Upcoming Japan Trip Questions

[TestudoToTetsudo]

So my family finally gets to take our long-delayed trip to Japan in a few weeks.  We'll be staying in hotels in Tokyo (next to Shinagawa) and Kyoto (next to Kyoto Station), we bought our Japan Rail Pass Exchange Orders online, and now I am working on making reservations for the individual trains now.  A few questions for the pros on this forum:

 

1) Has anyone here done the POKEMON WITH YOU Joyful Train?  We were only able to get tickets for the westbound return from Kesennuma to Ichinoseki as the eastbound was already sold out when I got our passes for the only dates we had clear of family events.  Are the eastbound and westbound trips similar in activity level?  Are there activities before departure from Kesennuma?

 

2) I also have a day trip from Kyoto planned to complete the last bits of Shinkansen I am yet to ride, riding to Nagasaki and Kagoshima then returning to Kyoto that evening.  I see there's quite a difference in reserved vs. unreserved seating on the KAMOME, but is there any such difference on the RELAY KAMOME?  And if I take a MIDORI instead from Takeo Onsen to Shin-Tosu, what equipment does that run with?

 

3) How scenic is the Ou line from Omagari to Shinjo?  The other "Shinkansen Day" I need to do to finish the network involves riding Tokyo - Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto-Morioka-Omagari-Shinjo-Tokyo; curious what the ride on the conventional train through the countryside will be like.  Is this portion of the Ou Line also standard gauge/Shinkansen gauge or is it "standard for Japan" gauge?

 

4) How reliable are the indications in the PDF Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen timetable that a train will operate with 500 series, N700S or other particular trainset types?

 

5) Finally, are people still generally masking and not talking on trains, even if formal rules are no longer in effect?  Will my family be looked at weirdly if my kids are talkative on board?

 

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

[Guest]

Can’t speak to 1 to 4.  As for (5) just do what everyone else is doing.  Why stand out?!  Personally, nothing is more annoying than a group of tourists getting in train, first thing they do is flip the seats a round, and never shut up the entire train ride.  For some unfortunate reason I ALWAYS seems to get a seat around those types. 

[TestudoToTetsudo]

I plan to do "what the crowd is doing," but want to know what to expect going in :-).

[Tony Galiani]

On our recent rides - Shinkansen Tokyo - Kyoto and return as well as local trains and buses in Kyoto and subway in Tokyo, people were generally not too talkative.  Trains were generally quiet - even the full, standing room only Shinkansen back to Tokyo after Typhoon Mawar.  There were bunches of student groups over the weekend who were slightly noisier than the general public.

 

Masking was a mixed bag.  We had masks with us but didn't feel pressure to use them as I would estimate that many of the locals (more than 50%) were not using masks.  This was both in trains, buildings and other public spaces.  Most service workers - counter staff, ticket agents, bus drivers, restaurant staff - were wearing masks.

 

The elevator in our hotel has a No Talking sign which everyone obeyed.  We had occasional chats with people in the dining room but generally very low key.

 

Hope this helps.

Ciao,

Tony

[paolo]

2) a week or so ago I went from Shin-Yamaguchi to Nagasaki, with the Relay Kamome. In my case, it was with a 787 series going from Hakata to Takeo Onsen, and with a 783 (Midori/Huis Ten Bosch) the other way around. You could also get a 885 series. What do you mean by 'there's a difference in reserved vs non reserved"? In price you mean? There's always a difference in price there, as reserved is more convenient because you don't have to stand in line on the platform to get better seats. And they usually have a nicer car for reserved. But don't you have the JR Pass? In that case, always book a reserved seat, since it's free. And you get to keep the reserved ticket as souvenir.

The Midori is a 783 series, usually combined with the Huis Ten Bosch.

I have to say, they didn't think about train lovers when they designed those Nishi-Kyushu shinkansen's platforms. They're as hideous as you can think of when it comes to taking video and pictures of trains...

 

4) What PDF are you looking at?

 

5) People are still wearing masks, but it's slowly changing. You can see a few Japanese people without masks now, even on crowded trains. I honestly didn't wear one, as I was traveling alone and kept my mouth shut. But if you're traveling in a group and talk with each other, I think it's better to wear one.

[kuro68000]

If you don't already plan to and have the time, Nara is well worth visiting with the kids. At the park/temple complex they have a lot of wild but very friendly deer. You can buy crackers to feed them, and they have learned to bow to say thank you.

