Hello there. Hope all is well with you!
At late August, I’m traveling with 4 friends to Japan and we have an itinerary sorted out, however some questions remain if it’s at all doable or even adequate and about methods of traveling so if you could kindly help, it would be very much appreciated.
So first things first:, our itinerary is Tokyo:
Arrival (A) 20aug late night / Departure (D) 23aug morning;
Osaka:
(A) 23aug morning / (D) 26aug morning;
Considering daytrip to Mt. Koya and/or Nara during this time;
Kyoto:
(A) 26aug morning / (D) 29aug morning;
Considering daytrip to Kanazawa during this time;
Takayama:
(A) 29aug morning / (D) 1sept morning back to Tokyo where we stay until the 6th of September.
Considering daytrip to Shirakawago and after we’re on Tokyo to Hakone during this time;
Now, pop quiz time!
a) Is it worth it to buy the JR Pass if we’re doing all these trips and if so, does it cover any of these daytrips?
b) Does the JR Pass mean we have to buy tickets or does it work as a ticket? Asking because I bought an interrail pass and I had to buy some tickets to certain companies when I went through Europe;
c) We’ll be traveling with rather big luggage, as in the 23kg cases (they won’t be that heavy, but it’s so you can picture the size of it). Does that require any special reservation when we’re booking the trips? Do the trains have any space for them?
d) Are we being overly ambitious with our daytrips considering our schedule?
e) Are there any overrated places we should avoid at all? Also are there any places we ABSOLUTELY NEED to go?
f) Any special advice for the trip, like how to spot tourist traps, any areas known for being less safe, language barriers, etc.?
Sorry for the long post but better safe than sorry! And it’s kind of a one time trip so I want to make the most of it.
Thanks in advance and best regards!
by Gonsa17