retirementdreams

I am scheduled to fly to Japan 5/10.. I have never travelled by myself there, and not really ever outside of Tokyo.
I arrive 2230 hr, so think it might be wise to get a nights sleep, perhaps around the air port?
My intention is to get a railpass and go to Kobe for several days, with a day trip to Hiroshima. I have plenty of time; my flight back is 5/19. I believe I can use the same rail pass to transit from Haneda area? Do I access the train from the airport itself?
Would I be better off doing on overnight at Hiroshima, or is a day trip sufficient? Would there be any other accessible cities/ towns etc worth spending a night or nights at? (Perhaps on the way back to Haneda)
Any suggestions you can make would be appreciated. I am hoping there will be some budget hotels near Haneda, and I am thinking there will not be free shuttles? I feel like this is 20 questions, or more! Thanks all for reading all this! RD.

mingw

the JR rail pass can be used for the Haneda monorail to Tokyo.
you need to exchage the paper coupon that you get before you enter japan to real JR rail pass at the airport.

believe the flight is too late for any train going Kobe. you can check train (and any transit type) schedule at hyperdia.com

ksandness

The monorail takes you to Hamamatsucho, which is on the Yamanote Line, so you can search for hotels in that area. Then take a train or cab (cab is preferable during rush hour) to Shinagawa to catch the train to Kobe.

Remember that you can take only the Hikari, not the Nozomi express trains, so you will probably have to change somewhere along the line, most likely at Kyoto or Shin-Osaka. But I've done it, and it's not too much of a hassle, since all the Shinkansen tracks are grouped together.

I recommend the castle at Himeji, by far the best authentic castle, and Kurashiki, which has a well-preserved Old Edo section.

Of course, day trips to Kyoto and Osaka are also feasible, but Kyoto is worth a couple of days in itself.

You can do Hiroshima as a day trip unless you want to go to Miyajima, in which case it's better to spend the night.

evergrn

If you're flying to Jpn on 5/10 from US, you arrive 5/11. So you're heading off to Kobe the next day, activating the JR Pass 5/12. 7-day pass covers you through 5/18. So you'd want to plan on getting back to TYO area on 5/18 in order to take advantage of 'free' train travel. But then you'll have to pay separately for just your travel from wherever you are in the Tokyo area to HND... train from Tokyo to HND is cheap anyways. Or leave Tokyo on 5/13 and use the pass 5/13-19.

Different people travel differently. If it were me and I had JR Pass, I'd spend all the nights (except the nights of 5/11 and 5/18) at a single hotel in Kansai that's convenient to the bullet train. For that purpose, I can't recommend Crowne Plaza in Kobe highly enough... located on top of a mall and right next to Kobe's bullet train station. If that's expensive, try Courtyard by Marriott which opened recently right next to Osaka's bullet train station (Shin Osaka). Kyoto's main station (where the bullet train stops) has hotels right nearby, but they tend to have poor cost performance compared to Osaka or even Kobe. From your hotel, just hop on the bullet train for free using your pass to go wherever you want to go. If you base yourself in Kobe or Osaka, possibilities are endless as far as day trips. Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, Kurashiki, Nara, Kinosaki, Himeji castle (as ksandness mentioned), etc, etc. From Kobe/Osaka, I'd say day trip to Hiroshima & Miyajima is definitely feasible.

mt-i

If you don't particularly want to visit Tokyo or insist on taking a trip on the Tokaido bullet train (which isn't very scenic), I would consider flying to Kobe and back. Takes just over one hour from Haneda, and Kobe airport is pretty conveniently located to reach the city once you arrive. Domestic air travel in Japan is also refreshingly hassle-free, and you can get cheap tickets using various air passes open to foreigners, or spend a few miles on a redemption. Depending on the local train trips you decide to take, flying between Haneda and Kobe has a good chance of being both more convenient than the shinkansen and more cost-effective than ponying up for a nation-wide rail pass.

evergrn

Well if the op ends up doing a bunch of day trips here and there using bullet train (or even just a couple), then no doubt it'll make more financial sense to just get the JR Pass. ShinKobe<>Hiroshima/Miyajima alone is close to 20k return.

retirementdreams

Totally appreciate these suggestions...I was pretty much planning to stay at CP so this info is great. I have been a little skittish with the earhquake reports, so I guess I haven't been putting as much energy into planning as I usually do.