 

I went years ago and it was a good day out. There are often school visits going on too, so expect to have them say hello and maybe ask to write your name and country in their notebooks.

[TestudoToTetsudo]

13 hours ago, paolo said:

2) a week or so ago I went from Shin-Yamaguchi to Nagasaki, with the Relay Kamome. In my case, it was with a 787 series going from Hakata to Takeo Onsen, and with a 783 (Midori/Huis Ten Bosch) the other way around. You could also get a 885 series. What do you mean by 'there's a difference in reserved vs non reserved"? In price you mean? There's always a difference in price there, as reserved is more convenient because you don't have to stand in line on the platform to get better seats. And they usually have a nicer car for reserved. But don't you have the JR Pass? In that case, always book a reserved seat, since it's free. And you get to keep the reserved ticket as souvenir.

The Midori is a 783 series, usually combined with the Huis Ten Bosch.

I have to say, they didn't think about train lovers when they designed those Nishi-Kyushu shinkansen's platforms. They're as hideous as you can think of when it comes to taking video and pictures of trains...

 

4) What PDF are you looking at?

 

5) People are still wearing masks, but it's slowly changing. You can see a few Japanese people without masks now, even on crowded trains. I honestly didn't wear one, as I was traveling alone and kept my mouth shut. But if you're traveling in a group and talk with each other, I think it's better to wear one.

Thanks for the info.

 

Regarding differences in reserved vs. non-reserved, there's quite a difference in seat size and quality on the Kyushu Shinkansen and Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen N700 trains theselves.  Jiyuseki is 3-2 seating while reserved ordinary seats are 2-2 seating...and frankly the same size as Green Car seats on the Tokaido Shinkansen.  I was curious if there was a similar difference in reserved vs. unreserved ordinary seats on the Relay services.

 

Regarding PDF timetables:

https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/info/timetable/_pdf/shinkansen_west_bound2307.pdf

https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/info/timetable/_pdf/shinkansen_east_bound2307.pdf

[TestudoToTetsudo]

So I set up an itinerary for a day where my objectives are to (a) ride a 500-series Shinkansen, (b) finish the Kyushu Shinkansen (still need Shin-Tosu to Kagoshima-Chuo), (c) ride the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, and (d) ride a cumulative amount of mileage during daytime, between breakfast and bedtime, to shock my friends and colleagues back in the USA.  I found that the schedule pieces fell into place well enough to reserve everything since there's no cost to doing so with a Japan Rail Pass, so I did.

 

Not every day will be like this.  This day and two other days of my 2.5-week trip are primary train riding days, the rest is split between sightseeing with the kids (Arashiyama Monkey Park, Universal Japan, Pokemon stuff in Tokyo for my 6yo son, etc.) and visiting relatives and introducing my kids to their Ojiichan's family.

 

Anyways, my itinerary for that day:

 

7:20 - 7:33 Kyoto to Shin-Osaka on Hikari 531 (jiyuseki, likely sit in car 1 to get photos of the end before/after riding)

7:40 - 8:17 Shin-Osaka to Himeji on Kodama 841 (Scheduled 500-series) (jiyuseki, likely sit in car 1 to get photos of the end before/after riding)

8:33 - 10:55 Himeji to Shin-Tosu on Sakura 545 in reserved ordinary car (car 4 right-side window seat)

11:21 - 11:55 Shin-Tosu to Takeo Onsen on Relay Kamome 21, reserved ordinary car (car 2 right-side window seat)`

11:58 - 12:29 Takeo Onsen to Nagasaki on Kamome 21, reserved ordinary car (car 1 right side window seat)

 

Ekiben lunch at Nagasaki Station, check out the totally re-done station

 

13:45 - 14:13 Nagasaki to Takeo Onsen on Kamome 32, reserved ordinary car (car 1 right side window seat, other side this time to stay on the right side)

14:29-15:06 Takeo Onsen to Shin-Tosu on Midori 34, reserved ordinary car (car 1 right side window seat)

15:14 - 16:27 Shin-Tosu to Kagoshima-Chuo on Sakura 555, reserved ordinary car (car 5 right side window seat)

 

Complete the entire Shinkansen Network upon arrival into Kagoshima-Chuo (I will have ridden all non-Kyushu gaps earlier in this trip)

Pick up Ekiben dinner at Kagoshima-Chuo station

 

17:07-21:26 Kagoshima-Chuo to Shin-Osaka on Sakura 570, reserved ordinary car (car 8 right side window seat)

21:36-21:51 Shin-Osaka to Kyoto on Kodama 766 (jiyuseki)

 

Adds up to over 1,100 miles / nearly 1,800 km from 07:20 to 21:51, including 9 layovers and two legs on conventional trains.  Same as going from Washington, DC to Minnesota on trains in the United States in one day, which takes about 30 hours overnight to do here...

