Wow, what a major inconvenience for us, as we often take the Thunderbird from Osaka to Kanazawa (and beyond.) I'd much rather just go in one shot, even if it takes slightly longer to get there.

What about if we want to go from Osaka to Wakuraonsen? In the past, there were several direct routes a day. Would we need to make two transfers, or go on an even slower train along the way to get there?