We're planning a trip for mid-April of next year with kids who will be 9 and 12 by that time.
We plan to stay in Tokyo for 3 nights, take a 4 hour train to Takayama, stay 2 nights, then another 4 hour train to Kyoto, stay 4 nights, then back to Tokyo by express train (2 hours) and stay another 3 nights before flying back.
Is the view on a slower train worth the extra travel time? Is food/drink allowed on the trains? Is it customary to only fly in and out of Tokyo from the US? Thanks for any advice!

Hi, Eris_Sama -

> Is the view on a slower train worth the extra travel time?

I don't think so, but others might have a different opinion.

> Is food/drink allowed on the trains?

Yes, and food and drink are sold on many trains - someone comes through with a cart.

> Is it customary to only fly in and out of Tokyo from the US?

Another option is Kansai International Airport just outside of Osaka. Flying into one airport (Kansai or Narita) and out of the other lets you avoid backtracking if you are visiting both Tokyo and Kyoto.

Hope that helps!

>Is the view on a slower train worth the extra travel time?

I'll second the no on this as the "view" is the same from the shinkansen as the slow locals only you get there a lot quicker. Also with the children along you would not and I am sure they would not want to miss the thrill of riding on the high speed shinkansen.

> Is food/drink allowed on the trains?

As kja says, yes on most runs, not the local ones though. Sometimes on a long local run the vendors with a cart will come aboard at one stop, walk through the train and get off maybe 3 or 4 stops later down the line.

You can always pick up your food at the train station before you board the train. In my experiences the food vendors on board the trains always seem a little more expensive than the train station you just left from with far less in the way of selection and brands. Hope this helps!

Aloha!

Is the view on a slower train worth the extra travel time?

The view will be the same, no matter how fast the train is going!


Is food/drink allowed on the trains? Food is sold on the train, and in the stations as well. Just don't eat while you are walking. That is considered in poor taste in Japan.

For long train rides, we usually get food at a grocery store or one of the convenience stores outside the station (Larsens, 7-11, etc) They will have lots of take-out style food, including bento lunches, cut and peeled fruits, and great snack items. Much cheaper than buying on the train.

Is it customary to only fly in and out of Tokyo from the US? A lot of people do this. I prefer to fly into Tokyo then out of Osaka Or Nagano so I can see more of the country without having to double back

lcuy,

lol, we are both not working at the same time

LOL, HT

<i>Is the view on a slower train worth the extra travel time?</i>

No.

For the Nagoya-Takayama legs of your train trip the trains use the same tracks. The local trains stop more often and travel more slowly than the limited express trains. You would get a good view of each station while the local train stops, but that is about it. No difference in scenery.

The shinkansen travels on different track than the local trains. The difference in views (if any) would be nowhere near worth the difference in time.

<i>Is food/drink allowed on the trains?</i> h
Yes, it is. They sell food/drink on the train.

At stores in/near the train stations you can buy an eki-ben to have on the train (eki= train station, and &quot;ben&quot; is short for bento - a boxed lunch).

<i>Is it customary to only fly in and out of Tokyo from the US?</i>

No. It is typical, tho. You would use a 7-day JR Pass to go from Tokyo to Takayama to Kyoto to Tokyo. Instead of that, you could fly into Tokyo then go by train to Takayama then to Kyoto and fly home from Kansai airport. In this case you would buy just the one-way tickets.

Thanks that helped! We'll just use the fast trains then since we'll be buying the 2 week JR pass.
More transport questions:
Wouldn't flying into Tokyo and out of another airport be more expensive? It seems some airlines fly back to Tokyo anyway.
I've been reading about the JR pass and am confused. Do you have to present the pass to buy all types of tickets whether or not you make reservations?

Oh, I also forgot to ask if train stations have lockers. I want to put stuff in a locker and tour a city for half a day before going to another city to stay the night.

You'll need to check your airline to find out. Many times, it has cost me the same, and a couple of times it cost less to fly out of Osaka or Nagoya after arriving at Narita.

Many stations have lockers or a check room for luggage. They are often rather hidden in the back.

Depending on your itinerary you may only need a seven day pass. The pass is not necessary for Tokyo. If your round trip from Tokyo will be completed in seven days, you probably don't need a two-week pass. You can double check hyperdia.com for prices...

