Last X times I used Japan Rail Pass (via
www.japanrailpass-reservation.net). This is for a country wide pass 7/14/21 days. It allowed unlimited reservations / changes / cancellations up to 6 minutes before the departure. This has been an incredibly flexible, albeit somewhat expensive, tool to travel on JR trains. Obviously, this would be an overkill for you.
I see that the cost of the JR West Hiroshima-Yamaguchi Area Pass is fairly cheap at 15,000 JPY (~$100 USD) for 5 days. For travel between Hakata and Hiroshima it is a no brainer. Personally, I would consider not flying FUK-HIJ as I recall that the limousine bus from HIJ was rather annoying. However, it is possible I didn't know what I was doing the last time I took that bus.
Oh man, now I'll have FOMO on Hello Kitty Shinkansen.
For anyone interested in alternative weekend side trips:
- Karato Fish Market in Shimonoseki (weekends only) - IMHO, the best fish market I've been in Japan
- Toto Museum in Kokura
Both of these would be covered by JR West Hiroshima-Yamaguchi Area Pass
Originally Posted by
intuition
It will be just to cover the DO.
Before the DO we're in Ishigaki and Okinawa (no JR lines there
) and as we land in and depart from Fukuoka for the DO, there is a case to be made for either a railpass or for single tickets.
The Setouchi area pass does indeed cover more (both time and area) and is a better value for anyone needing the broader coverage. For me, the main decider is if seats can be reserved for the JR passes online in advance. I do not want to end up in a scenario landing in FUK just to find out that all reseved seat cars between Hakata and Hiroshima are full. (Getting seats on Hello Kitty Shinkansen before they cancel the service on may 17 is also an option and would be a bonus!)
My reading is that single fare tickets with seating can be bought in advance online 1 months prior to departure. So I am basically looking for experiences using the JR West online tool with a JR west pass. If people say they have done it, I am leaning towards a pass. If not, I will probably buy single fare tickets online on march 2.