Intercity travel in Japan

[ess_jay_arr]

Hi all, can someone give me a hand please?

I'm going to Japan very soon, I'm going to be staying in Tokyo and I want to meet a friend in Nagoya, and then another one in Nara (or Osaka... I think she lives in one and works in the other), so I'm wondering...

Coming from Nagoya, is it easier/faster/cheaper to get to Osaka or Nara?

Is the Shinkansen the best way to go? How much is it likely to cost (Tokyo>Nagoya, Nagoya>Osaka/Nara, Osaka/Nara>Tokyo)?

Would I have to book in advance? Can I board with a Passmo card?

How do you buy a Passmo card? I guessing they come from vending machines like everything else.

Apologies for my lack of independant research, but to be honest, I trust you guys (and gals ) more than I would some faceless internet site.

[Kagemaru]

ess_jay_arr wrote:
Coming from Nagoya, is it easier/faster/cheaper to get to Osaka or Nara?

Nagoya to Shin Osaka via Shinkansen.

Is the Shinkansen the best way to go?

In my opinion, yes.

How much is it likely to cost (Tokyo>Nagoya, Nagoya>Osaka/Nara, Osaka/Nara>Tokyo)?

Using this train claculator plus Japan Rail for the shinkansen, along with Kintetsu rail for your Nara and Osaka trips, add to that Osaka subway lines. You need not even carry a time table.

Would I have to book in advance?

See above on reserved/non reserved seating.

Can I board with a Passmo card?

Passmo is for Kantou, so no.

Apologies for my lack of independant research, but to be honest, I trust you guys (and gals ) more than I would some faceless internet site.

No, to be honest you are lazy and couldn't be bothered. I am happy to help, please don't insult me in the process. These "faceless sites" are home pages that would have taken you all of 5 minutes to find on your own.

[ess_jay_arr]

Thankyou very much, Kagemaru. I didn't mean to insult you.

I tagged that bit on the end to try and avoid annoying people... I can never seem to get it right.


[edit] Wow, over 30,000 yen to make the round trip on Shinkansen. Anyone know of a cheaper alternative? I don't mind if it's slow and uncomfortable, but this trip is already costing me far too much.


[edit 2] Hang on, I don't understand this stuff about 'basic fares' and 'limited-express surcharges'. Can you take a train that doesn't incur the surcharge?

[two_heads_talking]

ess_jay_arr wrote:
Thankyou very much, Kagemaru. I didn't mean to insult you.

I tagged that bit on the end to try and avoid annoying people... I can never seem to get it right.

don't worry ess. sometimes even the innocent things set people off. no one can determine your emotional state when you posted and you can't know their emotional state when they read it. obviously kagemaru was a bit put off, but to be honest, there was nothing insulting about what you said. mayhaps kagemaru should "chill, relax" a bit and just let the wind blow..

[ess_jay_arr]

Heh, thanks. I think he had a point though, I should have looked for myself first.

In fact, I have had a look for myself and I found something that seems easier to swallow than the Shinkansen prices; the Seishun 18 Kippu! With this I'd get five (not necessarily consecutive) days of travel on most JR trains for 11,500 yen.

Only problem here is that it's only available seasonally, and I'm getting conflicting sources on when it can be used. (This is what I meant when I mentioned not trusting the internet!)

Some sources say it's valid from Dec 10th, some say Dec 20th. Is it fair to assume that the JR East website (English version) is accurate and up-to-date? Would anyone be so kind as to find the info for me on the Japanese version? My reading ability is simply not up to it. http://www.jreast.co.jp/

[Yudan Taiteki]

The train system in Japan is far from intuitive to someone without much experience, so I don't understand kagemaru's annoyance at your questions, which seem entirely reasonable to me.

The "limited express surcharge" is what you pay for a special train that does not stop at many stations. The train system can be hard to figure out because some trains are local, which stop at every stop, and then there are various grades of express (the terms for which are not standard), some of which have surcharges and some of which don't. I have a feeling that you may have a tough time figuring it all out if this is your first time navigating the train system. You definitely do not want to take local trains from Tokyo to Nara (or even Tokyo to Nagoya).

[ess_jay_arr]

Thanks very much. The most experience I have with Japanese trains is going from Tokyo to Yokohama and back. I do remember there being three kinds of trains that stopped at different numbers of stations, but I think they all stopped at Yokohama, so I didn't pay much notice to which one I got on.

I was asking about the surcharge because the Shinkansen price calculator on the JR East site includes it, and doesn't have an option to take trains that don't include it. And I really don't want to pay that much money for a train ride.

What's wrong with taking local trains? Just that it'd take a long time? I read somewhere that Tokyo to Nagoya would be about six hours. This Seishun 18 Kippu acts like five day passes, so I figured I could get out and have a walk around at a couple of stops, and three two hour journeys wouldn't be too horrendous. Oh, apparently the ticket can be used on local and 'rapid (kaisoku)' trains. Is that any better?

[Yudan Taiteki]

Rapid is much better. I doubt anyone gave an estimated time for local trains because nobody would take local trains from Tokyo to Nagoya unless they didn't understand the train system.

[ess_jay_arr]

Oh, jolly good. I'll do that then.

[chikara]

I planned all my intercity travel for my last trip to Japan using this Japanese Train Route Finder site. You miay find it helpful.

[Igirisu_gaz]

If your on holiday in Japan it seems a real shame to spend half of it on the crappy local trains with nothing to do. Just grab the 快速　（Kaisoku） if you can, if not, I'd personally just the take surcharge and get on a 特急　（Tokyuu) which will probably tack on a fixed surcharge, worth it if it's a long distance. Plus they're comfy and have the nice beer selling lady.

[Harisenbon]

If you're going to Japan from abroad, you should invest in the Japan Rail Pass.
It's only 200-300 dollars for 7 days and is good on ANY JR train (including Shinkasen, excluding green cars)

It's honestly the best way to go.

[chikara]

Harisenbon wrote:
... is good on ANY JR train (including Shinkasen, excluding green cars) ...

The nozomi Shinkansen is also excluded but I agree that a JR Pass is definitely the way to go.

[two_heads_talking]

Harisenbon wrote:
If you're going to Japan from abroad, you should invest in the Japan Rail Pass.
It's only 200-300 dollars for 7 days and is good on ANY JR train (including Shinkasen, excluding green cars)

It's honestly the best way to go.

comments that are very informative, like Harisenbon's are something one won't find if they just peruse the "standard" websites. it's always nice to have someone who lives there give their advice on what their experiences have shown them.

[ess_jay_arr]

Hey, thanks for the advice, guys. That JR Pass does sound like a good idea, except for two things.

I'm leaving in about nine days and I don't think that gives me time to get hold of an Exchange Order. It seems like they only sell them in London, and the postal service in this country has been pretty unreliable recently.

The other thing is that this trip is already devastating my finances, and the JR Pass is two or three times the cost of the Seishun 18.

I realise it's going to be slower taking rapid and local trains, but I'm actually gonna be in Japan for eight weeks, so I don't really mind if I lose a few days on the train.