jmday4

Hi, what is travel like in general on this holiday? I'll be in Kyoto, recovering from the crowds at the Gion festival, and I had been planning on traveling to Hiroshima and Miyajima on the 18th (Monday) which I guess is Umi no Hi.
Will the trains be really crowded? Will everything be closed? Should be just "stay put" in Kyoto until the 19th? Thanks for any advice!

KimJapan

It'll be a long weekend, so tourist places like Kyoto and Miyajima will be packed. Nothing of tourist interest will be closed on the weekend or on Monday. Some places may have an alternate day off on Tuesday if their normal closed day is Sunday or Monday. Otherwise, business as usual. On holidays, banks, schools, government offices and so on are closed. Even many ATM machines are closed on Sundays and holidays, so plan ahead for that. Otherwise, enjoy.

jmday4

Thanks! So... Do you think that we'd be ok traveling from Kyoto to Miyajima, stay overnight on Miyajima (that was always my plan, so the crowds shouldn't be an issue) and then go to the Peace Park in Hiroshima on Tuesday, after we leave Miyajima? (I'll have to check to see if the museum is open on Tuesdays...)

KimJapan

The museum website says the hours are 9 am to 6 pm (last entry 5:30). They don't have a day of the week they are closed, so you should have no trouble. It would be better to go to the museum on Tuesday rather than Monday (holiday) because it will be less crowded. Make a reservation for the train so you have a seat.

jmday4

Thank you! Now one more question... can I make a reservation on the Eki system (I have yet to really look at this, but EMD mentioned it in a post) or should I wait until I land at Narita on July 8th? Or... I wonder if I can reserve spots at the JR office in NYC? Anyone know?

mrwunrfl

The office in NY is a JR East office. I don't know for absolutely sure, but I don't think you can make reservations there.

Eki-net can be used to make reservations on the Sanyo shinkansen line that you would use to get to Hiroshima. Problem is that you would have to pick up your tickets at a station in the JR East region. Basically, that means Narita Airport, Tokyo, Nagano, and points north.

mrwunrfl

I just checked your old posts and see that you are in Tokyo earlier in the month. You can pick up your reserved seats for the 19th there if you like.

jmday4

Thank youso much! Things are definitely shaping up nicely for this trip! On the Shinkansen I should be looking for Hikari trains since we'll be using 14 day JR passes, correct? If the Nozomi trains are more convenient, will we have to pay for a completely new ticket or can we simply pay for the "difference" in the tickets?

mrwunrfl

You would have to pay for a completely new ticket.