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218 Comments to “Forums”

1. J says:

   May 13, 2012 at 10:48 pm

   Hi Takeshi!

   I’m planning to stay in Kyushu for 5 days and purchase the Northern Kyushu 5-day pass at 9,000Yen.

   Will be arriving from Sapporo to Fukuoka airport.

   Is it possible and advisable to travel to:

   1. Nagasaki (Day trip)
   2. Oita (Staying there for 1 night, renting a car at Oita)
   3. Beppu (Day Trip from Oita)
   4. Aso (Day trip)
   5. Kumamoto (2 night stay?)
   6. Yufuin (Day trip)
   7. Kagoshima (1 night stay/Flight to Kobe)

   Thank you!

   Reply
   • JPRail says:

     May 14, 2012 at 12:47 pm

     Hi J,
     You can go these places in 5 days by Northern Kyushu pass except Kagoshima. But I still need more info about you itinerary.

     1. Where do you stay after Nagasaki trip? If you stay in Hakata or Kumamoto, it works. But if you want to stay in Oita, it is too far.
     2. Yufuin is closed to Oita. If you want to go there as Day trip, access from Oita or Hakata.
     3. Aso is located between Oita and Kumamoto. You can drop by when you move from Oita to Kumamoto.
     4. Kagoshima is outside of Northern Kyushu pass area.
     http://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/english/railpass.html
     If you want to go to Kagoshima, you need to buy a single ticket or Rgular Kyushu pass. Single ticket is slightly cheaper than the price difference.

     I recommend you to stay Nagasaki or Hakata 1 night, Oita 1 night, Kumamoto 1 night and Kagoshima 1 night. You can drop by Yufuin when you move from Hakata to Oita. This is the easiest way.

     Cheers,

     Takeshi / JP Rail

     Reply
2. James says:

   May 8, 2012 at 7:05 pm

   From Nagasaki to Hiroshima you can change train at Shin-Tosu can’t you?

   Cheers
   James

   Reply
   • JPRail says:

     May 8, 2012 at 11:05 pm

     Hi James,
     Yes, we can. But I think we have many more connections at Hakata than Shin-Tosu.
     Cheers,
     Takeshi / JP Rail

     Reply
3. James says:

   May 8, 2012 at 7:03 pm

   I think the new train you refereing to is “Zipangu”

   http://www.toretabi.jp/train/vol63/01.html

   Those of you read Japanese, you might want to check out this site

   http://www.jr-morioka.com/pdf/press/pdf_1336383249_1.pdf

   The patronage situation of trains in Tohoku region operate by Morioka JR East division, Zipangu gets quite full, but given 2 of the intermediate cars are non reserve cars, shouldnt be too much of a problem getting a seat.New train “Resort-Ume Neko” , and all the Resort Shirakami trains are well patronage but not completely full,

   Beware of the following trains that gets VERY full

   *Hayate 101, Hayate34, Hayate-Komachi30
   *Supa Hakucho 11 and 40.

   This year, I am not sure how long distance rail travel will compete with Jetstar Japan…jetstar Japan might steal some passengers away

   Cheers
   James

   Cheers
   James

   Reply
   • JPRail says:

     May 8, 2012 at 11:17 pm

     Hi James,
     We are going to have three LCC, Jetstar Japana, Peach Aviation and Air Asia Japan in this summer. I am pretty sure they steal many passengers away from rail services. Especially the tourist who want to go to Hokkaido or Kyushu and Tokyo, train service is not best choice. It is too far. They can combine Kyushu pass or Hokkaido pass and Suica, Kanto area pass or other passes in Tokyo. It the tourist want to go to multiple places throughout Japan, JR Pass is still unbeatable.
     Cheers,
     Takeshi / JP Rail

     Reply
4. JAyre says:

   May 5, 2012 at 7:21 am

   Hi Takeshi,

   Firstly, I am very pleased to see a JR West pass that covers Kinosaki. I hope more people will choose to discover the San-in region in the future.

   For those who are considering visiting during cherry blossom season (which has almost finished here now), I can safely say it’s well worth coming out. I’ve just wound up my whirlwind tour of Tohoku which included Sendai (to which I’ve been before but is no less impressive than usual), Hiraizumi (where there were free tours of Motsuji and Chusonji in English!), Kitakami, Kakunodate, Hirosaki, Hachinohe and finally capped off today with the Seikan Tunnel Tour.

