hot tub http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

In 2000, using a JR pass we took the Hikari shinkansen from Tokyo to Hakata, then transferred to the Tsubame Limited Express to Kumamoto. It was a very relaxing journey in the Green Car - cold towel service and snack carts. The scenery was interesting - serene rice fields with mountains in the background between urban jungles. The stops were no more than a few minutes, preventing us from sampling the various eki-bento at station stops.

Be aware that there are no provisions made for heavy luggage at stations and on the trains. You will need to carry them up and down stairs at some point.

There are services called "takyubbin" that will deliver bags between any two destinations in Japan, inexpensively, reliably, carefully, and overnight. For example, 3 suitcases from the Hilton Osaka to the Park Hyatt in Tokyo only cost us Y3300.

If your hotel personnel speak English, they will do the arrangements for you.
If you go on a long train trip, carry one day's worth of clothes in a light bag and send the rest by takyubbin if at all feasible. It really makes things much nicer.