You're right, Mara. The itin in the OP just needs a 7-day pass: 2 nights Takayama + 4 night Kyoto. That's 6 days/nights plus one day to return to Tokyo.

But there is the matter of the three nights in Tokyo at the beginning and three more at the end. What do you plan to do during those days? Day trips from Tokyo?

What places are you planning to stop at, stow your stuff in a luggage, tour the city, and return to the station to continue on?

I thought about just getting the 7 day pass but there's also trips to/from the airport and probably a side trip to Osaka from Kyoto and hopefully a ninja village somewhere, and then within and around Tokyo. Maybe it'll be cheaper if we used more local trains, but then we would have to plan out all our routes exactly and compare them to the 14 day pass. If we each spend more than $20 unnecessarily, I can live with that for the convenience of not having to figure out how to buy a ticket each time. Which brings me back to my question about how does the JR pass work? If we don't make reservations, do we just show our pass on the train?
I'm from NYC so if someone can explain the Japanese train system in terms of subway, Amtrak, MetroNorth and LIRR that would be greatly appreciated!

Eris - I'm in NYC as well - the JR trains are a combination of Amtrak and the regional trains, i.e., Metronorth and LIRR. You can use the JR pass in Tokyo on the Yamanote line which goes around Tokyo but you cannot use it on the numerous subway lines. If you are taking a bunch of day trips from Tokyo it may not be worth the extra 16,800 Yen or $153 US difference between the 7 and 14 day passes. You can price out your trips on the site I mentioned in my earlier post. You'll be able to use the pass when you go from Kyoto to Osaka.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361.html - This is a good guide to trains in Japan as well as much other helpful info. Many people on this board use it as well.

As far as flying to KIX, I did that when I made my trip to Kyoto - LGA-&gt;DFW-&gt;KIX. To this date I regret it and if I did it again I think I would just fly to Tokyo and take the train to Kyoto.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_002.html#nex

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/index.html

Forgot to post above - there is a special ticket you can buy at NRT which includes a trip to Tokyo on the Narita Express and 1500 Yen to use on the Tokyo subways.

Also someone who uses NYC transportation really won't have any trouble getting around in Tokyo and Kyoto.....

Your sidetrips from Kyoto, of course, would be during the 4 days you are in Kyoto. The 7-day pass covers those days! You could even use it to go to Osaka or Himeji or Nara on day 7 and then return to Tokyo. You'll also be able to use the JR Pass on JR trains in Tokyo on the days you travel to/from Kyoto (i.e. days 1 and 7).

The airport train or limo bus costs about 3000 yen each way. If you are at a hotel where the limo bus is then it is very easy to use. That would be about US$56 roundtrip.

You probably would use JR in Tokyo a bit, but the fares are cheap. The 14-day pass would cost $153 more according to Mara minus the $56 that it would cover for airport transfers and that leaves $97. Maybe you would spend $12 on JR in Tokyo, so getting the 14-day pass would waste about $85 (minimum $80) for your itin. And you would still have to buy tickets to ride the subway and other non-JR rail in Tokyo.

Thanks, that was something that was confusing me. I didn't realize the subway in Tokyo was not included in the JR Pass.
They charge based on each stop, right, rather than a single set fare like in NYC? But they probably have daily passes? How about multi-day passes?
The special card for the airport to Tokyo is a good deal! It's just one way to Tokyo from the airport. Is there something similar for a roundtrip?

This site shows you information on the Tokyo Metro(subway) system with maps.

http://www.tokyometro.jp/global/en/index.html

Narita express information

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/access/train/index.html

and information on the Suica card and NEX train ticket specials.

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/index.html

Aloha!

I have some budget questions:
I'm estimating $200 a night for the four of us which I think is doable based on the places I've researched so far.
But I'm worried about the airfare with the high fuel costs now and April I believe is a popular month for tourists. What do you think is a reasonable airfare?

Guessing airfares for April '09 this far in advance in this age of turbulent fuel costs is like trying to figure out hieroglyphics, lol.

If it were me, and I know it's not, I would wait a while before buying the tickets unless there is an upgrade involved. I would constantly check again and again until the Dec/Jan time frame to buy the tix.

As for a fair cost..
Where are you flying from?

Aloha!