Michael Lambe

Hi there, This appears to be the nearest Yamato service center to Shinjuku Station: https://www.e-map.ne.jp/p/yamato01/dtl/132310/?&cond21=1&cond22=1&&his=ar,nm It's about a ten minute walk from the station. Here's a map of the location: https://goo.gl/maps/eYibeasRxU82 Alternatively, you could have your luggage sent directly to your hotel. I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hello there, The cost of sending baggage from Kyoto Station to a hotel in Kyoto is 1,000 yen per item. You can find more details here: https://handsfree-japan.com/en/service/carry/ To find the baggage room at Kyoto Station check this article (it's towards the end of the article): https://www.kyotostation.com/kyoto-station-lockers-luggage-storage/ I hope that helps. Best wishes, Michael

Hello there, Yes, you are right that the 区 designates a station that is a destination or starting point within the 23 special wards of Tokyo. The 山 designates any station within the Yamanote Line area (東京山手線内). Of course Tokyo Station is also on the Yamanote Line as well as on the Chuo Line. However, there are also Chuo Line stations that are not on the Yamanote Line itself, but because they are within the Yamanote loop they are also included in this area. I hope that helps. Very best wishes, Michael

Hello there, You can actually leave your luggage at the Kyoto Station baggage room for up to 15 days. Here is the information on their official website: http://carry-s.com/wp/?page_id=74 For a guide to finding the baggage room check our article: https://www.kyotostation.com/kyoto-station-lockers-luggage-storage/ I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Yes, that's right (though your diagrams indicate the opposite). The train bound for Osaka/Kyobashi joins the Osaka Loop Line at Tennoji then continues on to Osaka Station before terminating at Kyobashi. The train bound for the Osaka Loop Line joins the Osaka Loop Line at Tennoji and then traverses the entire line in a complete loop, stopping at Osaka and Kyobashi on the way, before returning to its final destination at Tennoji. I hope that helps. Best wishes, Michael

Hello there, Thank you for asking as we now need to update that information! The footbath at Keifuku Arashiyama Station now costs 200 yen. If you have a One Day Randen Pass the footbath at Keifuku Arashiyama Station is no longer free, but it will be discounted to 150 yen. The One Day Pass still costs 500 yen. Best wishes and I hope you enjoy your trip, Michael

Hello there, I'm afraid that you cannot send luggage to Kyoto Station Carry Service. Your best option would be to send your luggage directly to your hotel in Kyoto using the Yamato Transport Company mentioned above. You might actually be able to do that directly from your hotel in Kanazawa, as some hotels do include that service. Here are the links for Yamato Transport: http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/hands-freetravel/index.html http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/tourist/hotel/ And here is their office in Kanazawa: http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/hands-freetravel/chubu/index.html#ishikawa_wrap I hope that helps. Best wishes, Michael

Hello there, JR Horyuji is a small station, so it won't have a luggage storage room, but it does have some lockers. There are two large lockers priced at 600 yen each, three medium sized lockers priced at 400 yen each, and 15 small lockers priced at 300 yen each. Attached is an image of the lockers to give you an idea of the size. I hope that helps. Best wishes, Michael

Hi there, Thank you for your questions. There is a "Kyoto City Bus & Kyoto Bus One-Day Pass" which costs 500 yen. I don't know of any similar passes to this, so probably the "one day pass" and "all day pass" you mention are the same. You can find information about this pass here: https://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kotsu/webguide/en/ticket/regular_1day_card_bus.html This pass only covers buses inside the flat fare zone of central Kyoto. If you want to go outside this flat fare zone (if you want to go to Ohara for example) you will have to pay extra. However, the Kyoto Sightseeing Pass covers buses outside the flat fare zone too. That's why it costs a little bit extra. You can find more detailed information at these links: http://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/koho/eng/access/img/pdf/ENG150321(map)0309.pdf http://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/koho/eng/access/img/pdf/ENG150321(omote)0309.pdf I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hello again, I'm afraid you can only pay for the Kyoto sightseeing passes with cash. The age range for children's sightseeing passes is elementary school age (6 -11). Best wishes, Michael

Hello there, I'm afraid you can only pay cash for the Nara One Day Pass. Best wishes, Michael

Hello there, I think it is unlikely that you will be able to do route searches with just the alphanumeric codes. Because the various private rail companies and the JR lines that operate in Tokyo (and the rest of Japan) are not integrated, they wouldn't recognize each other's codes. I don't know what online route finders you have been using, but we generally recommend Hyperdia and Jorudan. For both of these you will need to input the station name. In the case of Hyperdia, after you have typed a few letters the route finder will automatically bring up a list of suggestions from you to choose from, so you rarely need to type out the full name. Hyperdia also allows you to narrow down your search terms to different types of train, JR or private etc... I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hello there, The San-In Line is operated by JR West so it is completely covered by the Japan Rail Pass. However, the Super Hakuto runs along the private Chizu Line for part of its journey and so that train is jointly run by JR West and the Chizu Express Company. This means that the Super Hakuto is not completely covered by the Japan Rail Pass and you would have to pay a supplementary fee of 1,300 yen. Best wishes, Michael

Hi Rachel, You are very welcome! Have a good trip! Best wishes, Michael

Hello Rachel, Sorry about the confusion. I just had a look at the Japanese version of the Blue Symphony website, and they have a schedule on there that isn't on the English website. They have a special schedule in April and unfortunately the Blue Symphony isn't running on April 22nd. Dates available in April are from the 3rd to the 21st, the 24th and 25th, and then the 27th - 30th. If you click on the following link and scroll down the page you can see the calendar for April. http://www.kintetsu.co.jp/senden/blue_symphony/timetable.html The pink dots between the 3rd and 21st mean there is a special timetable during the cherry blossom season. Where the dates are colored blue the train is running normally, and where the dates are white the train isn't running. I hope you can find an alternative date to ride this train! Best wishes, Michael