I am trying to put together a two-week trip to Japan for later this fall. I'd like to visit Tokyo, Takayama, Kanazawa and Kyoto, based on an itinerary recommended by the Japan National Tourist Organization. However, when checking hyperdia.com, it looks like the trip between Takayama and Kanazawa is much longer and more complicated than the JNTO brochure indicates. Am I doing something wrong, or is there a problem? Is there a better way to route this trip?

I would like to limit myself to a 7-day rail pass, or perhaps purchase point-to-point tickets, whichever is less expensive. Also, my tentative plan is to fly into NRT and out of KIX, but that is flexible.

Thanks for your help.

The train is long but there is a bus which is great. You can go directly from Kanazawa-Takayama (or the reverse) or you can stop off in Shirakawa-go and visit a traditional mountain village. The bus schedule has been posted here but for the moment I cannot find it.

hyperdia is probably sending you via Toyama. Some of the schedule look complicated but aren't really. There was a train from Takayama to Toyama but a typhoon wiped out part of the track, so they have a bus fill a gap in the route. When the train was running all the way thru hyperdia still came up with some awefully long connection wait times. The other train route is via Nagoya, but that might take longer.

By train, via Toyama, the trip goes north and then southwest (sort of). Via Nagoya you go south and then northwest. Both routes take you around the mountains.

Better would be to go west, through the mountains via Shirakawago, as moxie suggested. Stop in Shirakawago for several hours, or overnight in a gassho zukuri minshuku.

By "brochure", do you mean the "practical travel guides" that JNTO offers. There is one for Takayama & Shirakawago and another one for Kanazawa.

Hi all,

My family and I (4 of us) are also planning our first trip to Japan fr late Nov -> mid December.

We are planning to stay 2 nights at Takayama (after Tokyo) and then travel to Kanazawa to stay for the next two nights before heading for Kyoto. As travelling by JR trains will be long (via Nayoga) we are considering to travel by bus, with a stop over (during the day) at Shirakawa-go but could not obtain clear information about the bus services and schedules between these two cities, ie how frequent, and whether we need to book the bus tickets in advance.

Would very much appreciate any information on the bus services offered by Nohi bus (I looked at their web site but could not read Japanese so it was not fruitfuf), especially during the time that we'll be in Takayama, (around 3/4 December 2006).

Thanks in advance

I visited Shirkawago as a day trip and it was just enough for me. The Nouuhi bus will take you from Kanazawa to Takayama or the other direction:

Schedule until March was:
<Takayama to Shirakawago(and to Kanazawa)>
8:45---->10:43
9:30---->11:10--->12:35
11:05-->12:55
14:40-->16:38
15:20-->17:00--->18:25

<(from Kanazawa and)Shirakawago to Takayama>
8:40----->10:05--->11:45
12:15--->14:13
14:20--->16:10
14:40--->16:05--->17:45
17:15--->19:13

Email your reservation or request for the timetable to:
jidosya at nouhibus dot co dot jp

You don't say how long you will be in Japan but the trains are really superb and it would be a shame to waste a lot of time in a bus.

We went for 15 days and had a 7 day pass and paid for our trip to Kanazawa separately. If you give your dates we could help devise a schedule for you.

We took the bus between Takayama and Kanazawa. Great ride, excellent scenery. The rail had been washed out right before our trip, but the bus was so good I'm glad we could not go by train. If you want to stip at Shirakawa-go longer than your bus stops (10 minutes) you need to buy two tickets. We didn't and it was a mistake.

We took the train in the opposite direction (Kanazawa to Takayama). I don't remember exactly how long it took but I believe we spent at least the whole morning in Kanazawa before taking the train and we had dinner in Takayama. It is a particularly beautiful train ride!

In <i>Japan by Rail</i> the author described the trip between Takayama and Toyama as one of the greatest train rides in all of Japan. That was before the typhoon. We had a report on this forum not long ago from someone who took, and was somewhat freaked out by, the bus ride part of the trip from Takayama to Toyama (on narrow mountain roads).

Thanks to all of you for your help. The bus sounded fine until I came to the comment about freaking out on narrow mountain roads. Yikes! Sounds like something I would do! I think I will give this a little more thought.

No, no, sorry, I was writing about the bus that is used to get around the typhoon damaged part of the train trip to Toyama (and from there to Kanazawa).

The bus that moxie and Elainee mentioned goes from Takayama to Shirakawago to Kanazawa. The whole trip is by bus. I think that trip is ok. Hopefully someone will clarify this.

