Hi everyone, I need to buy a ticket from Tokyo to Hiroshima and back for travel on November 23 (which is a national holiday in Japan). I don't arrive in Japan until late afternoon, November 22. I'm afraid that if I wait to buy it until I arrive, the trains will be full. I'm doing an interview in Tokyo and it's very important that I can get an early train down to Hiroshima, and then back to Tokyo (arrival time back to Tokyo is less critical).

Is there any way I can buy the ticket and reserve the seats before I arrive in Japan?

I don't want to get a rail pass because I need to take the Nozumi.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Oops - I am doing an interview in Hiroshima, not Tokyo. I considered flying down but the airport is so far away from Hiroshima and I would rather just take the bullet train.

It is not possible to purchase JR train tickets from outside Japan. The only way that I would know around your dilemna is to have someone you know in Japan do the purchase for you, or somehow get in touch with a travel agency in Japan who may purchase the ticket on your behalf.

Also, bear in mind the train travel cost will be higher than flying between these 2 japanese cities, since I am assuming that you would qualify for the JAL Yokoso fare (or its ANA equivalent) of around $100 flat rate.

kanadajin

What is the JAL Yokoso fare (or its ANA equivalent)? How do you qualify for it? I'm flying in on Air New Zealand (US citizen living in NZ).

Yes if you are flying a Star Alliance(ANA) flight you can qualify for their Star Alliance Pass. See here for the details of the information you seek.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2364.html

Currently you can only reserve advanced tickets online for the trains of the JR East company, no advanced JR West tickets are available online unless you live in Japan.

Aloha!

NZ 99 lands at NRT at 4:25 and NH 3129 (by Ibex) departs NRT for HIJ at 5:25 PM. IF you can make that connection you would land at HIJ at 7:10PM.

Getting from HIJ to Hiroshima is not quick. Take the bus, not JR. The bus is easy to find. I think it goes to a bus center near the Rihga Royal Hotel, which I recommend.

Thanks everyone very much. I consulted with my employer's travel agent, and sure enough, he was able to get me a significantly discounted ticket using one of these passes. Now I have a confirmed ticket and I don't have to worry about the train being sold out. I have a new worry though (although a much smaller one) - how do I get from the Hiroshima airport to Hiroshima? I know there's a bus, but I've got to get more details so I can find it easily.

Japan Guide says its a 50 minute 1300 yen bus ride to the city center where you can take a taxi. The bus probably stops at a few other stops namely the main JR station along the way. The way it works in Japan is that the bus stops will be right outside baggage claim. The buses to city center are usually coordinated to incoming flights. You can buy a usually find a ticket machine near the door of baggage claim or buy one on the bus.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3404.html

Aloha!

There were buses waiting just outside when I arrived at HIJ. I saw a couple of them depart while I was still waiting for the bus to the train station where I got a local into Hiroshima station. It was a long trip that way, bus, train, and finally a street car and a walk. I walked past the bus center! to get to my hotel, the Rihga Royal.

What airline are you flying to Japan and which one to Hiroshima?

I'm flying Air New Zealand into Japan and Japan Airlines to Hiroshima.

Thanks everyone for all your help! I looked at the bus schedule and I can take one straight into the main city depot. I'm meeting my interviewee at the ANA hotel so I'm sure it's not a far walk from there (haven't looked it up yet).

So you are going to have to transfer from Narita to Haneda airports, I think.

Yes, I arrive on Nov 22 and spend the night in my favorite Tokyo hotel, Park Hotel Tokyo. Then I have to take a bus or something out to Haneda. We have been in the middle of a move at home so I haven't had time to look up the details, but I am sure there is an easy way to get to Haneda.

My flight leaves at 8:15 am on Sunday Nov 23. I should just be able to take the monorail to Haneda, right?

Hi everyone, thanks so much for your help. I am back from my trip and it went wonderfully. I took the subway one stop from Shidome to Daimon and walked to the monorail from there (the only tricky part on the trip - at one point, when I came up to the street, I wasn't sure if I should walk to the right or straight to get to the monorail, but I followed the people with the suitcases to the right and everything was fine).

The monorail was simple and so was checking in at the airport. I found the bus from the airport to Hiroshima easily - you literally can't miss it. The round trip ticket was 2340 yen which was a good deal. The bus ride is about 50 minutes and it's a pretty ride through the mountains.

Orientining myself once I got to the Hiroshima bus station took a little bit - I ended up going to the information booth at the Sogo mall (connected to the bus station) and asking for a tourist map and asking them to show me where I was.

Then I enjoyed some shopping (got some oeko-tex 100 certified shirts for my daughter for 360 yen each - WOW) and peace park, and then walked to the ANA for my interview. Going back was simple.

Thanks again for all your help and I'm so glad that you mentioned the passes for the flight and the ease of the bus! Otherwise I might have been on a very crowded train for 4 hours each way!

Doitashimashite birder-san ! Glad it all seemd to have worked out for you.

Arigatou for the feedback, and the logistic details about Hiroshima where I hope to go in 2010.

Mata ne
kanadajin

Happy to hear that it all worked out. Hope your interview is fruitful.

Maybe someone possibly mrwunrfl can save me some searching. We are flying LAX-NRT then using airpass to catch ANA flight NRT to HIJ the night we arrive. So we will arrive in HIJ after a lot of flying at 7:25pm. We are staying at the Rihga Royal.
Will we find the bus at HIJ just outside baggage claim?
Also where will the bus drop me in Hiroshima?
Any suggestions on the easiest way to get from where it drops me to the Rihga?
Thanks!

http://www.rihga.com/hiroshima/location.html

Thanks Kim. Looks like I can walk from the Hiroshima bus station to the Rihga. Awesome!