Manisha

Thanks so much for your continued help!

Trying to go from Tokyo to Hakone on to Kyoto and then back to Hakone. I am trying to figure out the various options by train and have a question:

Anybody know of any good websites that can tell me how long different trains take and how much they cost? I have found www.hyperidia.com by searching forum posts but it only seems to be giving Shinkansen options. Also, I have scoured the websites of JR Pass and JR Central Pass but have had no luck finding what I want -> a convenient way to figure out what the different options are for travelling between these cities, how long each option takes and how much it costs.

In lieu of the website, would any of you happen to know what the different options are, app. how much time they take and the $?

Thanks again!

Manisha

OOPS - that should read "Trying to go from Tokyo to Hakone on to Kyoto and then back to TOKYO" not Hakone.

Our itinerary is:
Tokyo -> Hakone -> Kyoto -> Tokyo

Thanks!

mrwunrfl

Your options for travel between Kyoto and Tokyo are: Hikari shinkansen or Nozomi shinkansen. Your options from Hakone (actually from Odawara) to Kyoto are: Hikari shinkansen or Kodama shinkansen with a change to a Hikari shinkansen at Nagoya.

From Tokyo to Hakone you have a few more options. The JR options are the shinkansen but there are also local trains to Odawara from different points in Tokyo. There is also the Odakyu Rail company's train from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto. If you took the JR train to Odawara you could then connect to the Odakyu train to Hakone Yumoto or I think you can take a bus. For travel around the national park, you can get a Hakone Free Pass or similar that is offered by Odakyu.

The only JR pass that is applicable for your trip is the all-Japan 7-day JR Pass. The regional passes (JR East, Sanyo Area Pass, etc.) are not applicable because you would be traveling between JR regions. But if you leave Tokyo for Hakone on day 1 then you would have to return to Tokyo from Kyoto on/before day 7 for the pass to be worthwhile.

mrwunrfl

hyperdia was the right place. A trip like yours between Tokyo to Kyoto is what the shinkansen was built for: fast travel between major urban centers. It takes less than 2.5 hours. It costs about 13,500 yen each way.

You could take local and limited express trains but it would take 8 hours or more and 4 or 5 train transfers. If you are on a very low budget then there might be a pass that is applicable to this kind of trip.

Manisha

Thanks again mrwunrfl!

martas

I understand the usual train trip from Tokyo to Kyoto is about 2.5 hours. Is it possible to stop for lunch in Hakone en route to Kyoto? How long would this take? Also, how much would this cost? I can't seem to find a site that has schedules!

I have similar questions for Kyoto to Osaka with a stop in Nara.

Thanks in advance.

martas

Also, if we don't stop in Hakone, can you see Mt. Fuji from the train on the way to Kyoto?
Thanks again.

emd

I would not stop for lunch in Hakone on the way to Kyoto. It is not a "stop for lunch" kind of place. It is a place for a day trip or overnight. The attractions are not going to jump out at you by stopping for lunch. And you will not have a lot of scenery close to the train stations where you'd be stopping. If you are going to skip a day trip or overnight in Hakone, I'd just skip it.

On a clear day, you can see Fuji from the train on the way to Kyoto; it will be out of the right side windows, so try to sit on that side. Actually, you can see Fuji from the train better than you can see it from most of Hakone. Hakone is very mountainous and you can't just look out and see Fuji from whereever you are, even if you are high up; it is obscured in most places. I know that on a clear day you can see Fuji from the far side of Lake Ashi, and from some other vatage points within Hakone, but not from just anywhere.

martas

Thanks for your help. Any websites with schedules?

emd

train schedules are available at hyperdia.com

http://www.hyperdia.com/

Also, in a trip reoprt I did re a March 2005 trip to Japan, I put in the report what the letters are for the seats on the side of the shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo where you should sit to get the best view of Fuki. I will look it up and see what the letters are of those seats so you can reserve that side of the train if possible for your shin. ride.

emd

Here is th eline from my prior report on which seats get you on the side of the shinknsen to see Fuji right out your side:

If you want to see Fuji then get reservations in seats w/ “D” or “E” on both the way to Kyoto and way back to Tokyo.

martas

Thanks so much.