Disclaimer: I already have a 90 day short term visa issued.
My return flight is May 7, 2022, and I have to travel from Gifu to Tokyo on April 29, which is the start of Golden Week.
I’ll probably head back to Gifu before eventually flying out on the 7th, so I’m wondering if I should get the JR Pass to start from April 29 to May 5. I’ve never really travelled during Golden Week, so I’m not sure what to expect for how early I should book shinkansen tickets.
Individual tickets are about 11,000 yen each way, so it’s probably going to be worth it to get the 7 day pass for $322 CAD. I’m also considering getting the upgrade to the Green Car version which is $429 CAD, since we’ll have a toddler and stroller. I’m also thinking that the green cars will be less busy?
16 comments
It will be so packed. Good luck with toddler and stroller
I did golden week back in 2016 and it was not hard getting a ticket on the shinkansen for myself and four friends from Osaka to Tokyo on a Sunday morning. We did the JR pass and it was a real bargain over our 10 day trip. We did Osaka to Kyoto and Osaka to Tokyo as well as all the trips around the cities themselves. It’s slightly inconvenient (at least back then) because you can’t scan your pass like you do a regular ticket or card. We had to go to the window on exit every time and sometimes there was a bit of a wait. Overall, I recommend it if you plan to do a fair amount of train travel.
Don’t underestimate Golden Week. Especially the first day. Book it soon as you can. Train platforms are hectic too so just be organized if you have a toddler.
Can you book the seats right now with the JR pass though? I thought it’ll have to be closer to the date.
I’m also flying to Japan and traveling then, best of luck!
Are you sure you can get a JR Pass? Only a tourist visa or a visa exemption both of which aren’t available to anyone right now is applicable for the JR Pass. It sounds like you’re arriving on some sort of spouse visa which won’t allow you to get a JR Pass.
It’s not worth it to get the rail pass if you’re just moving between Gifu and Tokyo. Also, you should be able to get a ticket no problem. Worst case, you get an unreserved ticket and have to stand but it really shouldn’t be that bad.
It will be like Jeep week in Moab meets Sundance on steroids times seven.
So super easy! Enjoy!
The trains definitely fill up during golden week but so long as you can be a bit flexible on the time (i.e. don’t mind taking the 6:34 train instead of the 6:14 train) you’ll be fine – just book it a month in advance when you arrive. The one and only time I’ve not been able to reserve a seat was when I tried to make a same day reservation during Golden Week, so yeah, don’t do what I did – had to stand in the aisle all the way from Tokyo to Kyoto!
What’s golden week?
If you are only going to Gifu, no the JR Pass will not we worth the cost. You need to at least use it for the value of the pass otherwise it’s a waste.
Personally I would not especially go for green car, yes you will have a bit more space, I think that just reserving a seat is more than enough.
Rather than getting a JR Pass, I would check to buy the shinkansen ticket on the Smart-ex app, so you would be able to reserve the ticket in advance and nor risk buying a ticket last minute. And if you are to get the JR Pass, at least pay the extra to buy it direct from JR and be able to book tickets on their app, for me that would make more sense than green car.
​
And question, how did you get a 90 days short term visa issued ? Kind of curious.
By Gifu are you taking Shinkansen from Gifu-Hashima station or from Nagoya station? Either way it’s going to be about break even for JR Pass so it’s depend on how much more JR do you plan to take.
Note that JR Pass is not valid for Nozomi train. If you are using Gifu-Hashima station then it’s going to be Hikari anyway, but from Nagoya you will be missing out on Nozomi.
I’d say to book your Shinkansen as early as possible. Ticket goes on sale 1 month in advance so Apr 29 ticket goes on sale yesterday and May 7 ticket will be on sale from Apr 7.
Shinkansen during golden week is not THAT bad but it’s bad, especially in the morning and evening. Lone travellers are okay but with companions and toddlers I’d advice to buy ticket as soon as possible.
Early morning and late night trains will have plenty of empty seats. Like if it’s before 7 AM, you will have no problem getting a ticket at the station.
we happened to be in japan for a month in 2019 and the last week fell on golden week. we took the shinkansen a few times and were able to book tickets the day of no problem in green. but as always YMMV. we took an early and mid-afternoon train and had no issue
Pretty easy. Just prebook your seats at least 24 hours at the JR office, especially on common routes (ie: Tokyo to Kyoto). I go during GW every year and never have a problem when I do this.
The jr pass can be used on the tokyo metro, but as people have mentioned the trains will be busy. I know green cars although more expensive usually have less people due to the price, and there’s a jr green car pass.
I am currently in japan on a non tourist visa, (visiting wife’s family), and I was able to pick up my jrpass with no problems.
The new system is still a pain for shinkansen, but booking seats is much easier, because you can use the machines.
Golden week, Obon and New Years. I would never want to travel on public transport let alone Shinkansen during those times. Mega effing busy