Japan self tour based in Osaka, 8 days using rail passes

There must be some magic in the various shades of red leaves against the historic buildings and mountainous background that kept luring my returns to Kansai in Autumn. This time, we decided to use public transport and based in Osaka, exploring Kyoto (of course), Koyasan and Shirakawago (白川郷) (the fairy tale town). Below is my itinerary and experience which may be of help for someone planning similar adventures.  

For this blog post, I’d share my experience and tips under the various transport/passes we used, based on which my itinerary was planned around . Note that I have detailed tips below for the T-H Pass and Shirakawa visit, only read it if you are planning to use this pass and/or venture there by yourself.  As always, information were correct when I travelled, make sure you check the latest from the various websites. E.g., If you travel by trains in Japan, you cannot do without the hyperdia site.

Time: 28 Oct to Dec 7, 2016

Flights –  UO (punctual and efficient)in/out Osaka Kansai Airport

Inside Japan, all public transport – including Haruka train ticket (fastest way 77 min to Kyoto) plus ICOCA* (see below) , Takayama-Hokuriku Area Pass (5 days)@- note this is for tourists only and must be bought OUTSIDE Japan and you get a voucher for exchange in Kansai, Koyasan World Heritage Pass^ (2 days).  All above (except for T-H Pass) can be bought, and exchanged in Kansai Airport JR Green Window (the English friendly- mostly) window where you can do all these, just walk out of the airport terminal building, follow the signs (there’s one also upstairs of arrival level as queues in the other one may be long).  I also got my Torokko small train# tickets booked/bought here (嵯蛾野小火車).  You can also exchange for your passes, etc at Osaka Station and several others. 

Internet – with my reliance on instant and ad hoc info on locations, maps, transport options, eateries, etc, I just could not live without it while travelling. Cheapest is to get a wifi egg (router) or Japan SIM card before you leave Hong Kong, many places offer them and can be picked up from HK Airport before you go inside Custom area, e.g. Klook, Bengsang, and many others.  You can also get the same upon arrival, but according to late 2016 prices, they are about 3 times more expensive (even you get the cheapest form from a vending machine in Kansai Airport, e.g.) than getting one in Hong Kong.

Kyoto (Day 1-4, 3 nights Airbnb): *ICOCA and Haruka – I used the The Kansai-Airport Express “HARUKA” for direct access from Kansai-airport Station to get to Kyoto Station (but also can be used for Tennoji, Shin-Osaka).  We used the IOCOCA on JR, subways and private railway and buses, also can use for shopping in the Kansai Area and beyond. It’s the most handy Octopus-like card for public transport travel in Kyoto and Osaka including all trains and buses, top up available in most stations’ vending machines (self-help with English menu). There’s a small basic deposit charge for the card (like credit card thickness) which with it’s various logos are often collectors’ items – mine is a Hello Kitty one!

#Torokko small train 嵯蛾野小火車(嵐山 Arashiyama小火車) in Kyoto has become the almost must-do item for cherry blossom and koyo seeing event at Kyoto and hence tickets are very popular and well sought after items during the peak periods, do book soonest possible and be prepared to change your plan to suit whichever train available: book ticket at KIX Green Counter too.  I tried to book 11月29 (30,1)日 嵯峨野2号(09:35)トロッコ亀岡→トロッコ嵐山 2枚 4号車 偶数番号の座席, but too bad I eventually have to settle for an early afternoon trip and with separate seats.  Just remember the scenes are better on the even No. seats (both way), but you can walk a bit around to the other side for photos, etc, provided that you don’t disturb others around.  One way is to start from JR馬堀 (Umahori)開始, end up at Arashiyama嵐山, then walk and enjoy the area，This is one typical way to tour 嵐山. JR 馬堀walk to龜岡 途中，會經過一片農地,.在從龜岡到目的地站-Torokko嵐山站的途中，前半段是雙號座這邊有風景 River (even no. always river even on return)，後半段則是單號座這邊有風景. Taking photos from a moving train is always difficult, so my suggestion would be just find a seat/place with a big window and just enjoy the passing sceneries.

I personally think that Arashiyama is the most beautiful area in Kyoto and worth spending a few hours strolling through the many quaint little places such as the bamboo forest, the river and bridge, plus the many very nice ryokans and temples as well as eateries there.

In search for lovely koyo still in bloom, apart from the typical Kiyomizu-dera, Ginkaku-ji, Kinkaku-ji, Fushimi Inari-taisha (with recent very high ranking), we also visited Tofukuji Temple (東福寺) – which I highly recommend with its displays of some of Kyoto’s most spectacular autumn foliage. The views of and from the Tsutenkyo Bridge (通天閣橋) are particularly impressive, but due to popularity with crowds there often, there were notices saying photos prohibited from there.

We also visited Uji (famous for matcha) for the Byodoin (平等院) with it’s garden and lake which is so photogenic and well worth spending a few hours there. Browse through this batik shop on the way from the train station and admire the many lovely designs – both traditional and contemporary, and learn the dozens of ways of how to use a cloth for many practical uses – makes very nice for souvenirs too.

