Reindeerflame

Does the Suica card work in Kyoto or Hiroshima?

tt7

Yes .... at least, a qualified yes. It certainly does in Kyoto but it used to be that it didn't in Hiroshima - at least on the trams, when we were there in late 2017. However, I believe that has now changed. The Hiroshima local variant is called PASPY and according to this graphic of IC Card interchange functionality, SUICA et al have been useable in Hiroshima since March 17, 2018.

mphall

tt7

As abmj-jr has already explained, don't worry about activating the JR Pass when you arrive - even if you could do it on arrival, you will effectively use up 1 day of the 14 day validity on a trip that you can purchase for Ą630, so very poor value.

If your daughter (and you....) can cope, take the monorail to Hamamatsucho and then the JR Yamanote line one stop to Shimbashi. Hyperdia will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about train times, fares etc. etc. If you follow that link, you'll find the schedule of trains around the time you arrive. If you look underneath the train name, you'll see an "Interval Timetable". If you click on that, it will give you a table of all the monorail trains to Hamamatsucho. Note that they come in three flavours - local, rapid and express. It doesn't really matter which you get - the local takes 18 - 20 minutes versus 13 minutes for the express, so not much in it. Last monorail train is at 23.55. The JR Yamanote line runs until about 1 am, with trains every few minutes. It does a loop around Tokyo but it runs in both directions, so make sure you get it going the correct way (you want the 'inner loop', going counter-clockwise). Obviously, if the first stop isn't Shimbashi, you've gone the wrong way! If the train doesn't work for you, then as suggested, get a taxi - probably Ą5,900 + Ą1,200 late night surcharge.

To pay for the journey, get a (prepaid) Suica card (one each). This takes all the hassle out of buying tickets for local trains etc. and can also be used on the subway, buses, at convenience stores, some vending machines, cafes and restaurants etc.

tt7

If you're intending to do day trips to Kyoto, why not just stay in Kyoto? For some of us, Osaka is a bit like a mini-Tokyo but without Tokyo's attractions. I'd stay in Kyoto and, if needs be, do a day trip to Osaka

mphall

tt7

The seats in Green Car class are usually 2 x 2 versus the usual 2 x 3 in the regular carriages, so slightly more spacious etc. That said, the regular carriage seats are perfectly adequate. There may be some small advantage in that you may be able to get a Green Car seat reservation on a train on which all the regular reserved seats are sold out but then, the trains are pretty frequent, so unless you're travelling at a very, very busy time of year, it's usually not an issue. We've always just used the regular seats (either with a JR Pass or purchasing directly) and it's always been fine. A bit like hotels - if you want to pay to stay at a Ritz-Carlton, go right ahead - it's your money ....

tt7

No, not terrible -- free is good! If you have an active JR Pass, you can use the Shinkansen from/to Shin-Osaka (which is one stop/4 minutes on a local train from Osaka Station) to get to Kyoto in about 15 minutes. Otherwise, use a Rapid service from Osaka, about 30 minutes/Ą560.

abmj-jr

There are several train station in and around Osaka. Some are convenient to travel to Kyoto, Nara or elsewhere and some are a bit more of a challenge. Check your hotel's website and find which station is nearby. From there, figuring routing becomes easier. Local trains depart from all of them, just not to every destination. Shinkansens only arrive and depart at Shin-Osaka Station but S-O is connected to most downtown stations via local lines.

TomDXB

Thanks @tt7 and @abmj-jr for your help. As we'll be staying the first 3 nights (really only 2 due to late arrival...) and the last 3 nights in Tokyo (1 day in Disney Sea) I'll activate the JR Pass on the last day in Tokyo so we can use it for all our trips and just take a taxi once we arrive in HND. Also decided to buy a pass for my daughter so we can reserve three seats for us.

abmj-jr

You can activate your Rail Passes anytime prior to use and just inform the agent what days you wish them to cover. If you do that a day or two before, you can still make reservations for your travel in advance. You just won't be able to actually travel until the period of validity. It might be more convenient to drop into a major station and visit the JR Service Center when you have a bit of free time and not wait until the rushed time on the day of travel. It can also be helpful to make reservations a few days in advance to be certain of getting 3 seats together on the train you want. Although it is not common except on peak days, seats do sell out occasionally on the day of.

LapLap

I travelled a fair bit with my kid when she was the age yours is. But I used the JR East Pass, not the Japan Wide JR Pass. Not once did I buy a child version.
I can’t prophesise whether you will come across completely full carriages for your trip, but I’ve always found I could avoid them.
Bullet trains usually have reserved and non reserved seat cars and, so long as you are in a non-reserved section you shouldn’t have to put your child in your lap at all unless seats are scarce. And if they are, it might be for a section of the route only.
I think the better question for this forum is how likely full carriages would be for a particular route on a particular day/time of day.
Personally, I‘ve never needed to keep my kid on my lap on a Shinkansen journey (I have only had to make sure that I could), she usually wandered off and made friends elsewhere - other small kids and their mothers or young Thai snow tourists mostly.

kyushuman

Everyone is correct on here-- you don't HAVE to get a Green Car/First Class pass. That said, it's a really nice way to travel. Some of the positives include (as mentioned before) it's easier to get a seat on just about any train even into high season. For myself, another bonus is that it's relatively quiet compared to the Normal cars-- very few families travel on Green Cars. So, for the two- week pass the Green Car was about US$150 more, I think, and for me it was worth it--but again,-- not required.

ksandness

It's just a slightly more spacious seat, although if you happen to encounter one of the remaining old-style local trains, the second-class cars will have unpadded seats that are about as comfortable as sitting on a bench with your back against a wall, and only the Green Car will have padding. But all the major lines have decent seats in second class.

Unlike some European trains, there are no other perks for Green Car passengers. No free coffee or anything else that is unavailable to ordinary passengers.

Reindeerflame

I will be needing a Suica card and a one-way trip into Tokyo on the Narita Express. Do I ask for both of these at the JR Counter at Narita, or is there a combined version? Do I need cash to purchase the Suica from JR at Narita?