High Speed Trip for High Speed Trains

[LucaZone]

Heading out to Japan for my first visit. This is intended as a whistle stop for a trip I intend to make later in the year. So my main interest is to sample the water, see the sights, get an idea of what to do, then head home again. Worry not that it is very short. I only have a short amount of time to fit it in.

 

Monday 25th

Flight Heathrow to Singapore Changi

 

Tuesday 26th

Flight Singapore Changi to Tokyo Narita

 

Narita Airport to Tokyo Central

Hotel Sotetsu Fresa Inn

 

Wednesday 27th

Shinkansen to Shizuoka >> Hikari Service @ 0903 / Dur.63mins; or Kodama Service @ 0926 / Dur.88mins

Survey Route

Hotel Associa opposite station

Survey Shizuoka Station

 

Thursday 28th

Shinkansen to Tokyo >> Hikari Service @ 0937 / Dur.63mins; or Kodama Service @ 0919 / Dur.88mins

Survey Route

Survey Tokyo Station

 

Tokyo Central to Narita Airport

 

Flight Tokyo Narita to Singapore Changi

 

Friday 29th

Flight Singapore Changi to London Heathrow

[Eisenbahn]

One of the good things about forum members publishing their travel plans is that other members get to learn about new hotels and new places to stay.

 

The Sotetsu Fresna Inn chain of hotels look like good places to stay in handy locations.  Particularly the one(Kyobashi) around the corner from Tokyo Station.

 

The one at Daimon is  easily accessible from Narita Airport  on Keisei trains and the one at Kyobashi by NEX.

 

LukaZone,

 

May I pass on a couple of practical tips? 

1.Before you leave the UK print off a map/station layout of Tokyo Station and watch a couple of youtube videos taken inside the station.

It it easier if you know which exit to head for, to walk to your hotel for the first time.

2. If you are staying at the Sotetsu Hotel  at Tokyo Station, then getting a Suica Card with double NEX when you first arrive at Narita Airport will make things easier. ( I suppose you have done your sums to see if a 7 day JR pass is cheaper overall) If you are staying at the hotel in Daimon then a Keisei train is easier from Narita Airport.

3. I see you have limited time in Tokyo but if you can do just one circuit of the Yamanote loop in the first car just behind the driver you will get a lot of photo opportunities if the driver's rear blind isnt down and if it is, the side windows will give you some good shots.

 

cheers....Eisenbahn

[LucaZone]

Cheers for the tips. Only the flights are booked presently, so I will take your advice into account when booking the rest tomorrow.

 

Thanks again.

[Eisenbahn]

I have had a bit of time to look into the SOTESTU FRESA INN TOKYO KYOBASHI you brought to the attention of  the forum. It appears to be  even better  than I first thought.

As well as being close to Tokyo Station and thus Ginza for all the neon lights and eateries, glitz & glam etc, it is also a 1 minute walk from the A5 exit of Takaracho subway station on the Asakusa line.  The significance of this is that you can get a ( Not JR)  Keisei Ltd Express from Narita Airport , get out at Aoto, walk across the platform into a waiting Asakusa subway train , ride for 21 minutes , then get out at Takaracho Station A5 exit and be 1 minute  on foot from this Hotel. Sometimes Keisei trains from Narita Airport go straight through onto the Asakusa line and continue on to Haneda Airport without the need to change trains. Check www.hyperdia.com for the specific times.

 

This gives an alternative to the JR NEX from Narita Airport and the 10 minute walk from Tokyo Station to the Hotel.

 

This Hotel has two other advantages in that it is priced like a Toyoko Inn and it also has a coin washing machine.

 

I have stayed in 5 different hotels in Tokyo over the years but this one seems to be in a better location and with  a good price.

 

LucaZone, all in all it seems you have brought a very handy hotel to the attention of the forum.

[E6系]

Hello Mr LucaZone,

 

Such a short holiday.  I am surprised you elect to travel so far to Shizouka and stay one night there too.  Please allow me to offer my suggestion.

 

I suggest making Tokyo hotel your base camp.  Leave your luggage there.  Stay close to Tokyo Station.  Take day trip to Shizouka.  Take an earlier service down to Shizuoka and enjoy your day there.  Don't forget to buy your bento breakfast at Tokyo Station before you board the train.  :) This way, you don't waste time with changing hotel.  Return to Tokyo in the evening.  I can recommend many good restaurant near to station, and Ginza is just a 10 minute walk.

 

Next morning either take Yamanote Line plus Ginza Line to Asakusa temple, or take a trip to Akihabara and visit some model rail shops.  Perhaps you can find other interesting things to do on that day, even train spotting at Ochanomizu.

[LucaZone]

Is it essential to book train tickets before heading to Japan?

 

I'm certainly warm to the idea of not splitting the nights between 2 hotels. However I am concerned at the time I'll get at Shizuoka in daylight. Just have to make sure im up at the crack of dawn to get a train from Tokyo.

