10 day trip using 7 day JR Rail Pass.

10 day trip using 7 day JR Rail Pass.

I was thinking about a good tour that can incorporate a seven day JR Rail Pass. I like the idea of arriving in Japan at a different airport to the one I depart from. This means I don't have to visit the same city twice. There are many international airports in Japan, so there are many choices of where to start and where to finish. It all depends on the airline you choose.

For this tour we will arrive at Kansai International Airport (KIX) near Osaka and depart from either Narita or Haneda airports in Tokyo.

The JR Rail Pass must be bought from your travel agent outside of Japan before you travel, so don't forget. It has to be used on seven consecutive days, which means if you're going to get your full value out of the ticket you have to do most of your rail travel in those seven days. So choose the two places you want to spend the most time in. Start in one and finish in the other.  In this way you won't be wasting your ticket by staying at some place for a few days in the middle of your 7 days. I've chosen Osaka and Tokyo.

In arriving at Osaka, I actually have no intention of staying there. There is a small city near Osaka called Nara with some nice attractions. We can catch a limousine bus from KIX to Nara which takes just over an hour. You could go on the train into Osaka (dive into Japan at the deep end), but Nara is a great place to unwind after your long flight. There are many accommodation options in Nara - hotels, ryokan and youth hostels. There are large parks with tame deer, the enormous Todaiji Buddhist Temple and the wonderful Kasuga Taisha, Shinto Shrine with its lovely gardens These are World Heritage Sites. Most importantly for your arrival, there is also a good Tourist Information Centre.

So, you can spend either one or two nights in Nara, then catch a train the short distance to Kyoto. Don't start using your JR Pass until you leave Kyoto. 

Kyoto has a lot of places to see. It is best to look up a guide book. There is also an excellent Tourist Info Centre inside the main entrance to Kyoto Station. They will suggest accommodation and book it for you if you need. Two nights in Kyoto should be enough for a first visit. Don't miss the gorgeous Fushimi Inari Taisha (Shinto shrine) which is just a short train ride on the outskirts of Kyoto and the Kinkakuji Golden Temple. Nijo-jo castle is also worth a visit. You can hire a bicycle and cycle around the city as well as using buses or short train rides. Kyoto is like Nara in that it is planned on a grid pattern. Both old cities were spared from American bombing in WWII.

Day 4.

Now you have to get busy. Get up early and start off your JR Rail Pass at Kyoto Station by catching the Shinkansen (bullet train) into Western Japan. Once again there are many options of places to visit. My suggestion is to pass through Hiroshima and visit Iwakuni with its famous historic Kyo Kintai Bridge. This is not visited by many tourists from outside of Japan. It is good to arrive in the evening and catch the bus from Iwakuni Station the few kilometres and then walk across the bridge.

Day 5.

Train from Iwakuni to Miyajima (near Hiroshima). You have the option of the slower local train or shinkansen. Ferry from Miyajima across to the island uses your JR Pass. Itsukushima Jinja with its famous floating gateway (torii) is one of Japan's top three most beautiful scenes. Accommodation on the island is expensive, so I suggest you stay overnight in nearby Hiroshima. It is less than an hour from Miyajima on the train.

Day 6.

Get up early and visit Hiroshima's Peace Memorial and Genbaku Dome. You can catch the shinkansen to many places - Kurashiki with its canals and art galleries, Okayama with its Korakuen, one of Japan's top three gardens, Himeji with its huge castle, and the Kobe/Osaka metropolis. By now you should be used to using your JR Rail Pass, so take your pick as to where you stay the night. You may have booked your accommodation in advance, but outside of peak periods such as Golden Week it usually isn't a problem to find a cheap business hotel near the station.

Day 7.

You can take the coastal route Osaka-Wakayama then around the Kii peninsula visiting beaches and onsen (hot springs) at Shirahama, the beautiful Nachi Falls etc. This is a beautiful coast to take your time visiting using local trains. You could stay overnight at one of these places before going to Nagoya. Inland route. Shinkansen to Nagoya and local train to Nakatsugawa.

Day 8.

 is the fifth day of using JR Rail Pass. If you chose the coastal route, you will not yet be in Nagoya. You could visit Ise Jingu the most important Shinto Shrine in Japan and home to the Sun Goddess. Then travel to Nagoya. If you chose the inland route to Nakatsugawa you can catch a local bus to Magome and do the 3 hour walk along the old Nakasendo trail through beautiful mountain scenery. It is in the countryside passing through small villages along the track. After doing the walk you can catch the bus back to Nakatsugawa Station. You will probably have time to travel on to Matsumoto city in the same day.

Day 9.

 will be in Matsumoto visiting one of the best castles in Japan. If you chose the coastal route, this is where you catch up. You may not have time for the Nakasendo walk, but that is fine. The local train from Nagoya to Matsumoto is through some spectacular mountain and river scenery. In Matsumoto Station there is another good Tourist Information Centre where you can book your accommodation. There are also Onsen resort hotels (hot springs) in the area.

Day 10.

Is for the train trip from Matsumoto to Tokyo. You will see Mt Fuji in the distance if you're sitting on the right side of the carriage. Your Rail Pass runs out today, but that is fine. You have your final two days for shopping and sight seeing in the Tokyo area.

Have a great trip.