Hi all. I've stupidly managed to be in Japan and not get a Japan Rail Pass but am planning to travel on the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto, then to Hiroshima, and back to Tokyo. Does anyone have any suggestions about the cheapest way to do this? Would it be worth flying from Kyoto to Hiroshima and back? All ideas very welcome!! J

A couple of suggestions:

Overnight buses are a lot cheaper than rail and save the cost of a nights accommodation if you can bear sitting up!

Travel agents over there also offer some cheap holiday packages if you walk in off the street and then pick up your tickets at the airport.

Good luck

If you are really on a budget, take one of those 5000yen overnight buses from Tokyo to Kyoto.

For trains:
There are some discount tickets that you can purchase.
In specific for Tokyo-Kyoto you can purchase a discount Kodama Shinkansen Ticket (has to be purchased at least one day in advanced at special JR Tours offices located in Shinagawa or Tokyo Stations, as well as other locations, I find the Shinagawa Station one to be the easiest to find):
http://www.jrtours.co.jp/shop/shutoken.html
Shinagawa Station Branch:
http://www.jrtours.co.jp/shop/page/J...h.aspx?bc=E477
It's on the Shinkansen side.

The cost is 9800yen, again its on Kodama Shinkansen trains to Kyoto from Tokyo/Shinagawa Stations. The Kodama is the "slowest" of the Shinkansens, taking 1 hour longer (a 3hr 45min trip vs 2hr 45 on Hikari vs 2hr 20mins on a Nozomi). But for 9800 yen vs 13,000+ for a regular ticket, I could deal with it.

http://www.jrtours.co.jp/kodama/tokyo.html

The timetable of Kodama trains is at the bottom of that page.
東京 = Tokyo
品川 = Shinagawa
京都 = Kyoto

For Kyoto - Hiroshima, you could look into one of the Sunrise Tour plans, which includes a roundtrip ticket Kyoto-Hiroshima plus hotel for about 20,000yen, a good deal since round trip would already cost about 20,000 normal ticketing alone.
http://www.japanican.com/tours/FTour...VJNH2A&aff=EXJ

As some have said, overnight buses are the cheapest way to get to places, but they are really uncomfortable and if the travel time is less than the whole night they'll stop in the middle of nowhere to make time and arrive in the morning, annoying. I'm really cheap and I'd do it again but if you have a little more money to take the packages that others have suggested, take'em. Or if you want more flexibility, the buses will do.

The overnight buses are very uncomfortable unless you're Japanese size. If you are 5'10" like me, you will arrive at your destination with aching joints and muscles and an ornery mood.

Great stuff - thanks for all that info. I take it you can't get on the Shinkansen at Shinjuku and only at Tokyo station?

Southbound? Only from Tokyo and Shinagawa

There is one way of getting from Tokyo to Hiroshima and back that's even cheaper than the bus:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Hitchhiking_in_Japan

Great fun if you're not in a huge hurry. ^

Hey guys. I've bought a Shinkansen ticket from Hiroshima to Tokyo in a machine and it gave me only one ticket instead of the two I've previously got. I remember saying it didn't want the limited express or something. Is this fatal? Do have to buy a whole new ticket?
J

Whats was the price of the ticket you purchased? The price should be listed right on the ticket.

Just curious if you ever resolved it?

If the price of the ticket you purchased is lower then say around 17000 yen, then yes you probably don't have everything you need.

If the price you paid is around 11340 you have the basefare and just need the limited express supplement, if the price you have is just around 6000~ then you just have the limited express supplement and need a basefare ticket.

Here's a photo from JR Central:
http://english.jr-central.co.jp/tickets/read/index.html

Sometimes JR issues a single ticket that includes both the base fare and the limited express charge.

I've never worked out the pattern - why I sometimes have one and sometimes two biglietti. (not that I've ever spent a lot of time thinking about it).