Hi all!
I’m headed to Japan in a little less than 4 weeks from now, and I have most things figured out regarding itinerary and administrative matters. However, there are a couple things I still need clarification about, and some of the questions I do find a little silly but I would appreciate any help as this is the first time we will be travelling Japan using public transportation.
​
**Nikko Passes**
***Background info***: We will be headed to Nikko on 12 Feb, staying the night and leaving back to Tokyo on 13 Feb. Our plan is to arrive at Nikko by lunch time, and we will be coming from Yamagata, on the 5th day of the JR East Tohoku Pass. This means that we won’t be having a round trip from Tokyo, and no more passes to cover our trip from Nikko to Tokyo. On the 12th, we’re planning to just visit Shinkyo bridge and the nearby temples, but on the 13th, we want to visit Akechidaira Observatory (flexible, probably not going if the weather isn’t good), Kegon Falls and exploring Lake Chuzenji a little in the morning to early afternoon.
***Questions***: I have done some research, so I would just like to check if my calculations are correct.
* Nikko World Heritage Pass does not cover the bus trip to Lake Chuzenji, so we’re probably not considering it. Nikko All Area Pass (¥4160) includes the bus trip, but requires ¥1360 (is this amount correct?) as a top up if we’re planning to take limited express train to Tokyo.
* The round trip from Nikko Station to Lake Chuzenji without any passes is ¥2500, which means we should get the Chuzenji Onsen Free Pass for ¥2300, and buy a separate lone ticket for Tokyo (I’m thinking Spacia Kegon #42, departing at 3.54PM) – is this the correct decision? Also confused as to the price of the train ticket: I’ve seen ¥2700 on a website, but ¥1390 on Japan Travel by Navitime.
* As a follow up to the above: can I purchase the train ticket on the day of departure at Tobu Nikko Station, or should I purchase it the day before on 12 Feb? Also, I’ve heard that the traffic from Nikko to Lake Chuzenji could be bad on the weekends. 13 Feb is a Monday – do we still have to account for bad traffic since we do have a train to catch?
​
**Bus to Lake Yamanaka**
***Background info***: We will be in Kawaguchiko from 4 Feb to 6 Feb (2 nights stay). On 5 Feb, I have arranged for Mount Fuji Paranoma Ropeway (flexible as well, depending on weather conditions), and Oshino Hakkai in the early afternoon using the Fujikko-Go (F-Line) bus. We found out that the days during our stay is the perfect time to catch Diamond Fuji, specifically from Nagaike Shinsui Park in Yamanakako at around 4.15PM (do correct me if I’m wrong regarding this as well). Since it’s such a rare chance for us to be near the area for this opportune moment, I do want to see if there’s a way to catch it.
***Questions***: I understand that the Fujikko-Go (F-Line) bus also goes to Yamanakako, which was why I wanted to get there after our visit to Oshino Hakkai. However, after looking at the map and timetables, I got a little confused.
* The bus timetable [here](http://bus-en.fujikyu.co.jp/heritage-tour/detail/id/2/) shows both clockwise and counterclockwise bus schedules for the 2 routes in Yamanakako. Am I right to assume that the clockwise bus will stop at every station on the route shown in the map [here](http://bus-en.fujikyu.co.jp/pdf/heritagetour/routemap_fujikkogo.pdf)? The timetable shows some arrows for clockwise direction, and also only some bus stops, not all, even for the counterclockwise direction. If this is correct, I should be taking the 15:14 bus from Oshino Hakkai to Nagaike Shinsui Park.
* I tried to Google Maps the bus stops, but as I suspected, there’s not much details provided. Since the next Clockwise bus after 4.15PM is past 6PM, I was thinking if we should walk to Bus Stop #138 to board the next bus. We can walk quite a fair bit, so the main issue is the location of this particular stop…
* It was at this point I felt like we should scrap the mini trip to Yamanakako. I took a quick look at the area on Google Maps street view, and it feels like I won’t even be able to recognise a bus stop even if it’s right in front of me. So any advice on this? Is this trip to Yamanaka possible, or should we just skip this altogether?
* And to clarify: can we use IC cards for the Fujikko-Go (F-Line) bus, or is it the same as the sightseeing buses around Kawaguchiko?
​
Lastly, a very small question actually: are there any reasons I should be choosing one type of IC card over another (e.g. SUICA or PASMO)? From my understanding, they’re all pretty much interchangeable.
​
This post is quite lengthy for a non-itinerary post, so many thanks for your time! And any help/advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!!
1 comment
> but requires ¥1360 (is this amount correct?) as a top up if we’re planning to take limited express train to Tokyo.
Yes, you can take an express train by paying an additional express fare.
The express fare from Tobu Nikko Station to Asakusa or Kitasenju Station operated by Tobu Railway is 1,360 yen.
> The round trip from Nikko Station to Lake Chuzenji without any passes is ¥2500, which means we should get the Chuzenji Onsen Free Pass for ¥2300, and buy a separate lone ticket for Tokyo (I’m thinking Spacia Kegon #42, departing at 3.54PM) – is this the correct decision? Also confused as to the price of the train ticket: I’ve seen ¥2700 on a website, but ¥1390 on Japan Travel by Navitime.
The Chuzenji Onsen Free Pass is issued by the bus company and does not include train fare. Therefore, a ticket from Tobu Nikko is required to return to Tokyo. If you use a limited express train, a separate express fare will be charged. The fare from Tobu Nikko to Asakusa/Kitasenju is 1,390 yen. The limited express fare is 1360 yen. If you have charged Suica enough, you can also use it to board the train and purchase only an additional limited express ticket. In this case, the fare will be a few yen cheaper.
>As a follow up to the above: can I purchase the train ticket on the day of departure at Tobu Nikko Station, or should I purchase it the day before on 12 Feb? Also, I’ve heard that the traffic from Nikko to Lake Chuzenji could be bad on the weekends. 13 Feb is a Monday – do we still have to account for bad traffic since we do have a train to catch?
You can purchase them at the station on the day of departure. Tobu Line limited express trains are hardly so crowded that new passengers cannot board at the stops after departure. Also, the roads can be crowded on weekends during the foliage season, but February is off-season, so it would be not crowded. You mention that you are going back to Tokyo, but the limited express from Tobu Nikko stops at Kitasenju or Asakusa, so you need to change trains there to go to Tokyo.