Reco Corner: Japan Rail Trip
Japan is well known for its rail system and you can travel pretty much everywhere in Japan with the rail system. I think we all heard about how efficient the Japanese rail is, well I can give you an example that if the train came 2 minutes behind schedule it would tell you immediately and Google maps can accurately predict your travels down to the minute.
I went on a 2 weeks rail trip from Tokyo to Hiroshima, and here I will share with you that itinerary and some helpful tips.
Before we begin:
Order your JR Pass while you’re outside of Japan. As a tourist you can get a great discount from the JR Pass and ride the JR lines as many times as you want in a certain period. Use their official website, but when I ordered in 2016 you needed to provide a non-Japan shipping address and your passport.
If you choose to store your luggage in the JR Station, please beware some station’s locker automatically lock for the night from 9pm and you can only access it the next morning.
Day 1 - Land in Tokyo
Day 2 – Tokyo
2am - Tsukiji Fish Market
You need to be at the Fish Market BY 2 am or you are not going to be allowed to enter the bidding area. After the auction you can go to get some really great sushi, but you might have to line up for 3-4 hours if you want to.
9am – Yasukuni Shrine
10 am – Koishikawa Korakuen
Tsukiji Fish Market
Day 3 – Yokohama
11 am – JR Tokyo to Yokohama (27 minutes)
12 pm - Kirin Beer Museum
Get free beer tasting after! Also I highly recommend getting Kirin beer flavour cookies, they were amazing.
2 pm – Ramen Museum
4 pm – Minato Mirai
Day 4 – Fuji
10 am – JR YOKOHAMA to Kawaguchiko (4 hrs)
Mt. Fuji
You can also take bus up to 5th Station and hike up to Mont Fuji. The trails open in late June to September. It took me roughly 1.5 hours to go from 5th Station to 7th Station. Midway from 7th Station to 8th Station the slope steepen so beware. There are tons of trekkers that hike up around 5 pm for the sunrise the next day. I didn’t do the trek on this trip but did it on a later date.
富士山
Day 5 – Fuji/ Shizouka
Noon - JR KAWAGUICHIKO to Shizouka (4 hrs)
Mt. Fuji
Shizuoka
Shimizu Port
Kunozan Toshogu
Miho Beach
Day 6 – Kyoto
9 am – JR Shizuoka to Kyoto (1.5 hrs)
Nijo Castle
Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine
Ebisuya, Kyoto Arashiyama
*I went to Okayama this evening for the concert of my childhood idol: Gackt
Day 7 – Kyoto
10:00 am – Dressed up like a Maiko
Kyoto Imperial Palace
In order to go in, you need to make a reservation ahead of time. I never got to go in but it is worth a visit if you plan ahead!
Kiyomizudera
Kinkakuji
Ginkakuji
Higashiyama
Sanjusangendo
*For the detail list of Kyoto, please take a look at my post about Kyoto.
Gion - Kyoto
Day 8 – Kyoto/ Osaka
5 pm – JR Kyoto to Osaka (27 minutes)
Minami
Osaka Castle
Great photo from the outside but very underwhelming on the inside
Sumiyoshi Taisha
Day 9 – Osaka/ Nara
Noon – JR Osaka to Nara (50 minutes)
Todaiji Temple
Nara Park
Day 10 – Osaka/ Kobe/ Himeji
10 am – JR OSAKA to Kobe (24 mins)
Noon – JR Kobe to Himeji (37 mins)
1 pm - Himeji Castle
If you want to see what a real castle looks like from the inside, this is it!
Sake Breweries
姫路
Day 11 – Kobe/ Hiroshima/ Miyajima
9 am – JR Kobe to Hiroshima (100 minutes)
Peace Park
If you get to go the memorial museum, it is definitely worth a visit
1 pm – JR Hiroshima to Miyajimaguchi (30 mins)
Take Ferry Miyajima
Miyajima
A beautiful temple on an island
Hiroshima
Day 12 – Tokyo/ Seoul
Asahi Beer Museum
And the end of my trip