   It’s hard to say which has been a highlight, each place has its own charm. Hiraizumi has a very impressive heritage and is well worth the trip. I hope the recent UNESCO World Heritage listing will bring more people to Hiraizumi.

   Of the three cherry blossom sites, I its hard to say if any is better – each has something going for it. For those interested in seeing the blossoms in Tohoku, I will sum up each of the three sites briefly.

   Kitakami blooms a couple of days before Kakunodate or Hirosaki. Tenshochi Park has a romantic quality to it, and is much quieter than the other two. There are still celebrations going on at Kitakami Station and in the park though!

   Kakunodate has a very impressive 2km stretch of trees along the river, and the samurai village has some well preserved homes from a bygone era. It’s not too quiet, not to busy, has heaps of stalls and celebrations going on, and its 2km “sakura tunnel” is definitely worth the trip.

   Hirosaki is the big, popular site in Tohoku! Thousands of people visit every day during the cherry blossom peak. There are special Tsugaru services on very frequently from Aomori through Hirosaki, and a couple of special services from Akita also. I came from Akita that morning and had the chance to use the special “Hirosaki Sakura Matsuri” on the old 583 Series set that lives at Akita. It is a lovely old train to ride on, and there were trainspotters at every crossing and bridge between Akita and Hirosaki! When you get to Hirosaki Castle Park, you can see what the buzz is all about. Left, right and center, there are thousands of cherry trees, and you can get right into the celebrations yourself.

   The other event so far has been the Seikan Tunnel Tour. Not something many international tourists know about, but you can actually step off the train at Tappi-Kaitei Station, 140m below sea level and just off the coast of Honshu. The tour guide takes you through the amazing history of the tunnel – how it was conceived and built, and the hardships faced throughout. There is a small museum at the undersea station which explains the process of building the tunnel, and a cable car to the surface to see the Tappi-Kaitei Museum and look out to the Tsugaru Strait. While the tour is in Japanese, staff will give you additional pamphlets in English to fill you in on anything you missed. If you are interested in mechanics and engineering, don’t give the Seikan Tunnel Tour a miss!

   It’s a long trip to Sapporo from Hakodate after arriving at 18:00 though, and tomorrow, it’s going to be the Twilight Express!

   Best regards,

   - Jonathan Ayre -

   Reply
   • JPRail says:

     May 5, 2012 at 9:37 pm

     Hi Jonathan,

     Thank you for telling the most updated information about Tohoku.
     I visited Matsushima and Kukunodate in this past March. But it was crazy busy trip. I spent 1 hour each at Matsushima and Kakunodate.
     I tried to squeeze Hiraizumi into my itinerary. But I couldn’t make it. I departed from Shin Osaka by the first Hikari. And I got on Hamanasu on same day. It was obviously too much in one day!
     Now Hiraizumi is on my wish list. I hope I can get there in next time.

     Enjoy your trip in Twilight!

     Cheers,

     Takeshi / JP Rail

     Reply
     • Tak says:

       May 8, 2012 at 5:57 am

       I think the new train jipangu is interesting for the next topic…

       Reply
       • JPRail says:

         May 8, 2012 at 11:07 pm

         Hi Takuji san,
         Thank you for your suggestion. It is very interesting, but I still have many things to write.
         Cheers,
         Takeshi / JP Rail

         Reply
5. Roger says:

   May 4, 2012 at 8:26 am

   Hello, we’re planning a trip to Japan from June 2 to June 11. We’re arriving in Hakata via a ferry from Busan, South Korea. We were planning to get the 7 day JR pass in order to hit Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto and then end In Tokyo. Our question is, is it possible to go from Nagasaki to Hiroshima without paying extra fare?

   Reply
   • JPRail says:

     May 4, 2012 at 12:43 pm

     Hi Roger,
     Of course you can. But there is no direct train service from Nagasaki to Hiroshima. Take Ltd Exp Kamome from Nagasaki to Hakata, and then take Shinkansen from Hakata to Hiroshima.
     Cheers,
     Takeshi / JP Rail

     Reply