Hi everyone,
I’m planning a trip to Kansai region at the end of the year and came up with this itinerary:
26/12: Arrive at KIX, spend the day in Namba/Shinsaibashi/Dotonbori. Stay in Osaka
27/12: Cup Noodles Museum Osaka Ikeda, Minoh Falls, Kobe
28/12: Nara day trip
29/12: Rent a car for Biwako day trip, visiting Okishima Island and Shirahige Shrine. Stay in Kyoto
30/12: Rent a car for Ine no Funaya, Amanohashidate and Kayabuki no Sato
31/12: Nishiki Market, Gion, New Year’s Eve at Chion-in and Yasaka Jinja, maybe Heian Jingu if possible
1/1: Kiyomizu dera, Sannenzaka, Kifune Jinja
2/1: Arashiyama (early morning), Kinkakuji, some more temples possibly
3/1: Fushimi Inari Taisha (early morning), Uji, then go back to Osaka in the afternoon for souvenir shopping.
4/1: Depart from KIX.
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I have some questions:
1. I’m planning to buy a 3-day Kansai Thru Pass for 27/12, 28/12, and 3/1. Would it be worth it to buy another one for 31/12, 1/1 and 2/1 as well? Or am I better off buying single tickets?
2. Will the majority of shops in Osaka be opened on 3/1 for souvenir shopping? I’m planning to go to Tokyu Hands, Loft, Daiso, Donki etc.
3. Would it be a big issue driving in winter, eg slippery road, road blockage due to snow?
4. Any suggestions for a better plan?
Thank you in advance 🙂
4 comments
2. Yes most larger shops should open on the 3rd
3. Where you are going there won’t be any snow
Hello. I’m Japanese, and know Osaka and Kyoto well. I wouldn’t recommend you driving a car unless you have already done that in Japan with no problems. It looks like you want to rent a car in Kyoto? Good luck with that. I don’t think there will be any issues weather wise, but I feel like you haven’t realized how complicated and narrow the roads in Kyoto and Osaka are. It’s unlike driving in a large continent such as America or Australia. And how familiar are you with trafic rules in Japan?
> Kansai thru pass
Sounds like a waste of money. KTP costs an average of 1800 yen/day.
* 3/1 should max out at the price of the Keihan one day pass (around 900 yen)
* 28/12 is 1000-1400 round trip depending on where specifically you are staying in Osaka
* 27/12 should also be under 1000 yen
Generally speaking, KTP is only worth it if you are making three day trips to far flung locations which are covered by different operators, such as Koyasan, Hieizan (via Sakamoto route), or Kurama/Kibune/Ohara.
Also, imo minoh falls in winter is only worth it if there is snow, so check before you head out
If you rent a car to go around Biwako be sure to do it clockwise up the western shore from Otsu north and around that way because there’s a super fun one way road after Tsuzura Ozaki observation point where you can really hoon down the mountain if you know what you’re doing. I just took my current partner and scared (and maybe scarred 😅) her blasting down in a little GR Yaris. But also I’ve been to racing school. Only drive what you’re capable of doing, please. You see loads of car clubs and motorcyclists going through there in the nicer months. Could be a bit hairy in late December though…. so please do be careful. It’s a long way down.
Really super fun drive though.
Here’s a video of someone doing it not especially crazy.
https://youtu.be/4KawqWmxnCE