Michael Lambe

Hi there, Yes, you can use the Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass for Limited Express trains (like the Super Hakuto) on that route with no supplementary fee required. Here is a map with a list of valid train routes: https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai_hiroshima/#routes Best wishes, Michael

Hi there, The JR Pass is your cheapest option for that rail journey, but you cannot use the JR Pass on Nozomi and Mizuho shinkansen services, so you should work out a route that does not include those services. There are other shinkansen services you can use with the JR Pass for that journey, they just take a little longer. If you don't have a JR Pass, there is always a seating fare, but it is cheaper if you have non-reserved seats. However, not all shinkansen services have non-reserved seats. On the Hayabusa service between Tokyo and Shin-Hakodate there is no non-reserved seating, so you have to pay for reserved seating for that part of your journey. However, if you have a JR Pass reserved seating is covered so it won't cost you any extra to reserve a seat on any of those trains. If you exclude the Nozomi & Mizuho services then the journey between Hakata and Tokyo is going to cost you 21,810 yen without reserved seating and 22,130 yen with reserved seating. Traveling between Tokyo and Sapporo will then cost you 26,620 yen. So it would be at least 48.430 yen one way if you didn't have a rail pass. I'm attaching a couple of screen shots that show first what trains you can use between Hakata and Tokyo, and then the fare between Tokyo and Sapporo. Best wishes, Michael

Hello there, If you want to travel to those 3 locations from Kyoto Station then the easiest way is to just use the JR network. A Japan Rail Pass or a Kansai Area Pass will cover all of those journeys. You can use the Japan Rail Pass on JR trains across Japan. The Kansai Area Pass is just for western Japan so it is a lot cheaper. Here are some links with information about those: https://www.japanstation.com/japan-rail-pass-discounted-travel-on-japan-railways/ https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai/ Now about trains... To get to Fushimi Inari you should use the JR Nara Line. This departs from platforms 8, 9 & 10 at Kyoto Station and takes about 5 minutes to get to JR Inari Station (which is right in front of the shrine. For more detailed information check here: https://www.kyotostation.com/jr-nara-line-for-tofukuji-inari-uji-nara/ To get to Arashiyama you should use the JR Sagano Line. This departs from platforms 31, 32 and 33 at Kyoto Station and takes about 17 minutes to get to JR Saga-Arashiyama Station. For more information check here: https://www.kyotostation.com/jr-sagano-line-for-nijo-uzumasa-saga-arashiyama/ To get to Osaka I recommend using the Special Rapid service on the JR Kyoto Line. The Special Rapid Train departs from platforms 4 and 5 at Kyoto Station and takes about 28 minutes to get to Osaka Station. For more information check here: https://www.kyotostation.com/jr-kyoto-line-for-osaka-sannomiya-himeji/ I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hello again, Yes, to reserve a seat with the Japan Rail Pass you will need to go to the ticket office. If you don't need a reserved seat, you can just use the pass as your ticket. In your schedule however, you have written both the Japan Rail Pass and the 5-day Kansai WIDE Area Pass. These are two different things. The Japan Rail Pass covers reserved seats. The 5-day pass does not. You can only use the 5-day pass for unreserved seats on the Limited Express. Best wishes, Michael