Then we travelled to Osaka using ICOCA (cheaper than a 1 Day Kansai Pass), where we used as a base for travelling to Nara, Koyasan, Kanazawa, Shirakawa and Gero.

^Koyasan World Heritage Pass (2860 y for 2 days) – we did just a day trip to Koyasan, but many also stay there for a night in the temples there for the unique good experience. The area is picturesque and the place is a pilgrimage/sacred area for (Japan) Buddhism.  We found this Pass to be handy and good value (even for our day trip) because it covers every type of transport required including the cable car to Koyasan from the train station and all the buses there (you need all of these), also discounted (20%) tickets to entries of the temples. The cable car (on tramway just like the one to Victoria Peak in Hong Kong) are timed well with the connecting train, and most of the buses also with the cable car schedule so there was almost no waiting time.  Using the bus there was like a hop-on, hop-off journey, but doing some short walks in between the many stops were excellent too.

Below are some key notes of top ranked sights there which assisted our plan and travel there (1, 2, 3 all in the same area):-

 Shirakawago (白川郷) – we used the @ Takayama-Hokuriku Area Pass (5 days) – 14k yen,  : http://touristpass.jp/ for 4 days to take a trip to this fairy tale old heritage town and visited Gero on the way, plus using the pass for our journey from Osaka to Kansai airport (yes, included!).  The route for this Pass is a bit strange for someone starting/ending from Osaka, but it makes better sense if you travel in from Osaka and out from Nagoya or the other way round, as the Pass does NOT cover trains direct from Nagoya to Osaka! Yet a bargain for self travel individuals or small group less than 4.

Tips and Examples for using the Pass to visit Shirakawago-

Ogimachi (荻町) is the largest village and main attraction of Shirakawa-go. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995, the village is home to several dozen well preserved gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old. The farmhouses are quite amazing structures, designed to withstand the harsh winters while providing a place to work and live, and are best seen either covered in snow or surrounded by green fields. Many of the farmhouses are now restaurants, museums or minshuku. While in the area, can also visit Nakadaki- 天生三滝.  To go to Shirakawago, below are some examples:

• use fast trains including From Osaka,Thunderbird1/3/5 to Kanazawa, followed by Shinkansen Hakutaka/Tagayaki/Tsuguri to Toyama. Continue with LTD.EXP (wide view) Hida to Takayama. Finally take Nohi Bus from Takayama to Shirakawa-go; OR  from Kyoto to Takayama (via Nagoya) on the Hida wideview express in particular is spectacular, then you take the bus from Takayama to Shirakawa.

• can do 2 days Shirakawa and Kanazawa from Osaka (it’s doable, but quite a rush!) Option A:  do Shin-Osaka (06:27) to Takayama (10:01 arrive), maybe see the morning markets and have a short walk around Takayama. Then just take the bus yourself to Shirakawago.

  http://www.japan-guide.com/bus/shirakawago.html             Then after you have explored Shirakawago (2-4 hours) go from Shirakawago to Kanazawa, then take the train from Kanazawa back to Osaka.

  OR B. via Nagoya , and /or Takayama using train and bus, self drive takes 4 hrs each way.  At Kanazawa, you can take Nohi bus from bus stop #2 in east side of the station (outside Starbucks). Takayama and Shirakawago. It connects these places in 50 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes.

  One important tip – the critical link is the buses to/from Shirakawago, you’re advised to book this in advance by calling the bus company say at least a week ahead. They can speak a little English, just be patient and be prepared to repeat yourself if you don’t speak Japanese, they’d give you a reference no. for each booked trip with which you use to get your tickets upon arrival at the bus counter outside the station. During the 10 min or so there, I’ve seen many disappointed tourists trying to get bus tickets for the whole day (all full!).

  Shirakawa-go is compact enough to be enjoyed by walking around on your own without joining any guided tour. A less hectic way to go there if you want to do it as a daytrip from Osaka is to take JR to Nagoya and take a bus there. Bus leaves Nagoya at 9.00 and arrives at Shirakawa-go at 11.53. Returning bus leaves Shirakawa-go 15.35 and arrives Nagoya 18.36.

  The following webpages provide you with bus info and timetables – this one gives a summary, this one is the portal page for the bus company Niho.  Two lines of interest here are

  • Takayama-Shirakawa-go/Kanazawa Line
  • Takayama-Shirakawa-go/Toyama Line

    From the above summary link, you can find Online reservation button, but it’s only for full price tickets, For those passengers who have “ Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass”, you have to call bus operating company, Nohi Bus Reservation Center directly for reservations at +81(0)577-32-1688 from 9AM JST to 6PM

This Pass also covers places which you may be interested, e.g. Kanazawa which has lovely preserved town and Kenrokuen garden that is one of three well known gardens (the other 2 are Kairakuen (Mito) and Korakuen (Okayama)). Kanazawa is located in Hokuriku region. In this region, Toyama is well known as the gateway to Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート).  Gero, the famous onsen town, Nagoya, etc.