 

This should be fun...

[katoftw]

You can probably get home quicker using a regular rapid from Shin-Osaka to Kyoto.

 

Use the saved time to get moving on an earlier rapid to replace your first shinkansen. 7 min transfer is not great for you first transfer.

[TestudoToTetsudo]

1 hour ago, katoftw said:

You can probably get home quicker using a regular rapid from Shin-Osaka to Kyoto.

 

Use the saved time to get moving on an earlier rapid to replace your first shinkansen. 7 min transfer is not great for you first transfer.

Thanks for the advice!

[Kamome]

Just a response to question 2

 

Are your family also into Shinkansen riding? Take plenty for your kids to do. 😂 Certainly the Tokaido-Sanyo gets very busy with business commuters. The Kamome often look empty. 

 

Due to the complications with completing the west Kyushu shinkansen, it’s not very convenient. Relay Kamome 885 or 787 series to Takeo Onsen  from Hakata, then a 24 minute ride on the N700s Kamome to Nagasaki. It’s a nice picturesque city but if it’s just the ride you want to do, may not be worth the time from Kyoto. Likewise with Kagoshima, nothing to see unless again you’re just wanting to tick a box that you’ve ridden an 800 or N700-8000.

 

The Midori 783 is a product of the 1980s and looks like it. The Huis Ten Bosch version has been improved inside from the standard ones used on the Miyazaki Airport Express. They have a good sized front windscreen to look out of which is the main advantage. 

 

The Kodama 842 Hakata to Osaka (7:04-11:25) and 849 Osaka to Hakata (11:37-15:51)are the Hello Kitty 500 services if you want to ride in the vomit inducing pink and purpleness. It starts again from June 8th with occasional Tuesday and Wednesday with no service. 

 

As @paolo commented, Nagasaki station is a product of bare concrete and glass. 🥱 

 

 

Have a great time anyway. USJ now has a Pokémon parade so should a keep your son happy if Shinkansen’s don’t. 

[chadbag]

On 6/9/2023 at 4:54 PM, TestudoToTetsudo said:

2) I also have a day trip from Kyoto planned to complete the last bits of Shinkansen I am yet to ride, riding to Nagasaki and Kagoshima then returning to Kyoto that evening.  I see there's quite a difference in reserved vs. unreserved seating on the KAMOME, but is there any such difference on the RELAY KAMOME?  And if I take a MIDORI instead from Takeo Onsen to Shin-Tosu, what equipment does that run with?

My understanding is that the Relay Kamome and the Midori are the same. I was confused by this when making our reservations but when I was actually riding there was only the one train and it waited for the Shinkansen to arrive.  That was how it appeared.  If there are indeed two trains at about the same time, the RELAY waits for the Shinkansen and won't go without it so any delays would be taken care of for you.

 

[TestudoToTetsudo]

Thanks!

[TestudoToTetsudo]

Still curious about the Pokemon train from Ichinoseki to Kesennuma...since the train is all-reserved and we were only able to get seats on the return trip back to Ichinoseki, will we miss a lot of the experience?  Or are the outbound and inbound trips similar from an activities perspective?  Any chance of being able to get my son one of the stamp activity guides at the Ichinoseki or Kesennuma stations with only a ticket for the return?

[Gunzel]

Hi, only just saw this. We did this trip westbound only back in March. Seemed to be the full set of activities available, I suspect but don’t know for sure it works the same way in each direction. Play time in the Pokémon car is assigned after departure. We all got a little pack including a special stamp sheet, and there were extended stops at each station so everyone could jump off and get the special stamps. I doubt you could get the souvenir pack without travelling. There were no activities before departure at Kesennuma. 
 

Edit:,And I just realised reading your other thread I am a bit too late. Glad you had a good time. 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Gunzel
Updated from other thread.