Hello Gaelle, There is space in the baggage room for more than 26 suitcases but there is no guarantee that they will still have that space available for you when you arrive. Unfortunately, you can't book space in advance. If you are staying at a hotel then you could try asking them if they can hold your baggage for you. It is also possible to send baggage directly to hotels: http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/tourist/hotel/ I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hi there, There are quite a lot of questions there so let me take the main points one by one: About the Haruka: *All Limited Express services (including seat reservations) are covered by the Japan Rail Pass. The Haruka is a Limited Express service so it is fully covered if you have a Japan Rail Pass. Normally it costs 2,850 yen to get to Kyoto on this train, but with a Japan Rail Pass – no charge! *You do not have to buy an ICOCA card to ride this train. *If you don’t have a Japan Rail Pass (or any other pass) you might want to consider the “ICOCA & HARUKA” discount set. You buy a prepaid ICOCA card and you get a discount on your Haruka ticket. *The “ICOCA & HARUKA” deal costs 500 yen for the ICOCA card + 1,500 yen which goes on to the card (which you can then use for shopping, traveling etc) + 1,600 yen for your Haruka ticket. Altogether it costs 3,600 yen. * You can find information on the “ICOCA & HAUKA” discount set here: https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/icoca-haruka/ The 500 yen for the card is listed as a “deposit” but you don’t get that back so it is really a fee. About your trip from Kinosaki Onsen to Osaka: * The fare you quote is correct if you change at Kyoto, but it is possible to travel directly to Osaka without changing and pay just 5,080 yen. You can use the JR Timetable and Fare Finder to work out the best route: https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/timetable/ About your trip from Osaka to Kansai Airport: * The Limited Express Haruka does not pass through Osaka Station. You can catch it from Shin-Osaka Station or from Tennoji Station. From Shin-Osaka the fare is 2,330 yen, and from Tennoji the fare is 1,710 yen. For all your travel options between Osaka and Kansai Aiport check this article: https://www.osakastation.com/traveling-between-osaka-and-kansai-international-airport/ About your “fare + seat” question: I’m not sure where you saw this, but I think this means the base fare plus a surplus charge for a reserved seat? However, seat reservations are free if you have a Japan Rail Pass. About the 5-day Kansai WIDE Area Pass: This will cover unreserved seats on Limited Express trains to the locations on your itinerary. You can see a route map of the area covered and a list of Limited Express services that are covered by the Kansai Wide Pass here: http://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai_wide/#routes The Japan Rail Pass Calculator will help you to decide if the Japan Rail Pass is the best deal for your journey: https://www.japanstation.com/japan-rail-pass-value-calculator/ I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hello there, It is a little complicated. The major prepaid IC cards are interchangeable. This means you can use any of the prepaid cards inside the areas that are covered by one of the prepaid cards. So for example you can buy a Suica card in eastern Japan and use it inside the area of western Japan covered by the Icoca card. And you can buy an Icoca card in western Japan and use it inside the area of eastern Japan covered by the Suica card. However you cannot use the cards to travel between these areas. So it is not possible to travel from Tokyo to Osaka or from Osaka to Nagoya using a prepaid card. This map is in Japanese, but it clearly shows the areas covered by the prepaid cards colored yellow: https://www.jr-odekake.net/icoca/area/ You can see there are gaps between these areas. Unfortunately you can't use your prepaid card to travel between these gaps. However, you can use an Icoca card (or a Suica card) to travel between cities inside the Icoca area. So you can use a prepaid card to travel between Osaka and Kyoto because these cities are within the area covered by the Icoca card. Fukui is not covered by the prepaid card system at all so you cannot use a prepaid card to travel to Fukui or inside Fukui. You should also know that you cannot use any prepaid cards for the shinkansen bullet train. For more information please check these websites: http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/suica.html https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/howto/ticket_03.html http://www.pasmo.co.jp/en/ I hope that helps. Best wishes, Michael

Hello again, Yes, you can buy those tickets from Shichijo Station. The station will be staffed from the time of the first train until the last train at night. I think the Kurama/Kibune ticket is a good deal. You can find out more here: http://www.keihan.co.jp/travel/en/index.html Best wishes, Michael

P.S. This is the timetable for the bus from Kyoto Station: http://www.arukumachikyoto.jp/timetable.php?name=京都駅前(京都バス)&rosen=203003&dest=八瀬駅前(京都バス)&date=&lang=en

Hello there, To answer your questions: 1. The Kyoto Sightseeing One or Two Day passes　do cover Kyoto Bus (red and cream) trips to Ohara. Usually "Kyoto Bus" is red and cream and "Kyoto City Bus" is green. 2. You can use these passes to get to Yase village (it is on the way to Ohara). From there you need to take a cable car and then a ropeway to the top of Mount Hiei but the cable car is not covered by the pass. The prices for these are as follows: Eizan Cable Car: Adults: 540 yen, children: 270 yen Eizan Ropeway: Adults: 310 yen, children: 160 yen 3. Kyoto Bus #17 bound for Ohara (red and cream) goes to Yase Ekimae bus stop from there it is a 2 minute walk to the cable car for Mount Hiei. The bus journey should take about 50 minutes depending on traffic. The normal fare is 390 yen. 4. An alternative to taking the bus is traveling on the Keihan and Eiden railways to Yase and then taking the cable car and ropeway. This route may be easier if you are staying near a Keihan line station. There are discount tickets available for this route: http://www.keihan.co.jp/traffic/valueticket/global/en/pdf/hiei-hieizan1dayticket-2016.pdf This ticket includes price of entry to the Enryakuji temple on Mount Hiei: http://www.keihan.co.jp/traffic/valueticket/global/en/pdf/hiei-hieizanoudanticket-2016.pdf 5. An Ohara/Yase One Day ticket is also available from Keihan which covers both Keihan & Eiden railways and Kyoto Bus trips to Ohara: https://www.keihan.co.jp/en/recommend/ohara-yase1day.html I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hi there, This is the number for Lost & Found at Kyoto Station: 075-361-4601 I think they probably don't speak English, so if you are not confident about speaking Japanese on the phone, you may want to ask someone to make the call for you. Good luck and I hope you get your property back! Michael