We stayed one night at the nearby Hirase onsen village where we enjoyed greatly the public onsen there (with Airbnb owner’s pass, we only paid less than 1k yen! for a lovely soak in the chilly autumn evening. Travelling from Hirase Village to the main Ogimachi village (and sights) took us about 15 min via the owner’s car. He also showed us the best location for the idyllic photo of the gassho-zukuri farmhouses! I showed this amongst the starred places on the snap of my Google map. Too bad, we left a day too early as snow started to fall on the next day! But so picturesque nonetheless. On leaving Shirakwago, we took Nohi bus  1215 /1305 (50min) to Takayama- lunch 1438/1523 for HIDA Wideview train to Gero.

Gero onsen (下呂温泉), we stayed there for one night at Sumeikan by the river and right next to the Gero train station – a relatively modern ryokan hotel where we enjoyed the onsen there and had dinner at 樽や – Izakaya Restaurant where we had very nice Hida beef. We also visited the onsenji temple which needed a bit of a small climb, but the atmosphere from the Kwan-yin statute towards Gero town and the mountainous backdrop was so serene and nice in early morning.  There is also a下呂温泉合掌村 (open 0830) about 25 min walk from the train station, and may be good for those who have not been to Shirakawago.  We took the 1014 train Takayama/ Toyama (lunch) T13 (1317) / Kana T2 (1356)/ Osaka / T1 Namba (1640-1658). {can you break my simple codes? :-)}

Some notes on our side visits of Kanazawa (金澤) for a few hours (we’ve been there before) – Koyo walk by bus- Kanazawa Station (Kanazawa Loop Bus Kenrokuen-shita (1) (Ishikawamon-mukai) bus stop (about 18 minutes)　; Gyokusen-en Garden (about 1 hour). And of course, the famous Kenroku-en Garden兼六園 (8:00 – 16:30; about 1 hour)- maple trees lining Kasumi Pond and their reflection in the water are particularly remarkable. One suggestion here is to enter from the Katsurazaka gate and leave from the Mayumisaka gate (or the other way round).   It has many attractions such as the lanterns, Gankobashi Bridge and the Kasumigaike Pond. 金沢中央公園Chuo Park Rd.-Central Park Rd. (about 15 minutes). The nearby tunnel of American maples is impressive too in October/early November.

BTW, do you know what’s 兼六 ?  It’s name for the 6 attributes that bring out the perfect landscape of the garden: spacious, tranquility, artificial, antiquity, water fountains and magnificent view from the mountain. Yes, artificial and very too – we saw tree branches popped or hung up using ropes to maintain the perfect shape! Well, I guess you got to like artificial elements in order to like/appreciate Japanese gardens.

Again, this T-H Pass covers Osaka to Nagoya only and if you plan to do it to/from Osaka, you either have to pay separately for the direct (shorter) train journeys between Nagoya and Osaka, OR you can spend longer train journeys backtracking to Osaka via the same onward route such as via Takayama and Kanazawa.  It takes a few hours more but then you have to dish out another nearly 10k yen each for a fast trip.

We also used the Pass and visited the Riku Town outlet mall – huge and lots of brand shops there where you can buy Asian size apparels, spectacles, etc at discounted prices – I got an Aigle casual jacket for 11k y. It’s just one stop from the Kansai Airport and you can see lots of tourists lugging their suitcases around while shopping.

For Osaka – our base, I guess many have been there and may be more proficient as guides than me.  We mainly went for eateries such as the 蔓牛 Tsurugyu for yakinaku beef (delicious and good value- booking recommended to avoid disappointment),  we also like Okonomiyaki Chitose the small cosy local restaurant which was worth queuing up for a bit to try this local and delicious dish – and some street eats such as octopus balls at 踊りだこ (章魚燒).

Side comments –

Kansai Passes! – Pass A or B, or no pass! – You’d be baffled by the (too) many passes in Kansai area and it’d take huge amount of time just to digest the related info, coverage areas and prices and value if you attempt to compare them! Here are some tips (many from other travellers, I guess eventually it still all depends on your itinerary on which places you want to go AND more importantly whether you’re energetic enough to jump around sights from 7 to 11!) – “Don’t buy the Kansai Thru Pass. You won’t use it enough to save any money. For Himeji, you can buy the 1-day JR Kansai Area Pass”. Make sure you plan well to make good use of the covered long trips such as from Airport to city. You don’t have to activate it the day you exchange/bought it, it can be activated on your very first travel using it (at the manned counter next to the automatic toll gates) and that day would be counted as Day 1.

The following personal experience may help too – Once inside the cities – Osaka, Kyoto, JR is not efficient and takes longer to get to one place to another, the private trains, e.g. Nankai, Kinesetu are faster and more direct, less walking, but more expensive especially if you get a JR Pass which you can still use.

That’s it, folks, have your lovely trips!