Yufuin No Mori, Sunrise Seto, and New Year's Rail Travel
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, AAdvantage, Southwest, HHonors, National
Posts: 527
Yufuin No Mori, Sunrise Seto, and New Year's Rail Travel
Hi All,
Part of my upcoming trip to Japan will coincide with the New Year's holiday. I've already picked out the routes and have questions for the following days:
Dec 27:
12:09 – YUFUIN- HAKATA-HIROSHIMA - 16:16 (Yufuin No Mori)
Dec. 29:
21:58 – HIROSHIMA-HIMEJI-TOKYO-NAGANO-YUDANAKA - 09:54 (Sunrise Seto)
Jan. 3:
10:13 – YUDANAKA-NAGANO-KANAZAWA - 12:55
For the Yufuin No Mori and Sunrise Seto, will it be necessary to book my seats as soon as land (12/18) in Japan, considering the season?
On Jan. 3, are people still staying put or making their way back home? Looking at the calendar, it falls on a Sun. so my assumption is that people are heading back. If there are crowds in the trains, will be it less since I'm going to Kanazawa as opposed to somewhere like Tokyo?
I'm planning on getting the regular JR railpass but considering getting the green railpass to guarantee a seat. I do realize that for the Yufuin no Mori, there are no green cars and the JR pass covers only the nobi-nobi seats on the Sunrise Seto. I plan on reserving a single compartment on the Sunrise.
Part of my upcoming trip to Japan will coincide with the New Year's holiday. I've already picked out the routes and have questions for the following days:
Dec 27:
12:09 – YUFUIN- HAKATA-HIROSHIMA - 16:16 (Yufuin No Mori)
Dec. 29:
21:58 – HIROSHIMA-HIMEJI-TOKYO-NAGANO-YUDANAKA - 09:54 (Sunrise Seto)
Jan. 3:
10:13 – YUDANAKA-NAGANO-KANAZAWA - 12:55
For the Yufuin No Mori and Sunrise Seto, will it be necessary to book my seats as soon as land (12/18) in Japan, considering the season?
On Jan. 3, are people still staying put or making their way back home? Looking at the calendar, it falls on a Sun. so my assumption is that people are heading back. If there are crowds in the trains, will be it less since I'm going to Kanazawa as opposed to somewhere like Tokyo?
I'm planning on getting the regular JR railpass but considering getting the green railpass to guarantee a seat. I do realize that for the Yufuin no Mori, there are no green cars and the JR pass covers only the nobi-nobi seats on the Sunrise Seto. I plan on reserving a single compartment on the Sunrise.
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, AAdvantage, Southwest, HHonors, National
Posts: 527
Is there a way to do it from overseas? I've heard its pretty much limited to JR East and maybe JR West trains.
#4
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Beantown! (BOS)
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Unfortunately trains will be busy, especially on Sunday, January 3. Monday, January 4 will be the first day of the work so everybody will be heading home on Sunday, January 3. Yes, heading to Kanazawa on January 3 can be less crowded than heading to Tokyo. But still you will need to be flexible, the specific train you want can be booked and trains with seats available may not be on the time of the day you want. Also your situation on December 27 and December 29 you are planning on specific trains. If Sunrise Seto are all booked then there really is no alternative, or Plan B as far as train schedule is concerned because Sunrise Seto is the only overnight train. As for Ufuin - Hiroshima on December 27, Plan B will be to take regular trains, not tourist train like Ufuin no Mori.
JR tickets go on sales one month in advance. During major holidays, such as New Year, it is not unusual for some trains to sell out on the day of the sale a month in advance.
It is correct that JR tickets are available in Japan only. You may try Japanese travel agencies which has office in the U.S., such as JTB. But I know JTB does not do this in their U.S. office for purpose of getting JR ticket alone. If you have purchased international airline ticket to Japan through JTB, or purchased a tour package through JTB then they may do that by asking office in Japan to get JR ticket and you may pick up JR ticket at JTB office in Japan once you get to Japan.
But same time during busy travel season, even JTB will not guarantee they will able to get specific JR ticket of your choice.
JR tickets go on sales one month in advance. During major holidays, such as New Year, it is not unusual for some trains to sell out on the day of the sale a month in advance.
It is correct that JR tickets are available in Japan only. You may try Japanese travel agencies which has office in the U.S., such as JTB. But I know JTB does not do this in their U.S. office for purpose of getting JR ticket alone. If you have purchased international airline ticket to Japan through JTB, or purchased a tour package through JTB then they may do that by asking office in Japan to get JR ticket and you may pick up JR ticket at JTB office in Japan once you get to Japan.
