Tuesday, July 26th 2016
Getting there and around
Tokyo-Okayama-Hiroshima-Okayama-Nara-Kyoto-… Did I tell you how easy it is to move around Japan with this great deal, JR offers foreign travelers?
Every non-Japanese and every non-resident can buy a JR-Pass for a certain period of time (7/14/21 days). Robin and I bought the 21 days pass for 59,350 JPY, which is around 520 EUR. A few days before heading to Japan, we decided to take advantage of the falling prices that the markets provided for some reason. You remember a stupid bunch of blockheads somewhere by the sea, who decided to step out of the EU, don’t you? Yes, that’s right: The markets showed their so-not-amused faces towards London’s Lombard Street due to the BREXIT. So, purchasing the JR Pass in GBP made it a whole a lot cheaper.
So what’s the deal?
It basically doesn’t matter where you want to go, JR covers it all: Honshu’s central, eastern and western region including Tokyo Metro, Shikoku, Kyushu and the northern island, Hokkaido. JR pass holders just board the trains they wish to and get free seat reservations into the bargain that usually cost half the fare if you don’t travel with a JR pass. We found out that we could also use all JR-Lines in the cities, which applies for the Yamanote line that circles Tokyo.
Except for the Rapid Xpress trains like the Mizuho and Nozomi, you can basically ride every train throughout Japan. One thing to plan ahead: You can only purchase your Rail Pass outside Japan, so you have to book it in advance and bring the voucher to a JR-office branch to transform the voucher into a valid JR Pass. This pass is personalized and has your ID-information on it, so every traveler needs its own. I’d suggest to better keep your JR Pass handy as you have to show it E V E R Y T I M E when entering and leaving the platform area as well as inside the train. You don’t need any ticket to insert into a ticket machine, you go to a counter and pass through. Once you’ve lost this little JR pamphlet, you’re screwed and you would have to pay the whole fare for a newly issued pass. I’d suggest buying a breast pocket that you can hang around your neck, so you have your JR pass safe and ready all the time. Might be a little quirky,though… but if you don’t care, this is your hot item if traveling Japan by train!
Don’t forget your Eki-Ben
Before boarding the Shinkansen, don’t forget to treat yourself with a locally inspired Bento Box. This is what basically everybody does on a Shinkansen ride: Eating one’s Eki-Ben.
You’ll be getting those Eki-Ben (=Station Bento) inside the train station or at the platform from which your train is leaving. An average Bento like in the photo above costs around 8 EUR and you can easily chose your Bento Box by pointing at the photos displayed at the Eki-Ben shop.
Rivers and Roads 