Hotel Okura Tokyo Bay

Re: train to kyoto

by dru46

It takes 141 minutes from Tokyo to Kyoto. Use the hyperdia site for complete information. There is a few things to note though:

1. The "fare" it mentions is just a regular ticket. You do have to add the seat fare.

2. The seat fare has two options, "reserved" and "unreserved". If you are leaving Tokyo, you don't have to buy a reserved ticket as you can just hop onto any train and still get a seat in the unreserved section. It's better to have a reserved ticket from Kyoto, but by the time you reach Nagoya, you can usually get a seat after a lot of people leave.

3. While you can buy a ticket up to a month in advance (maybe more), you don't have to buy one until you leave. If you are unsure of what time you want to go, or what day you want to leave, just wait until you get to the station.

4. If you buy a shinkansen ticket, the ticket is valid from central Tokyo to your final destination. If you buy the ticket from Kyoto, it will get you anywhere in central Tokyo. For example, if your hotel is in Shinbashi, you can buy the ticket there and go all the way to Kyoto for the same fare. Same in reverse. You can go from Kyoto Station to Shinbashi Station for the same fare as going to Tokyo Station.


Also, a round trip to Kyoto is generally not worth the JR Pass fare. If you do go somewhere else within those 7 days, it can be worth it. Just being in Tokyo for part of that time probably won't cover the difference.