erickste Posted June 14, 2017 Posted June 14, 2017 Hi guys, I'm planning a trip to Japan and I will be alone for a couple days so I'm trying to plan a step-by-step guide for myself as I fear getting lost in the stations. At one point, I will be leaving Kansai Airport to travel to Tokyo and back. There is a route on Hyperdia indicating I will be leaving via Haruka Limited Express and will be arriving in Kyoto to transfer to the Shinkansen to Tokyo. When I arrive on track 30 in Kyoto station, I have to make it all the way to track 12 for the Shinkansen line...in under 15 minutes?! Is this doable? I have no way of changing transfer times; the train leaves when the train leaves. I'm just very, very nervous with finding my way around the station and getting on the right track in such a short amount of time. I will be having to do the same when I have to travel back to the airport to head home. Can someone relieve me of this travel anxiety?! Quote
Japan Station Posted June 15, 2017 Posted June 15, 2017 15 minutes is more than enough to transfer from Haruka to Shinkansen (platform 30 to 12) as long as you don't stop anywhere along the way. Kyoto Station is not as complex as Tokyo or Shinjuku. There are clear signs at the station. Follow the signs to Shinkansen tracks. You can see the station layout and what the signs look like on this page: https://www.kyotostation.com/kyoto-station-map-finding-your-way/ Alternatively, when reserving your tickets select the next Shinkansen train, Nozomi run every 10-15 min, Hikari (covered by Japan Rails Pass) about every 30 min. Hyperdia shows the fastest route, but you are free to pick a connecting train at a later time when making a reservation. Quote
erickste Posted June 15, 2017 Author Posted June 15, 2017 Okay, so I guess I just have to keep that Hachijo East entrance in mind, really. I think I'll definitely print this map out for safe keeping. And by reserving, do you mean at the ticket machine? Cause I really would like a little bit more time in between my transfer just in case anything goes wrong. 30 minutes would be perfect. I appreciate the help, this eased my worries a little bit! Quote
Japan Station Posted June 15, 2017 Posted June 15, 2017 Do you plan to use a Japan Rail Pass? With a Japan Rail Pass you can make free seat reservations for Haruka and Shinkansen at any JR ticket office, including the one at Kansai Airport. Walk up to a JR ticket counter, show your JR Pass and say that you want to reserve seats on Haruka at a specific time and Hikari Shinkansen at a specific time (30 min after Haruka arrival). If you don't have a JR Pass, the process is the same but you select trains/seats and pay for tickets at the same time. https://www.kyotostation.com/buying-tickets-at-kyoto-station/#shinkansentickets Quote
erickste Posted June 15, 2017 Author Posted June 15, 2017 No, I will not be getting a JR pass as I won't be traveling frequently enough for it. But I'll definitely keep this in mind when buying my ticket to get a good amount of time in between transfers. Thanks a lot! Quote
