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English timetables of Japanese private rail companies?

English timetables of Japanese private rail companies?

Old Nov 14th, 2005, 01:51 AM
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English timetables of Japanese private rail companies?

I'm planning a trip to Osaka from January 27-31, 2006. I will be buying a "Kansai Thru Pass" for travelling to Nara and Himeji. As the pass only covers private rail companies, I would appreciate it if someone could point me to a website with English timetables for the following sectors:

1. Osaka to Nara via Kintetsu line
2. Osaka to Himeji via Sanyo line

I am unable to find the rail times in their Japanese websites as I do not read the language.

Many thanks for any assistance!

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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 02:27 AM
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chinovice
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Check out www.japan-guide and be sure to ask any questions you have about Japan on the Forum there. I found it immensely helpful planning my trip.
 
Old Nov 14th, 2005, 04:58 AM
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The popular site www.hyperdia.com shows private line too, not just JR.

I am not familiar with the Kintetsu Nara Line, but I find that it runs from Kintetsu Nanba to Kintetsu Nara. The rapid trains take 37 minutes, with some slower locals. Train every 9-10 minutes.

Same with the Hanshin Sanyo. It runs from Umeda Hanshin to Sanyo Himeji. Takes 1:30, train every 15 minutes.
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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 05:55 AM
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chinovice,

I've checked japan-guide, but the site is now under maintenance and doesn't allow new postings on the forum. Will try again later.

rkkwan,

Thanks for the info! Didn't know the trains run so frequently.

I tried hyperdia.com, but they don't seem to list private lines when I entered Osaka & Nara/Himeji - the choices only include airline, shinkansen, JR-ltd express and JR-express...

Do you know if holders of the "Kansai Thru Pass" can just hop onto the trains or are seat reservations required?

Thanks in advance for your help!
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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 07:05 AM
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tkic - You don't need to uncheck any box. Just go ahead with the search. It will show trains on both JR and non-JR lines. If it doesn't, change your time a little bit.
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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 01:01 PM
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The hyperdia.com site has a new address for English access.

grace.hyperdia.com will get you there,

It will show private lines. No box checking or unchecking required.
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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 05:33 PM
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Thanks for the new link, KimJapan. I used it but still can't find the times for Kintetsu Namba to Kintetsu Nara as well as Umeda Hanshin to Sanyo Himeji...

Do you know how "Kansai Thru Pass" work? Can we just hop onto the trains or are seat reservations required?
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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 06:07 PM
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tkic2 - I just searched for Osaka, Nara; and Osaka, Himeji. Play with the site a little, and you should be able to find the trains.
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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 07:16 PM
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http://www.surutto.com/conts/ticket/3dayeng/

Is all about the thru pass.

You won't need reservations - they are mostly commuter trains. You'll have to play around a bit with hyperdia to get the information you want. You will be able to get the schedule once you are in Japan from the station staff, but other than that, I don't know of any other English language way to find it other than spending the time to really search hyperdia, changing the times of departure.
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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 07:32 PM
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Is it really worth getting a pass? Osaka to Nara is only a few miles, and Himeji isn't far either. Just buying tickets at the station on whatever line is most convenient for each specific journey will hardly break the bank.
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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 07:35 PM
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To go to Nara, you'll depart from Namba station Osaka. In hyperdia, use KINTETSUNANBA as your departure and NARA (NOT NARAI which comes up automatically sometimes) for destination.

As far as I can tell, you'll need to go through Kobe and change trains at least once to get to Himeji. Try using UMEDAHANSHIN as your departure point for Himeji.
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Old Nov 15th, 2005, 01:52 AM
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KimJapan,

Thanks very much for your advice. I was finally able to check the train schedules by inputing KINTETSUNANBA & UMEDA instead of OSAKA. I will verify if a change of trains at Kobe is needed for the trip to Himeji.

I presume the ticket prices listed are all 1-way?
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Old Nov 15th, 2005, 01:54 AM
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Yes, ticket prices are all one-way.
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