Contemplating a trip to Tokyo and Osaka, but unsure about where to go between the two visits? Why not get a JR Hokuriku Arch Pass to appreciate the UNESCO World Heritage gasshou-style (合掌造り) architecture in Toyama? Skip to: gassho, what’s that? First, let’s briefly delineate the Hokuriku area. The three mainstay prefectures are Fukui, Ishikawa, and […]
rail pass
Autumn JR Rail Pass
I’ve written a number of posts about Japanese train travel. Here’s another one, albeit with a more urgent tone: the autumn JR rail pass, or 秋の乗り放題パス (aki no norihoudai pasu). On sale until 18 October, this particular autumn JR rail pass was introduced to coincide with Japan’s “Railroad Day” which takes place on 14 October. […]
JR West Kansai Area Rail Pass
I’ve written a lot about Japanese rail passes, but never about one in the Kansai region, which includes Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara. A short visit last month helped change that– let’s take a look at the JR West Kansai Area Rail Pass. I want to skip the JR backgrounder, and go right to the […]
JR Tokyo Wide Pass
Are you a big fan of Tokyo, but want to get away from the unabashedly urban side of things? Then the JR Tokyo Wide Pass might have your name on it. Might.* Who Can Buy the Pass? Just like the JR Tohoku-South Hokkaido, and the JR East (Tohoku Area), rail passes, this one can only […]
JR Tohoku-South Hokkaido Rail Pass
Ever since my first trip to Tohoku last year, I’ve been yearning to visit more of that northern Japanese region. For a quick refresher on what constitutes the Tohoku region, here’s a map: In addition to including Tohoku, there’s a clear bonus for this rail pass: parts of Hokkaido are included! That’s right, Japan’s big […]
Japan Trip Report: JR East Pass (Tohoku Area)
Although I’ve traveled throughout much of Japan, I embarrassingly didn’t once set foot in the Tohoku region until a few days ago. That’s where the rail pass, the JR East Pass (Tohoku Area), was of tremendous benefit. Firstly, let’s define the Tohoku region (in Japanese, 東北 touhoku, meaning northeastern): The Tohoku region is generally characterized […]