I got to/from Shirakawago by way of Takaoka, not on your route, and I don't think anyone would call that scary.

Hi all.

thanks for the information, especially Moxie for the Nouhii bus timetables b/w Takayama and Kanazawa...

As for us, we were planning to travel by train between Takayama and Kanazawa, but a check with hyperdia.com revealed that the train trip will require about 3 (express) train transfers, and about 5-6 hours of travelling. Going via Nagoya will take similar amount of time, that's why we were looking for the bus option.

We will be in Japan for about 3 weeks from Nov 26, (flying into Narita) Tokyo(6n)-Takayama(2n)-Kanazawa(2n)-Kyoto(2n)-Hiroshima(2n)-Kyoto(4n) (flyout from KIX) and will be purchasing 14-day JR Train tickets.

A couple of questions, if I can:

1. Is it possible (enough time) to visit Himeji via JR Train for the Kyoto-Hiroshima leg of the trip.
2. Is it possible to visit Kurushiki or Okayama when travelling the return leg Hiroshima-Kyoto.

Thanks

If you moved the 2n Kyoto to be with the 4n Kyoto at the end then you could get by with a 7-day JR Pass. With a 14-day pass you would be able to use it starting on day 5 in Tokyo.

Answers to your two questions:

1) Yes
2) I think so.

&gt;&gt;1) Yes
&gt;&gt;2) I think so.

If that is the case, then effectively we will have about 1 day for the sight-seeing in Hiroshima (even though we will be spending 2n there)

In Hiroshima, apart from the A-Dome and Peace Memorial Park, we also want to go Miyajima to view that world famous Torii Gate and its surround, we should be able to them in 1-day , yes???

And, yes, we intend to start using the 14-day JR Train from D5 (Tokyo) for our visit to Kamakura...

Just my two cents - I would cut a night or two from Tokyo and add them to Kyoto. We were in Kyoto for 5 nights and could have used 6.

Yes, you could visit the PP and Miyajima in the same day. Start early, the days will be short in late fall. Might be worthwhile finding out the tide info so that the tide is in and the torii is in water when you go.

That will be about the time (end of November or thereabouts) that the leaves will be turning color. Miyajima is famous for it's fall colors, esp. maples.

Have you figured out where you will stay in Hiroshima? I would book that hotel now (I recommend the Rihga Royal).

Figured you'd probably have a day trip from Tokyo. Shinjuku-Kamakura and return would cost about 1700. Kyoto-KIX is about 3700. A 7-day JR Pass is 28,300. So you could save about 11,000 yen per person if you adjusted your schedule to have the 6 nights in Kyoto together.

I second mrwunrfl's suggestion for only a 7 day pass and staying only once in Kyoto. Remember you can ship your bags so you are not dragging them to Hiroshima and Miyajima.

Instead of staying 2 nights in Hiroshima, I'd take the ferry to Matsumoto. Just the ride on the inland sea is worth the time but the baths and castle of Matsumoto are worth the trip too. you would then be able to take the train direct from matsumoto to the Okayama. We did this in April and you can read my trip report if you search with my name.

moxie means Matsuyama, not Matsumoto.

The onsen there, Dogo onsen, is very famous. Great castle.

Thank you (moxie &amp; mrwunfl et al) again for your comments.

And apology to Ojudy for intruding into her thread...

I have booked in the Sun Route Hotel in Hiroshima and kinda already locked in the dates. Will have another look, but don't know if I'll be able to change too much [but will definite explore the suggestion about taking the ferry to Matsuyama]. While buying a 7-day JR tickets could save us some money,14-day are more flexible for us - (my better looking and better half and the two daughters) may change the plan when we get there. At least I'll be using it for the following:

* Tokyo day trip to Kanamura
* Tokyo-Tayakama
* Kanazawa-Kyoto
* Kyoto-Hiroshima-Kyoto
* Kyoto-Osaka-Kyoto Day Trip [one of us will need to fly out a couple of days earlier from KIX]
* Possible extra day tour to Koyasan??? [replacing the Himeji trip which we could now do on the Kyoto-Hiroshima-Leg]...

Really appreciate all your help and assistance, and can now try to learn a bit of Japanese to unleash on the unsuspecting NihonJin 8-)

We are really looking forward to this trip [it was a choice between China and Japan]

Dozo Arigato Gozaimas.

Oooppps Sorry for the wrong city name!