I could probably relax a day or so before I start the train trip part.

retirementdreams

Oops back to drawing board....he 14 th is totally booked at IHG and one other hotel chain I looked at.

mt-i

Flying to Kobe means they could use one of the JR West passes instead of a nationwide one. The price difference is substantial.

evergrn

TYO<>OSA is at least $150-200USD return, depending on your miles valuation or your fares. JR West's Kansai Hiroshima Pass is $116USD, and that's only good for 5 days. You won't even have the option to take the bullet train east beyond Shin Osaka (eg, to Kyoto).

In comparison, the nationwide JR Pass is $260USD and it's good for 7 days. To me, JR Pass still makes a lot more sense for the op.

evergrn

When I look up hotels for check-in 5/12 & check-out 5/18 in the immediate vicinity of a major bullet train station (Kyoto, Shin Osaka, Shin Kobe), the only nice hotels I see with availability are:
Hotel Keihan Kyoto 170k for 2 adults, 6 nights, non-smoking (near Kyoto Sta)
Hotel Shin Hankyu 108k for 2 adults, 6 nights, smoking (near Kyoto Sta)

You're looking for rooms in popular areas on a very short notice. I'd snag a room right away if I were you.

You have a lot more options if you're willing to stay in Okayama.

retirementdreams

Sorry to disappear, I have a few time consuming issues which came up. I snagged the Crown Plaza in Kobe for May 12--13, then 15 --17. I arrive late on the 11 th, then leave after midnight on 5/18. I hopefully can get some time in the next few days to sort thru this. Of course, the 14th is Saturday, so finding a place for 1 night might be rough. I have been travelling a lot, and this is sort of a mileage run, but a place I have wanted to go to.
I am a little nervous about leaving the trip back to Tokyo area for the ( day/night) I am departing.

evergrn

Don't be nervous about traveling back to Tokyo on the day you're departing. Leave your stuff with the front desk at CP and go do stuff. Then take the 6.25p bullet train Hikari to Shinagawa (arrives 9.33p), transferring to 9.55p Keikyu train which gets you to HND by 10.15p. Although one could theoretically make this transfer at Shinagawa in ~5min, I'd allow >20min to be safe, just because you're not familiar with the station and sometimes there are train delays. If you're really nervous and want to give yourself even more safety margin, then take the 5.25p Hikari from Shin Kobe instead and you can arrive at HND super early.

It's good that you were able to snag rooms at CP Kobe. It may not hurt to email the hotel to see if they have any available room inventory for 14 Aug that's not shown online. It's a long shot at a hotel like CP (but much more common occurrence at some of the other hotels in Jpn), but worth trying. Otherwise CP in Okayama (just down the road via bullet train) might be an option for you. If you want to try hot springs, then spending a night in Kinosaki or Arima Onsen (Arima is much closer, but Kinosaki is better) might not be a bad idea.

Also, to clarify, you're flying out on the night of the 18th (ie, early morning 19th), correct?

retirementdreams

Sorry to disappear...had quite a bit to do. It is correct, I am leaving 0100 5/19.

I have a JR pass or more correctly the documents to turn in for the pass when I get to Tokyo. I have a hotel booked for my arrival night near Shinagawa station, and the hotel had a shuttle that picks up at Haneda, which was a relief since I didn't want to be wandering around jet lagged at midnight. I as able to rebook my stay at CP including the night of the 14th. I think I will have plenty to do,,,I have a lot of material to read on the plane. Thanks for the info about not being apprehensive about travelling back to Haneda on 5/18.
I am looking forward to this adventure-- thanks all for your input. RD

evergrn

A lot of hotels shut down their shuttle services early in Jpn, so I would just check to make sure your Shinagawa hotel's shuttle is running that late. If not, then catch the Keikyu train to Shinagawa (make sure you get on the correct train bound for Shinagawa direction).

You're exchanging your JR pass voucher for pass to be activated effective 5/12. Keep in mind that the JR Pass exchange office in Shinagawa does not open until 9am.
http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-tr...change-offices

Enjoy your trip!