Japan rail pass, luggage query
 

Hi
We are traveling to Japan n December for 4 nights. We arrive Narita.Although we haven't booked anything yet( still can't decide what to see in 4 days!) We may travel to Kyoto then possibly onto Miyajima but not sure. Is it worth getting a 7 day rail pass for 4 days. I understand it maybe a problem taking luggage on the bullet trains. Does anyone know if this is a problem/difficult Thanks

If you only have 4 nights in Japan, I would pick either Kyoto or Tokyo and stick to just that. It's not a lot of time to see anything if you are going to travel around to different places. You can do day trips from either one but don't plan on Hiroshima and Miyajima, you will spend all of your time on trains. If you go to Kyoto, you don't need a rail pass, it's cheaper to just buy a round trip ticket. Luggage on trains is not a problem, there is storage for reasonable amounts.

Work out the cost of individual tickets versus the cost of the railpass...use www.hyperdia.com for that (use the total price displayed, not only the fare).

Luggage...the biggest challenge is maneuvering luggage through stations. Though there are escalotors, they often only run in the up direction. Elevators are reserved for handicapped and stroller use...you often need to call an attendant to use it even.

Storage space for luggage on trains varies...the airport trains have plenty of storage. Shinkansens have some storage overhead and at the ends of the cars. Other trains are more limited. I have no problem with a carryon sized roller bag on any trains, but bigger bags I've never even tried...the challenge of the station stairs and a big suitcase is too inconvenient. I always ship large bags ahead to the airport or home. I'd say if you can comfortably carry your bag up and down stairs in a crowd, it will be fine on a train.

I can't imagine you'll have huge amounts of luggage if you're only going for 4 nights. Luggage can ruin a trip, so keep it simple - you'll be glad you did.

If you haven't booked anything yet and interested in Kyoto/Miyajima, then why not fly in and out of KIX instead of NRT?

From where I live, a flight to KIX is more expensive than to NRT, but considering the train fare and the time to travel between the two, I come out ahead flying into KIX.

Many thanks to you all for all the info. Sorry to be vague. but which airport is KIK? Also, Japan will be the first leg of our trip to Asia so we will have luggage for a long trip! Can you leave cases at the airport to collect later?
Many thanks

KIX is Kansai International Airport in Osaka, well, near Osaka.

If Japan is a stopover on a flight continuing on to another Asian destination, you won't likely be able to fly into Narita and out of Kansai though...it's likely that the airline does not offer continuing service from airports other than Narita. There are few continuing flights from Kansai and Nagoya, but not many.

It is possible to leave luggage at the airport...there is a baggage storage counter. The rate is daily, and I priced the storage at KIX last winter for leaving our winter coats there rather than carrying them to Bali...and though I don't remember now the exact cost, I do know that I thought it too high and didn't end up using the service.

Dear Calcrimson-

I've travelled on many trains in Japan and never, ever had a problem with my luggage. I'm not sure where this idea that Japanese trains have no luggage space came from.

We usually have at least one wheeled bag (mid size) and a backpack or big purse each. If you can't carry it, you can't take it is our motto. Of course coming home, we often end up with a huge extra bag filled with all our things purchased in Japan! That's when we use the airport limo bus.

Japanese rarely carry their luggage- they have the great bag delivery services handle it, so you will most likely have all the open spots for your bags.

The hardest part, as has been said above, is just getting onto the trains...many stations have stairs that you'll have to navigate.

I can't see going all the way to Miyajima with only 4 days. Stick with Tokyo and Kyoto and you'll still have plenty to see and do, plus will have gotten to ride the train. Sit on the right heading to Kyoto. You might see Fuji if the weather's clear.