Hi, I will be travelling from Kyoto to Takayama in April. Just wondering if I can utilize my JR pass to get there and where I can find info re times etc. Also, any advice on whether I should do two nights in Takayama, or one night in a ryokan in takayama/Gero and one in S-go. Or if I should try to do one night in Kanazawa and one night in Takayama?? Again, are their JR train routes I can use with my JR pass in order to reach these spots from Kytoto and then travel back to Tokyo. Any advice would be appreciated

You can get to Takayama, Gero, or Kanazawa using your JR Pass. Going to Shirakawago requires taking a non-JR bus from Kanazawa or Takayama.

To get to Takayama you would take the shinkansen to Nagoya. At Nagoya, you would connect to the Wide View Hida limited express train. That train stops at Gero enroute to/from Takayama. Once a day the Hida train departs from Kyoto and goes all the way to Takayama, but I think that is seasonal and it is slower.

To get to Tokyo from Takayama means going on the train back to Nagoya to get the shinkansen to Tokyo.

To get to Kanazawa requires taking a limited express train (Thunderbird is best). There to Tokyo would be a LEX train connecting to a shinkansen.

Details here: www.hyperdia.com

mrwunrfl can I check - does the Japan rail pass cover the Wide View Hida limited express train - or do you have to pay extra for that?
Thanks.

janey, yes the JR Pass covers the cost of travel on that train and the cost of a reserved seat.

The JR Pass covers the cost of all of the train travel that I mentioned above.

mrwunrfl - thanks so much for your help.

Just for information's sake, because I have to go there, you can go to/from Tokyo directly by bus. I'm going to have to utilise this method, because going by JR pass won't be cost effective- I am just going there and back (from Tokyo.) It's pretty cheap though, about 6000 yen one way, 11000 return.

The website for the bus is http://www.highwaybus.com, but unless you know Japanese it won't be much helpt to you.

Widya Santoso