2 Weeks in Japan March 2024. Need some advice on Hiroshima given the JR Pass Price Increase

13 comments

1. Yes, an extra day for Hiroshima/Miyajima is better than USJ.

   Look at the JR west passes, there’s a lot of options and even with price increases they’re worthwhile in many situations. For example, the Kansai Hiroshima pass lasts 5 days and is 17,000y and also includes the ferry and other JR trains in the Osaka/Kyoto area as well.

2. First of all, the Hiroshima/Miyajima detour will not cost 28k per person. The [foreigner tickets are 15000 yen round trip](https://www.klook.com/en-US/activity/79827-jr-sanyo-shinkansen/) Hiroshima <-> Shin-Osaka. You could also do various other rearranging e.g. go to Hiroshima on the train and fly Hiroshima -> Tokyo on a domestic flight, or get the JR West Kansai-Hiroshima pass which is 17000 yen for five days and will also cover other trips e.g. the day to Himeji.

   Kobe is not worth it as a day trip, it is more a city for business than a city for tourism. You can get Kobe beef elsewhere in Kansai, the night view up the ropeway is nice but does not take a whole day (in fact it can be done after a half day at Himeji), if you are from a western country then Kitano Ijinkan is pointless unless you are specifically interested in that part of Japanese history.

   > Sento imperial palace

   Reminder to book tickets well in advance.

   > Mt Yoshino

   Check the cherry blossom forecasts before going, it’s only worth it during peak bloom.

3. i second the vote for hiroshima and miyajima

   $200 usd is a lot. is hiroshima worth it… i would say yes.
   if you NEED $200 more than a unique experience, then no. but, universal studios will probably not be much cheaper

   also, you can get the jr west kansai hiroshima pass. its cheaper than paying the shinkansen from osaka and back. not much but cheaper. (but be aware, the pass is valid for jr travel between kyoto and osaka but not on the shinkansen. it is valid for the shinkansen to hiroshima and in between starting at shin-osaka)

4. I loved every minute of my four week trip except the Hiroshima part (Peace Museum). Of course you don’t know till you go but it’s incredibly depressing. I didn’t even want ice cream after and I eat ice cream like water. That said Miyajima is cool.

   Tokyo neighborhood doesn’t matter. Just stay close to a train station.

5. Hiroshima and Miyajima as a day trip will definitely feel rushed. If you’re fine with leaving it for the next trip I would recommend it, and in future you can visit those along with Okayama/Kurashiki and other parts of western Japan.

   If you’re not seeing any proper castles (Osaka Castle doesn’t count) then definitely recommend Himeji. I like Kobe, I think it’s more interesting and more compact than Yokohama and would recommend it if you want to experience a port city. It’s certainly not a dull business city, but admittedly doesn’t have the top tier must see sights though I think it’ll be a relaxing day in your otherwise busy itinerary

6. Is there any flexibility in your schedule that you could fly from Tokyo to Hiroshima and use Japan Airlines’ Japan Explorer Pass?

   https://www.jal.co.jp/aul/en/world/japan_explorer_pass/lp/

   Looking at current prices would only cost you $120 per person to fly Tokyo to Hiroshima, then head up to Osaka/Kyoto.

   Then it’s ¥10,750 ($72.50) for the Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Shin-Osaka. $190 still but save some travel time.

7. I have just done the bamboo forest and I think there is one near Tokyo which is less crowded, the bamboo forest for Kyoto imo was overrated as was the train.

8. I went in March of this year…saw cherry blossoms in full bloom in Ueno Park on our 2nd to last day there! Did a vlog of it…if interested check my profile for the youtube link…

9. We spent 30 days in Japan and did not buy the rail pass (this was before the price increase). I budgeted it out and it was approximately the same price to buy tickets individually and also much more flexibility. There’s only certain trains that you can take with the rail pass.

   We really loved Hiroshima (incredible food, including two floors dedicated to okonomoyaki vendors — okinomura). And a day trip to miyajima was definitely a highlight. I suggest planning your trip around the tide schedule. Ours perfectly lined up so we saw the floating inari shrine with high tide, went up the mountain and had incredible views, then came back down, ate some food on the main food street and went back to the floating shrine at low tide. Was definitely a highlight.

   I was obsessed with USJ and liked it much more than disneySea. Big Nintendo and Harry Potter fan. And I had never been to a Disney or Universal before, so this was a must for me.

   We did Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe all in a row. They’re very close together and super accessible. You could even stay in Osaka and do the rest as day trips from there. Although, Kyoto is worth a few nights.

   If you do not get the pass, you could easily fly back from Hiroshima to Tokyo for likely a cheaper price than a train ticket. We went all the way down to Fukuoka and found a flight that was half the price of the Shinkansen and ultimately saved us time too.

   Absolute best food experiences we had were Shima steak in Tokyo and Den in Tokyo. Both high end and were big budget items — but it was our honeymoon. All the highly rated okonomoyaki places in Osaka were crazy wait times. I suggest asking a bartender or local where they like to go, that’s what we did and had an incredible authentic experience without the lineup.

10. ID LOVE TI VISIT 🥺

11. I won’t comment on Hiroshima since I didn’t go but if you’re a big Nintendo / Harry Potter fan, USJ was awesome. It is _not_ cheap though. I think I paid about ~250 USD for the day pass and one of the timed entry park passes. Honestly I had a GREAT time. Highly recommend just for Super Nintendo World. I forget the name but the main ride there (not Yoshi’s adventure, that one was mid) was one of the most fun rides I’ve ever been on.

12. Your total trip has insane pass, you will never make it. Make a plan B for when you get too tired.

13. Not much difference either way. Namba will be a little closer for Yoshino and Nara as day trips but you’ll be entering and leaving Osaka via Umeda.