Hi there, There is a luggage delivery company called Carry Service at Kyoto Station, but they only send luggage to hotels inside Kyoto. To send your luggage to Nara, you would be better off using the Yamato Transport Company, which can do same day deliveries: http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/hands-freetravel/index.html You can find their offices in Kyoto on this page: http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/hands-freetravel/kinki/index.html#kyoto_wrap It is also possible to send luggage directly on from your hotel or from the airport: http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/tourist/hotel/ http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/tourist/airport/ I hope this helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hi Stacey, Yes, you can use the pass the travel between cities, but you have to use one of the participating private rail companies such as Kintetsu, Keihan or Hankyu. Please remember that you cannot use this pass on JR Trains. You can get a full list of participating companies here: http://www.surutto.com/tickets/kansai_thru_english.html You can buy the Kansai Thru Pass at the Kyoto City Bus Information Center which is right outside the north exit of Kyoto Station. You can see a list of places where you can buy the pass here: http://www.surutto.com/tickets/kansai_thru_english02.html It is also possible to buy the pass online: http://www.surutto.com/tickets/kansai_thru_english03.html If you want to travel from Kyoto to Nara you can use the Kintetsu rail line from Kyoto Station. However, if you want to travel from Kyoto to Osaka, you would be better off traveling on either the Hankyu or Keihan lines, and these don't connect with Kyoto Station. To catch a Hankyu train for Osaka you need to go into the center of Kyoto and travel from Karasuma Station (you can use the subway from Kyoto Station to get there). The nearest Keihan station to Kyoto Station is at Shichijo Station which is about 20 minutes' walk away. Here is a handy map of all the railway lines in Kyoto: http://www.jrpass.com/images/map/map_kyoto_metro.pdf And here are our guides to the private rail lines. Kintetsu:https://www.kyotostation.com/kintetsu-kyoto-line-for-nara/ Keihan:https://www.kyotostation.com/the-keihan-main-line-keihan-electric-railway/ Hankyu:https://www.kyotostation.com/the-hankyu-kyoto-main-line-for-katsura-arashiyama-osaka-kobe/ I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hi there, Shin-Osaka Station has plenty of coin lockers but if they aren't big enough for your luggage, you can use the Baggage Room. This is located just outside the 1st floor exit and close by the airport limousine bus stop. The Baggage Room is open from 9.00 to 20.00, so you need to be sure that you can collect your luggage within those hours. The fee for one item of luggage is 420 yen per day. You can leave luggage there for up to 15 days, but after 5 days the daily fee is doubled. Also please be aware that this service is not available for valuable or dangerous items. This is the number for inquiries but they only speak Japanese: 06-6302-4538. You can check our general guide to Shin-Osaka Station's layout here: https://www.osakastation.com/shin-osaka-station-facilities-transfers/ I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hello there, I just checked my coin locker guide for Osaka Station. Lockers are available to use between the first train's departure time in the morning and the last train's departure time at night. Outside of this time they are shuttered, so I think you won't be able to use them at 4 am. However, if you are staying at a hotel, you may be able to leave your luggage with the reception desk before your check in time. Another alternative is to send your luggage directly to your hotel from the airport: http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/tourist/airport/ I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hi there, The ICOCA card issued by JR West can be used to travel between cities in the Kansai region, so you can use it on JR lines between Osaka and Kyoto. It can also be used for Keihan and Hankyu lines, but you can't use it for the shinkansen. For more information please check the official JR West page: https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/howto/ticket_03.html#fqtop Best wishes, Michael

Hello there, There is a 3 day limit for using a locker. If you go over the limit, your belongings will be taken away and put into storage. If you want to store your luggage for longer than that, you can use the Baggage Room in Kyoto Station. They will take luggage for up to 15 days for a charge of 840 yen per item. There are some restrictions on what they will take however, depending on size, weight and contents. You should check these at the Baggage Room's website: http://carry-s.com/wp/?page_id=74 At the Baggage Room in Kyoto Station they also have a service for sending luggage to hotels in Kyoto. You can check the prices and other details here: http://carry-s.com/?page_id=71 To send luggage to hotels in other parts of Japan, you can use Yamato Transport's TA-Q-BIN service. Very often you can send items directly from one hotel to another, so you should ask at your current hotel's front desk if this is possible. As I don't know the size of your luggage, or the distance you would send it, I can't really tell you how much it might cost, but you can find out more about this service here: http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/tourist/hotel/ There is also some information on rates here: http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/send/ta_q_bin/ I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hi Vincent, The price for a one-way bus ticket between Shin-Hakodate and Sapporo is 4,810 yen and for a return ticket it is 8,580. The bus leaves Shin-Hakodate at 24.20 and arrives at Sapporo at 5.35. You can buy tickets directly at the Tourist Information Center at ShinHakodate-Hokuto Station but this is only open from 9am - 19.00pm. Online bookings can be made on the Bus Plaza website (which is run by Nippon Travel Agency): http://bus.nta.co.jp/ However, as this site is in Japanese, I would write or call directly to the Nippon Travel Agency and ask them to book it for you:http://www.ntainbound.com/agent/about_us/contact-us/ Good luck! Michael

