Another Japan Train Trip

[Jensen]

Hi everyone 

 

I would like to say thanks for all your help and information to make my last trip wonderful. 

 

As I needed to go to Hong Kong, so I decided to extend my trip to Japan since I'm in the region.

 

So far the plan is:

Aug 27th - 28th Fly into HND, Tokyo

Aug 29th Shinjuku-Omiya-Niigata-AizuWakamatsu-Koriyama-Morioka-Hachinohe

(Rapid SL Banestsu Monogatari + Fruit Tea Train)

Aug 30th TohokuEmotion??? Need more info!

Aug 31st - Sep 2nd A loop of Hirosaki-Akita-Sendai (Resort Shirakami)

Sep 3rd - 6th Tokyo

Sep 7th- 10th Matsumoto-Alpine Route-Toyama-Kanazawa-Tsuruga-Osaka

Sep 11th- 13th Osaka, flight back to London.

 

Hotel prices in city centre has sky rocketed! Same hotel are more then 50% expensive then I stayed in Osaka during New Year this year, scary inflation.  So decided to stay somewhere less convenient. Tokyo hotel prices has gone up about 30% since 2013, still reasonable considering depreciation of yen!

 

Key Targets

SL Banestsu Monogatari 

Fruit Tea Train 

Omiya Railway Museum

E7 Shinkansen 

EVA 500 series Shinkansen

 

Questions

Will be using several train passes JR East Pass + Hokuriku Pass + Kansai Wide Pass.

Would Fruit Tea Train be fully or partially covered by JR East pass? 

Would Tohoku Emotion be fully or partially covered by JR East pass?

(So I can estimate my trip cost, my last trip shopping got highed then I hoped)

Best seat or carriage on SL Banestsu Monogatari ? is it busy?

Best time to Omiya Railway Museum?

Will EVA 500 series Shinkansen be available before I leave Japan on 13th September?

I am willing to rush for it on the last day, after the trip I have rush back to hotel and rush to the airport!

 

Thanks in advance! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[katoftw]

i would get a full JR 14 day pass considering the 3 rail groups you travel through, and the 17ish days you are in japan.  then start using your pass from day 2.

 

you can exchange the pass the day you arrive, start booking your seats etc.  you elect the date you want it to start.  so you pass can be used from 29th, and last day being the 11th.

 

on when you arrive, pay normally to access tokyo, and the 12th at Osaka will be a pay normal day, cheap if just commuting area city, and pay normally to go to airport on the 13th.

 

Dates for the 500 EVA train have not been confirmed yet.  But I'm sad to say I think you might be a little too early.

 

The dates you are travelling are a peak time I think.  Probably the reason for higher rates.

Edited July 28, 2015 by katoftw

[JR 500系]

Oh wow firstly congrats on yet another trip planned! I always envy how you guys can always go to our favourite land of trains...

 

29th Aug seems pretty tight, one day and around 7 places to go... Seems too tight.

 

I like the SL Ben'etsu Monogatari! Please take some photos please for us!

[Jensen]

Thx Kato 

 

I still considering between JR East Pass + Hokuriku Pass + Kansai Wide Pass and 14 day JR Pass, the latter is 10,000yen more per person. 

So I need to work out a more concrete plan before deciding. The 14 day pass will make life simpler. I won't be travelling on JR Central this time. Will deliberately be going long route from Tokyo to Osaka via Kanazawa for the E7.

 

Would be shame if I missed the 500 EVA, don't think I will get into that region before it get scrapped.

I wasn't happy that I missed the Red Comet Rapi:t. 

 

Would have thought most people are back at school by September, oh well.

 

Thx JR 500

I'm always happy to go on train riding abroad! Just hate commuting on a standing cramp train for an hour! (that's life over here).

29th is the my train day, something I really look forward too. I'm not literally going to all those places.

Shinjuku 06.29-07.11 Omiya 

Omiya 07.26-08.59 Niigata Toki (would be happier if it MAX)

Niigata 09.28-13.33 Aizuwakamatsu SL

Aizuwakamatsu 15.06-16.20 Koriyama

Koriyama 17.02-17.37 Sendai

Sendai 17.54-18.33 Morioka

Morioka - Hachinohe after dinner

 

9+ hour train ride in 1 day!

The thing I'm worried is wherever I there are spaces available for 4. 

 

Deliberately stopping at Morioka for some dinner?

Sure we take many photos, in fact I'm pondering about wherever to get the Canon 750 while I'm in Hong Kong.

I will post then up that night just for you!

[katoftw]

You are right about the passes.  In Aussie Dollars, the 14 day pass is $505.  The 7 day Kansai-Hokuriku pass is $162, and the JR East 5 day flex is $241.

 

I guess you need to decide if you will spend another $102 in travel for the 5 days the passes do not cover travel.

[Kb4iuj]

Have any of you read this book called "Japan by rail" found it at Amazon. Looks to be pretty fair... I haven't dived into but going to use it for referencing trains on the lines since the Tomix catalog and their maps are all in Japanese. Maybe someday Google will create an OCR type program that translates a Japanese map into English or aligns it over their map so as one can see where the heck their at.

 

If any of you guys are ever in Chicago it only cost $10 to ride the "EL" subway all day... Great way to beat the heat. Hotdog Festival is this coming weekend. Who likes wieners & buns?

Edited August 3, 2015 by Kb4iuj

[Jensen]

Hi everyone

 

Sorry for not being here for a while, been extremely busy and lack of sleep until on the plane and got worst once landed in HK and Japan. Hanging on to 5 hour sleep a day!

 

Here is some pics to share with your guys especially JR 500!

 

Will try n keep up posting if I have time!