mockkie 0 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Hey all, trying to work out whether to purchase a Jap Rail Pass or not for a week's touring. Not sure which is more economical. any advice or suggestions are most welcome Our itinerary is as follows: Tokyo > Kyoto > Nara (day trip) > Mt Fuji > Tokyo All this over 6/7 nights. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 How much is the Rail Pass? Link to post Share on other sites
mockkie 0 Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 7 day rail pass: 28,300Y for ordinary class 37,800Y for green class http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en003.html Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Prices here If you are going to use Shink, and don't mind the Hikari or Kodama, then go for it! Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 one way between tokyo and Kyoto will set you back about 13 grand on the shink, so after doing the return journey you will almost have paid for the ticket. Tokyo to Mt Fuji will be about 2 or 3 grand each way so you'd be better buying the Ticket IMO Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Yeah, I think the pass is worth it. How are you doing the Nara -> Mt. Fuji -> Tokyo leg of the journey? All in one day or staying somewhere near Mt. Fuji? During the winter time you can't get all that close because many of the roads are closed... very beautiful time of year to check it out from afar. Link to post Share on other sites
mockkie 0 Posted December 10, 2009 Author Share Posted December 10, 2009 Cool thanks all for the tips. BM: we're planning on basing ourselves in Kyoto and just doing a day trip to Nara. But on the return leg to Tokyo stopping for a night at Mt Fuji. When I say "at Mt Fuji" i mean somewhere nearby so we can see as you say from afar. Any suggestions on where the best place is to stop, stay and view Mt Fuji? I've heard/read about Fujigoko? Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Well, Fujigoko (Fuji Five Lakes) is an area that is actually located on the northern side of Mt. Fuji and not accessible by shinkansen. I'm not really sure the best way to get there but you can go to Shin-Fuji station and transfer by bus to Fuji station (a local line). Be careful about the bullet train you take because only Kodama stop there (I believe!) From there you can take the Minobu line around Mt. Fuji to a city called Kofu. It's a rather long~ish train ride so make sure to get the express trains. It's also a very beautiful train ride through the southern alps and something that a lot of tourists never get to see. From Kofu you can make a connection to Kawaguchiko Station. Kawaguchiko is one of the five lakes and it is very close to Mt. Fuji. Probably the best place to stay as it is easily accessible by train. The return leg to Tokyo is easy from Kawaguchiko as there are many express trains to Hachioji station. You may not have enough time to do all that though (it takes about 3.5 hours to get from Fuji station to Kawaguchiko station) and there may be an easier way... I'm not really sure because I live on the southern side of Mt. Fuji (near Izu peninsula) quite close to Fuji city. Do NOT stop in Fuji city. It is a very ugly industrial town (sorry to the folks who live there) and smells of a paper mill. Personally, unless you are stopping in the Izu peninsula area I wouldn't suggest staying on the southern side of Mt. Fuji because it is more developed, train access leaves you quite far from Mt. Fuji and if the weather isn't cooperating you may not even get a chance to see it. I absolutely love this area though so if you have any more questions feel free to ask! I'll help if I can!! Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I just had a quick search through the Hyperdia website and they are recommending to go to Shin-Yokohama station to get to Kawaguchiko. It looks like it'll be a little quicker to go that way. That being said it certainly won't be as pretty. Link to post Share on other sites
mockkie 0 Posted December 11, 2009 Author Share Posted December 11, 2009 Thanks for those tips BM. I'll look into what u've suggested The idea of the trip from Fuji to Kawaguchiko sounds nice, but as you say, we'll have to look at our timings. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 >Kawaguchiko is one of the five lakes and it is very close to Mt. Fuji. Probably the best place to stay as it is easily accessible by train. Thats the way we went. At that time of year in December its really quiet and not that packed at all. We walked towards the lake (making a left outta the station if Im not mistaken) and went about 15-20 mins before we found a place we liked. Even got a nice discount cuz it was off season. Quite beautiful there and will definitely take a trip back some day. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Can also go via Shinjuku and changing at Otsuki I think? Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Another thing about Kawaguchiko, there is a ski hill very close to there called Fuji-ten. It's a pretty small place but can be fun for an afternoon. It also offers fantastic views of Mt. Fuji. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 I don't know how long it'd take, but you could get off the shink at Odawara and ride down to Kozu on the Tokaido line, switch to the Gotemba line and go to Gotemba. You then catch a bus right outside the station that will take you to Kawaguchi-ko. Its also the bus that'll take you to Fuji-kyu Highland, a rollercoaster park right next to Mt Fuji, they have some great roller coasters and the view of Mt Fuji from the top of Fujiyama Ride is awesome! Link to post Share on other sites
mockkie 0 Posted January 12, 2010 Author Share Posted January 12, 2010 Is it worth getting a Green-class ticket or will ordinary suffice? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 green car down to Fujikyu?? or just for the shink? either way I reckon normal is fine Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts