In the picture is my Kyoto bus pass, which you can get in the Tourist Information at the Kyoto JR station.
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Popular Transportation | Miscellaneous Transportation Tips | All Tips (324)
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 | Bus Passes |   |  |
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 |  on August 29, 2004 |
Bus tickets can get pretty expensive if you are sight-seeing cities like Kyoto and you want to take a bus many times, getting from one place to another. So if you`re planning to sight-see the whole day get a bus pass. It really turnes out to be way cheaper and you can switch and take buses as many times as you want, without worrying about the price! In the picture is my Kyoto bus pass, which you can get in the Tourist Information at the Kyoto JR station. |
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| Seat Reservations | | |
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| on August 29, 2004 |
Most of the shinkansens are devided into 2 sections, non-reserved and reserved seat, majority of the train being the reserved seat section. Depending on the time and destination, it might be easy or hard to obtain a seat in a non-reserved section. Sometimes people who did not reserve their seats (additional payment about Y700) have to seat or stand on the floor between the cars. That can be really uncomfortable if the train is crowded and you can get a "buttache". So, if you are not the kind who would like to risk sitting on the floor for the whole ride being stepped on pretty regulary, you better reserve your seat. Seat reservations can be made without additional payment if you have the Japan Rail Pass!!! To make a reservation go to any Travel Service Center or Reservation Office at a JR station-they are very easy to find-show your pass and obtain your reservet-seat ticket before boarding. It`s very easy and you will be sure, that your travel will be comfortable!!!! |
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| JAPAN RAIL PASS | | |
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 |  on April 11, 2004 |
DO NOT ARGUE with me. Buy your voucher in your home country before getting here. Even if you are ot to travel within Japan BUY IT!!!! Japan Rail Pass is the best bargainin the whole galaxy. If you don't use it you just can go around and be proud of how good buyer you are... Tell your grand-sons and grand-daughters that you were the kind of person tha tknew very well what's business alll about. But hey! Give it a try and ride in the shinkasen. Ask for non-smokers car, even if oyu area heavy smoker... You can not be proud of smoking 100 cigarrttes at the same time... |
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| Japan Rail Pass | | |
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| on August 29, 2004 |
In Loving Memory of My Japan Rail Pass 8.8.2004 - 28.8.2004 I love my Japan Rail Pass. I don`t even know how to start describing how much this thing helped me traveling around Japan and how much money it saved me!!! See, I`m a student. That means I do not have much cash. Me and my friends were probably the cheapest tourist Japan has ever seen and will ever see. Yet, I have been all over- I`ve seen Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Nikko, Hiroshima, Sendai, Nagoya, Niigata, Utsonomya, Mt.Fuji, Matsushima, Miyajima...you name it- for the price of my 3 weeks Japan Rail Pass. Taking that a ticket just from Tokyo to Niigata is one-fifth of the price of my pass (rode shinkansen that way twice both ways), I wouldn`t have been able to see anything without my pass, because I would have run out of money after a couple of days!!!! Japan Rail Pass is a blessing, a bargain, a gift the Japanese give you and you should definately look at it closely before you go to Japan. If you plan to travel even a bit in Japan, you should check the train prices before you go, because the pass usually turns out to be way cheaper. It`s very comfortable too- ticket machines and the maps of stations are sometimes hard to figure out if you don`t read Japanese. But if you have the pass you just skip the sometimes complicated procedure and get into the station simply by just showing your pass. Not only it saves money, but time as well!!! |
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| The greatest thing- SHINKANSEN! | | |
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| on September 18, 2004 |
Japan's main island Honshu is covered by a network of high speed train lines-shinkansen- that connect Tokyo with most of the island's major cities and Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu. They are simply awesome!!! I spent tons of time on shinkansens while in Japan, but I really didn`t mind. They are very comfortable, the inside looks like the indise of a plane, and they are very very fast- nowadays they reach speeds of over 300 km/h!!! However, even the Japanese find them expensive!!! They are devided into the normal car section (expensive) and the green car section (freaking expensive). But, if you`re an owner of a Japanese Rail Pass, which is the bargain of your life, you can ride them 24/7!!! However, I would suggest you leave them to see some sights ;). Note- there is no use in getting the green car tickets!!! The normal cars are really comfortable, and the only difference is that the green cars have less seats and are usually very empty!!! I usually saw just a couple of very preppy- looking people there, so if you wanna have some real shinkansen experiances the normal car is the place for you :). |
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| JINRIKISHA | | |
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| on January 30, 2004 |
In old days -not so old considering the thousands years of Japanese History- they would pull the car long distances to take you to inverosimile destinations. It was the begining of the Meiji Era -middle XIX century- and this "taxi" system was used for foreigners coming to Japan to show how a great society can become puritan (no more mixed public baths!!!) or how to deal with internal problems invading and making war to neighboor countries... The name of the vehicle passed to West. Later on karate, geisha, harakiri and fujiyama would follow.... You can have a flavor of JINRIKISHA in major touristic spots... The one pictured here was taken in Yokohama's Chinatown. BTW, Yokohama is not in Aomori-ken . It is in Kanagawa Prefecture. Geographic Auction$!!!! |
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| How to travel by japanese bullet train.. | | |
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 |  on June 27, 2008 |
CENTRAL JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY(click) 1. Go to the major Japan Railway (JR) stations such as Tokyo, Ueno, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Hakata, and more. 2. Then to a JR ticket counter called Midori-no-mado-guchi which can be recognized by a green sign. 3. Purchase the ticket to your destination. You need to pay bullet train express fares in addition to the regular fare for the distance. 4. If you want to reserve your seat, ask at this time. You can do this for a small additional fee. 5. Check the departure time and the number of platform of your train on the display board. 6. Go to the correct JR Shinkansen gate and hand your ticket to the officer or insert your ticket in the automatic gate. 7. When you get to the platform, go to under the number plate of the car indicated on your ticket, if you reserved a seat. 8. If you don't reserve a seat in advance, go under the number plates of self-seating areas called Ji-yu-seki. 9. Line up behind the white line and wait for the train. 10. Get in the train and find your seat. 11. Seat numbers are indicated below the baggage rack above the window. 12. If you didn't reserve a seat and also couldn't find any empty seats, you might have to stand in the hallway or entrance area until someone gets off the train. 13. When the person who sells food, drinks and souvenirs comes near your seat, get her attention and buy whatever you want from the cart. There are ordinary cars and green cars(first class). You need to pay extra to sit in the green cars. Each station offers special boxed meals which are sold on the train. Enjoy Japanese regional food in your seat. The Shinkansen tend to be full,during pick season and sometimes during regular time too so it's highly recommended to reserve your seat |
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| Japan rail pass - a real deal | | |
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 |  on October 22, 2004 |
If you plan to travel around a bit during your stay in Japan, the JAPAN RAIL PASS is THE option for you. You must purchase it abroad ie in your home country, and you then activate it once you are in Japan. There are a number of options to the rail pass, you can get one for 1, 2 or 3 weeks, and choose between green car (first class) or ordinary. We got a 3 week pass, ordinary, which cost us around 55.000 yen, about 450 euro. With the pass we could travel unlimitedly on all JR -Japan Railways- trains which cover almost any area including the bullet trains Shinkansen (exept those called Nozomi, but that didnt matter). You can get seat reservations in advance by presenting your pass at a ticket counter in one of the stations, or you can go for the unreserved cars. Before you go, check out where you can purchase your pass in your own country. To be able to buy it though, you must have the "temporary visitor" status visa (you will if you are touristing) for three months tops, so if you are going to study for a longer time in the country, this is not an option for you. |
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| How To Get to Tokyo From Narita Airport | | |
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| on June 27, 2008 |
If you want to take a TRAIN, the following are options. 1.- Take "JR" (Japan Railways) trains from the underground train stations at Narita airport at Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. JR Narita Express(NEX) trains take you to the Tokyo station in about 50 min. Go to the JR NEX counter in the terminal and reserve your seat. It costs about 3000 yen. 2.- Also, "JR AIRPORT LINER" trains take you to the Tokyo station in 80 min. for 1300 yen. (You don't need to reserve a seat for this one.) 3.-KEISEI RAILWAYSi s another choice. The Keisei Skyliner takes you to the Ueno station in 60 min. for about 2000 yen. Go to the Keisei counter in the underground train terminal and reserve your seats. Also, Keisei limited express trains take you to the Ueno station in 80 min. for 1000 yen. (No need for seat reservations.) If you want to take a BUS, the following are options. 1.-The Airport Limousine BUS takes you to Tokyo City Air Terminal in 60-70 min. for about 3000 yen. (There are many destinations other than TCAT.) Go to the Airport Limousine Bus counter in the lobbies of Terminal 1 or 2. Find a bus that goes to your destination and buy the tickets. Tips: Taking the express trains is the fastest way to get to Tokyo, if you don't have so much to carry. If you have a lot of luggage or want to go directly to your hotel, the limousine bus is a good choice. After you validate your JR Japan rail pass at the JR service center in the airport, you can take the NEX or JR Airport liner free. (You still need to reserve your seat if you take the NEX.) |
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| 40 year old still going strong | | |
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| on January 18, 2005 |
The Shinkansen "Bullet" speed trains were hip as they come in the 60's when they were brand new. The first Shinkansen was opened for business in 1964 the year of the Olympics. Hence 2004 was the 40th anniversary for the trains and was celebrated in the stations. Ok, I guess a lot has happened since 1964 but the Shinkansen trains still seem to have a special place in the heart of many a Japanese. Their punctuality seems to be an item of national pride. We traveled a lot by Shinkansen, since we held a Rail Pass (tip above), and the experience was great. Only once was a train late(!), otherwise they were amazingly punctual. Also they were very clean and well staffed. Extra fun is to ride on the second floor of the ones that have that. And the chairs of the trains can be turned around so noone has to travel backwards. Happy birthday, old Shinkansen! Tanjoubi o-medetou! |
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