Hi!
Coincidentally booked our first trip to Tokyo the same weekend as the F1 races, but decided we’d only go Sunday (general admission). We are travelling with people who love F1, so this will be worthwhile as we’re only in Japan for ~9 days.
Hoping for any helpful advice concerning transportation.
Planning to purchase the JR Pass since it will pay for itself based on travelling to/from Osaka, but let me know if you think otherwise.
Also planning to purchase the reserved seats on the Kintetsu Railway Limited Express nonstop to Shiroko Station by tomorrow. (Based on local times)
Saturday 9/23
– Bullet train to Osaka
– Overnight in Osaka
Sunday 9/25
– Depart on Kitetsu Railway at 7/8 AM to arrive mid morning
– Wait for the shuttle to Suzuka (20 mins)
Q1: Does anyone have any reference for how long the lines are for the shuttles? I saw someone recount waiting 2 hours.
– Pickup tickets
Q2: I assume they will still have our tickets on Sunday for pickup. Are there any rules that you must pick these up the first day of races?
– F1 races start 14:00 to 16:00
– Head back to Shuttle
Q3: Do we really need to stay until the very last race? Or will doing this cause us to run into long lines for the shuttle?
– Kintetsu Limited Express reservation back to Osaka for 17:00 departure
Q4: Is this too optimistic to reach the shuttle + the train station to make this reservation?
Or would it be safest to book the 18:00 train back to Osaka?
– Overnight Osaka
Monday 9/26
– Day trip Kyoto (if it seems reasonable)
– Bullet train back to Tokyo
If anyone has any other advice or suggestions, I’d love to hear it! Thanks in advance!!
3 comments
I’ll be attending the race as well, also doing Sunday-only from Osaka, although I’ll likely just travel to Nagoya then onward to Suzuka Circuit Ino Station as it takes roughly the same amount of time overall and is only a 20-minute walk from the circuit if shuttles are packed early. The shuttle drops off about halfway between Ino Station and the track entrance from what I’ve seen.
There is only one race on Sunday and it will start at 14:00. A Formula 1 race cannot exceed two hours from the start, and the racing window is rather small, so even if race start is delayed due to weather, it would still likely be over by 17:00, but under normal conditions will be over by 16:00. See last year’s race for an example of how rain delays work.
If you’re planning to leave from Shiroko, give yourself plenty of time to catch the shuttle – the lines will be swamped here, and you’ll need extra time coming from the west end of the circuit (general admission area).
To that point, read up on best places to hang out in general admission. There are many areas it will give access.
If this is your first race, you’re in for a treat. Suzuka is highly regarded as one of the best tracks on the calendar and is usually one of the most highly anticipated races of the year. The fans are highly passionate, and there’s really nothing like seeing an F1 car drive by at top speed.
Check out r/GrandPrixTravel, heaps of tips there
First, for your plan, I would highly recommend Staying in Nagoya instead, it’ll save you a few hours in travel total, and is just as close to Kyoto. You also could stay in Nagoya 1st night and Kyoto 2nd night.
For coming from Osaka, you want to go to Tsu station and take the train to Suzuka-Ino. It’ll be much much quicker than Shiroko station. I recommend taking the Hinotori, it’s a magnificent quick train.
For the return, yeah 1700 is pushing it. I got to Tsu around 1830 last year, which of course was determined by the red flag, but still a likely scenario. My advice is to not book the return train, but just book the next available when you get to Tsu.
Other points-
There are good places to view all around the circuit even with GA, but don’t expect to find a place to sit. The further west you go, the less crowds.
You can pick up the tickets at any point in the weekend, it’s well marked out.
Does anyone know anything about buying merch? I’ve heard it sells out on the Friday