Hello! This is my second trip to Japan, this time is for a friend’s wedding. I’ve been doing a ton of research (this sub has amazing resources), but the transportation planning is always really confusing to me. I would really love some help.
Day 1 (Sunday) – Arrive at Tokyo Haneda in the evening, take train to Tokyo Station and stay overnight near Tokyo Station
Day 2 (Monday) – Travel to Koyasan:
* early morning train to Shin-Osaka (Shinkansen?)
* Midosuji line subway to Namba, buy Heritage Ticket
* take Nankai Railways from Osaka Namba Station to Gokurakubashi terminal station
* take cable car up mountain
* take the bus into town
* Explore town
* stay overnight in guest house
Day 3 (Tuesday) – Check out of guest house, check in to Temple Stay, explore town
Day 4 (Wednesday) – Travel to Kyoto to meet up with friend:
* Reverse directions from day 2 to get back to Shin-Osaka (what’s the earliest I can leave Koyasan?)
* Train to Kyoto (Shinkansen?)
* Spend time in Kyoto
* Train to Hiroshima with friend (Shinkansen?)
* Buy two 3-day Hiroshima Tourist Pass for transit
* Check in to airbnb
Day 5 (Thursday) – Hiroshima
Day 6 (Friday) – Hiroshima
Day 7 (Saturday) – Hiroshima, wedding!
Day 8 (Sunday) – Hiroshima
Day 9 (Monday) – Travel to Tokyo:
* Take morning train
* Check in to airbnb (not booked yet, still trying to decide)
Day 10 – 15 (Tuesday – Sunday): Tokyo
Day 16 (Monday) – Evening flight home from Tokyo Haneda
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\— Is the 14 day JR Rail Pass the best idea, or would a Suica/Pasmo be better? Using the JR Fare Calculator, it looks like I’d only save 2,400 JPY with the 14 day JR Rail pass.
\— Might it be better to fly from Hiroshima back to Tokyo? I see the flight is cheaper than the Shinkansen and takes half the travel time. That way I could buy the 7 day JR Pass for the first week.
\— If I had Suica/Pasmo, would I still need the Heritage Ticket to get to/from Koyasan from Osaka?
\— Does anyone know if the SoftBank store in Haneda is open? On their website it says “some are temporarily closed”, but there are only two! [https://www.softbank-rental.jp/en/how\_rent/store.php](https://www.softbank-rental.jp/en/how_rent/store.php)
1 comment
**If I had Suica/Pasmo, would I still need the Heritage Ticket to get to/from Koyasan from Osaka?**
NEED ? No, you should be able to do it on the IC card… but the point of getting any discount ticket or pass is to save money.
>*(Example) The Koyasan-World Heritage Ticket with an outward bound Koya Limited Express ticket for a departure from Namba costs ¥3,400, and is a big savings over the regular full adult fare of ¥4,220. Additionally, admission fee discount coupons and souvenir discount coupons are included.*
>
>[https://www.nankaikoya.jp/en/stations/ticket.html](https://www.nankaikoya.jp/en/stations/ticket.html)
Hou can ask yourself the same question about the Hiroshima pass, because you can use your Suica/Pasmo in the tram and bus there too. Yes, it can totally be a good value if you are to use public transport enough time during these 3 days and it also contain a coupon book. But it is also possible that you won’t save anything.