We plan to spend around 6 days in Osaka during our upcoming trip in July. Years ago we have done a driving holiday from Tokyo to Kyoto and visited a few popular spots in between: Uji, Arashiyama, Nara, Hikone, Lake Biba.
We have not been to Osaka proper and obviously we want to explore the city itself. But I’m also under the impression that 6 days is a lot for Osaka alone. What are some potential places we can visit by train? (We’re also trying to decide of a JR Pass is worth it. We plan to take the Shinkensen to Tokyo but want to travel on the Nozomi line.)
Some thought-starters:
• perhaps one day in Hiroshima and _maybe_ Itsukushima shrine? Is it too much to do both?
• a trip to Himeji Castle? Anything else in that area we should visit?
• is there much to do around Wakayama in July when it’s too hot for hot springs?
• we will be traveling with parents and although they are pretty active, we also don’t want to say, go on a mountain hike with them.
3 comments
* Hiroshima and Miyajima in one day as a day trip is a lot – would be much better to spend a night and cover them over 2 days at a more comfortable pace, especially if your parents are coming too.
* Don’t miss the gardens next to the castle. Not sure about your dates but there’s a Teamlab exhibit opening on July 22 in the art museum. Himeji is a really nice day trip – I would highly recommend it, and a lot of people combine it with an evening in Kobe.
* Never been to Wakayama but there’s an uninhabited island (Tomogashima) that might be interesting to check out.
Other options would be Minoh Falls (again haven’t been so can’t comment on the difficulty), Takedao tunnel hike and Omihachiman or Kurashiki if you’re interested in canal towns.
I just was in Miyajima and doing it both and Hiroshima on the same day could be done, but very rushed.
Getting to Hiroshima station from Osaka is fast (1.5h on a Sakura train) however you then need to go a further 30-40 min on a train to Mijayimaguchi and then take the ferry, they leave every 20min and take around 20min to cross.
With that being said, Miyajima has been the best part of our trip, we couldn’t see Hiroshima because we were there right before the summit, but Mijayima alone was totally worth it.
Also everything closes around 5pm but the shrine at sunset is perfect. I would encourage you to go and return later in the afternoon to Osaka.
Now there is not a Nozomi line, on the Tokaido-Sanyo line there are 3 classes of train, Kodama, Hikari and Nozomi. The only difference between them is that Kodamas stop in every station, Hikari in some of them and Nozomi on the least amount. But the trains are exactly the same. AFAIK Kodamas are even newer because they are the most used.
To decide on the JR pass I would suggest to use a [calculator](https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/), but in reality, unless you go to Tokio and back + Hiroshima and back you probably wouldn’t need it. (The JR pass covers the ferry to Mijayima with JR, but the fare is very small compared to Shinkansens)
JR pass whole Japan area maybe not worth it, but try the Kansai Wide area pass (10000 yen 5 days). JR is promoting this heavily. Buy the combo with Amanohashidate Ine sightseeing pass (for just 10520 yen in total) and visit the area as the round trip alone pays off the pass already, I highly recommended it. Spend the rest 4 days to go wherever you want