 

I've been looking up the threads about shop locations around Tokyo, so im certainly game for a bit of shopping! :)

 

Cheers

[bikkuri bahn]

Is it essential to book train tickets before heading to Japan?

 

I'm certainly warm to the idea of not splitting the nights between 2 hotels. However I am concerned at the time I'll get at Shizuoka in daylight. Just have to make sure im up at the crack of dawn to get a train from Tokyo.

 

I've been looking up the threads about shop locations around Tokyo, so im certainly game for a bit of shopping! :)

 

Cheers

 

No, it's not necessary to book before leaving- you will be taking the shinkansen midweek, and it's not a big holiday season, so you will likely be able to get a reserved window seat on day of departure as long as you are not picky about specific trains. I recommend a ~7am departure, that will get you in Shizuoka well before 9am, and somewhere around 7 hours of daylight scouting locations or whatever business you intend.

 

I second the idea from E6 about daytripping Shizuoka- by shinkansen it's not far, and Shizuoka being a provincial city is not the most exciting place in the evening compared to Tokyo, which you can enjoy when you get back at 7pm or so (even squeeze in some shopping before 9pm). If I were you, on the return leg I'd take the local tokaido line to a station in the up direction (for example Mishima) and then catch a shinkansen from there, that way you can sample some JR Tokai 1067mm action.

[LucaZone]

Yeah, after thinking about it, I've decided to take the day trip idea and booked two nights in Tokyo.

 

For travelling the Mainline rather than Shinkansen, is a different ticket required or is a return to Shizuoka sufficient for either?

[Eisenbahn]

LucaZone,

 

1.When I buy Shinkansen tickets, I look up the trip I want on www.hyperdia.com , print it out and take it to the JR ticket office.  Since Hyperdia has the price, you can have the right amount of cash ready to hand over.  Usually you will get a window seat as they will assume you are a tourist.

 

2. When you buy you ticket for Shizouka at Tokyo station, the best place to go is the  particular Ticket Office near the Shinkansen platforms which opens about  6am. It sells tickets for travel on that day. I usually get there just before 6 as there are only a few people in Tokyo Station at that time. ( The 1,000,000 people who will be there that day start to arrive a bit later :) )

 

3. Once you have your ticket, the platform is only a short walk and you can buy a Bento Box (for breakfast) up on the platform for 600-800Yen.

 

4. You have a few choices to get between Narita Airport and Tokyo Station. A simple way is to get a Suica card with double NEX for 5500Yen. This gives trips in and out on the Narita Express plus a touch card for pay as you go access through barrier gates on JR and Subway lines in Tokyo. However since you will be there for three days, a JR East 3 day Kanto area pass for 8000Yen gives you unlimited trips on the Narita Express and the JR network in Tokyo PLUS unlimited numer of Shinkansen trips in the Kanto region ( see map on JR East website for details.)  Perhaps you could squeeze in a Tokyo-Takasaki return on your way  to the airport on the last day or when you come back from Shizuoka. Otherwise you could just shuttle between Tokyo-Omiya on different JR East  Shinkansen trains. You can buy the Kanto Pass at the JR East Office at Narita Airport.

 

The Keisei trains are the cheapest between Narita Airport and the subway near your  hotel , about 1100yen each way.

 

5. Narita airport has good people flows. It usually takes about 45 minutes to clear Customs/Immigration after you get off the plane. The Train Station and the ticket offices are the floor below the arrivals gate down the escalator in Terminal 2, as I remember.

 

6.In Japan it is a good idea to carry cash in  1000Yen notes for purchases through the day rather than Credit Cards etc. You will get a midday meal for 1000Yen and an evening meal for 2500Yen.

 

Trust your trip will go well.

Edited March 8, 2013 by Eisenbahn

[bikkuri bahn]

For travelling the Mainline rather than Shinkansen, is a different ticket required or is a return to Shizuoka sufficient for either?

 In Japan, there are not really "return tickets" in the sense of a unified one fare- essentially they are two one way tickets.  So, when buying a ticket, outbound, you will buy a distance ticket and shinkansen ltd. express ticket (surcharge) to Shizuoka, and the return trip (for example) you will buy a distance ticket (joshaken) from Shizuoka to Tokyo, and also a shinkansen ltd. express ticket from (for example) MIshima to Tokyo.  It's best to diagram your route out on paper, and show it to the ticket window staff when purchasing- say you want to ride "zai-rye-sen" between Shizuoka and Mishima, which means the regular 1067mm services between the two cities.

 

*1. the distance between Shizuoka and MIshima is 59.5km, it takes 59 minutes by local train, and costs 950 yen.There is a departure of a local at 17:00 (train 1464M for Atami), getting you to Mishima at 17:59

*2. continuation: there is a 18:23 departure from Mishima bound for Tokyo (Kodama #668), it arrives in Tokyo at 19:17. Fare total is 3890 yen (distance fare 2210 yen, shinkansen ltd. express surcharge 1680 yen).  So your total cost Shizuoka-Tokyo on the return leg is 4840 yen.