But same time during busy travel season, even JTB will not guarantee they will able to get specific JR ticket of your choice.
#5
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: トロント
Programs: IHG Gold
Posts: 4,807
I would suggest that the odds of getting tickets on the Sunrise Seto at that time of year are very, very slim and you will likely also have issues on the Tokyo-Nagano which you plan to do on the morning of December 30th. The Tokyo-Nagano trains will likely all be sold out by for that date , so you better book that as soon as you land. I would actually forget about the Sunrise Seto and just figure another way from Hiroshima to your final destination
#6
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: AMEX AC CX UA AA DL
Posts: 3,006
>> I plan on reserving a single compartment on the Sunrise.
You can forget about that one.
Nobinobi seat, maybe. But it's torturous.
You can check seat vacancy online, but only in Japanese
http://www.jr.cyberstation.ne.jp/vacancy/Vacancy.html
Select date/date, then select the last option 在来線列車 of the drop down for " non shinkansen trains"
You can forget about that one.
Nobinobi seat, maybe. But it's torturous.
You can check seat vacancy online, but only in Japanese
http://www.jr.cyberstation.ne.jp/vacancy/Vacancy.html
Select date/date, then select the last option 在来線列車 of the drop down for " non shinkansen trains"
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, AAdvantage, Southwest, HHonors, National
Posts: 527
>> IYou can check seat vacancy online, but only in Japanese
http://www.jr.cyberstation.ne.jp/vacancy/Vacancy.html
Select date/date, then select the last option 在来線列車 of the drop down for " non shinkansen trains"
http://www.jr.cyberstation.ne.jp/vacancy/Vacancy.html
Select date/date, then select the last option 在来線列車 of the drop down for " non shinkansen trains"
入力された項目に誤りがあります。
「乗車駅」「降車駅」
According to Google translate, it says there's an input error.
These were my search parameters:
乗車月日 - 12/29
乗車時刻 - 23:00
お乗りになる列車 - 在来線列車
乗車駅・降車駅 - 姫路駅 (Himeji Station) > 東京駅 (Tokyo Station)
The time and station information is the Sunrise Seto section, via Hyperdia. Is the station information incorrect? I got the kanji for the stations from Google.
#8
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 252
I tried that but all I got was this message in red:
入力された項目に誤りがあります。
「乗車駅」「降車駅」
According to Google translate, it says there's an input error.
These were my search parameters:
乗車月日 - 12/29
乗車時刻 - 23:00
お乗りになる列車 - 在来線列車
乗車駅・降車駅 - 姫路駅 (Himeji Station) > 東京駅 (Tokyo Station)
The time and station information is the Sunrise Seto section, via Hyperdia. Is the station information incorrect? I got the kanji for the stations from Google.
入力された項目に誤りがあります。
「乗車駅」「降車駅」
According to Google translate, it says there's an input error.
These were my search parameters:
乗車月日 - 12/29
乗車時刻 - 23:00
お乗りになる列車 - 在来線列車
乗車駅・降車駅 - 姫路駅 (Himeji Station) > 東京駅 (Tokyo Station)
The time and station information is the Sunrise Seto section, via Hyperdia. Is the station information incorrect? I got the kanji for the stations from Google.
Also towards the bottom of the page it says usage time is from 6.30 to 22.30 so 23.00 won't work either.
#9
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: トロント
Programs: IHG Gold
Posts: 4,807
Do you mean to say that it'll probably be sold out by the time I land on the 18th?
I tried that but all I got was this message in red:
入力された項目に誤りがあります。
「乗車駅」「降車駅」
According to Google translate, it says there's an input error.
These were my search parameters:
乗車月日 - 12/29
乗車時刻 - 23:00
お乗りになる列車 - 在来線列車
乗車駅・降車駅 - 姫路駅 (Himeji Station) > 東京駅 (Tokyo Station)
.
I tried that but all I got was this message in red:
入力された項目に誤りがあります。
「乗車駅」「降車駅」
According to Google translate, it says there's an input error.
These were my search parameters:
乗車月日 - 12/29
乗車時刻 - 23:00
お乗りになる列車 - 在来線列車
乗車駅・降車駅 - 姫路駅 (Himeji Station) > 東京駅 (Tokyo Station)
.