Hi Bernie, Your luggage should be fine, but there are no reservations on the Keihan lines. However, as Yodoyabashi is the first station on the line, if you get there a few minutes early you shouldn't have too much trouble getting a seat. Best wishes, Michael

Hello again, If you fill out this form with your details then the Kyoto Station service should be able to give you an estimate. http://carry-s.com/wp/?page_id=29 I think they used automatic translation for the form, so in case it isn't clear, * A foreigner is blank = You can leave this space blank * Use time = The day & time you want to use the service * Use number = The number of people * Lodging name = This place you are staying I would put full details of your inquiry into the final box. Good luck! Best wishes, Michael

Hello Kat, If it is busy and you have a lot of luggage, then you might have to stand all the way on the Special Rapid Train. If you plan to return to Kyoto, then you could leave your luggage at Kyoto Station (http://www.kyotostation.com/kyoto-station-lockers-luggage-storage/). There are plenty of lockers at Osaka Station, but if your luggage is too big then you can use the Baggage Room. The charge per item is 700 yen per day. The Baggage Room is open from 10am-7pm but closes at exactly 7pm so if you are a minute late, you can't pick it up till the following day, and you will have to pay an extra day's fee. You can find the Baggage Room on this map. It is behind Nippon Travel Agency on the north side of the 1st floor central concourse: http://osakastationcity.com/en/pdf/st1f_en.pdf It is also possible to send luggage ahead of you. At the Baggage Room in Kyoto Station (http://carry-s.com/wp/?page_id=76) there is a service for sending luggage on to your next hotel. if you plan to head to the airport after visiting Universal Studios, you can send your luggage ahead of you using Yamato Transport Co.: http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/personal/airport/ I hope that helps! Best wishes, Michael

Hi there, The Raku Bus is basically a Kyoto City Bus service that is targeted at tourists, so yes the One Day Bus Pass can be used for the Raku Bus. However the One Day Bus Pass does not cover the subway. For that you need a Sightseeing Pass which covers both buses and the subway. Please check the variety of passes available at the link: http://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/koho/eng/access/transport.html#cvcrd Best wishes, Michael

Hi Judy, The Raku buses operate every day. Here's some general info on the Raku buses: Raku Bus 100 departs from Kyoto Station every 10 minutes between 7:40 and 17:00. It follows the following route: Kyoto Station – National Museum & Sanjusangendo Temple – Kiyomizudera Temple – Gion – Heian-jingu Shrine – Ginkakuji Temple Raku Bus 101 departs from Kyoto Station every 15 minutes between 8:00 and 16.30. It follows the following route: Kyoto Station – Nijo-jo Castle – Kitano Tenmangu Shrine – Kinkakuji Temple – Daitokuji Temple – Kitaoji Bus Terminal Raku Bus 102 departs from the Ginkakuji-michi Bus Stop every 30 minutes between 8:04 and 16:34. It follows the following route: Ginkakuji Temple – Kyoto Imperial Palace – Kitano Tenmangu Shrine – Kinkakuji Temple – Daitokuji Temple – Kitaoji Bus Terminal And here's a handy PDF map of their routes: http://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kotsu/cmsfiles/contents/0000009/9141/2015_03_rakubus_B2_150311.pdf Best wishes, Michael

Hi there, If you start using the 2-day pass on the Tuesday then it will be valid until the last train or bus service of Wednesday night (even if the last service is after midnight). When you buy it though, you can say that you want to start using the pass from the following day and then start using it on Wednesday. It would then be valid until the last service on Thursday night.

Namba is a great place to stay with lots to do and see and very well connected in terms of transport. Actually Namba has four separate railway stations that will get you pretty much anywhere you need to go. To find your way around the area, use this tourist map from the Osaka Info website: http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/plan/images/minami.pdf To get to Kyoto from Namba, you will need to use the Midosuji Subway Line (http://www.osakastation.com/the-midosuji-subway-line/) from Namba Station, and then transfer at one of three possible stations. If you transfer at Yodoyabashi Station, you can take the Keihan Main line directly into central Kyoto. If you transfer at Umeda Station to nearby Osaka Station you can take a Special Rapid service train to Kyoto Station. Alternatively take the Midosuji Line to Shin Osaka Station and hop on a shinkansen bullet train for Kyoto Station. Use the Jorudan website to plan your journey and check the times: http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/