Would there be a tangible benefit for me to have both a JR Rail Pass and a Suica card? I'll be in Japan for 20 days so I could get the 14 day pass and then use the Suica card to cover whatever travel I want to do outside of those 14 days AND to cover whatever scenarios I would encounter where the rail pass isn't accepted. Based on prior conversations it sounds like the Suica card is the way to go but I guess I just want to make sure.
i guess my next (and related) question is should I book multiple places to stay at or have just 1 home base?
- Option 1. Stay in multiple places. While it's true (and unsurprising) that the bulk of what I want to do is in Tokyo I would say that I could knock out the bulk of what I want to do there (at least on this trip) in 10 days which then leaves 10 days for everything else that I want to do which would largely be on the Kyoto/Osaka side of the country. Basically, I would stay in Tokyo for 10 days, then do a overnight stay at the floating shrine (I would have to imagine renovations will be done by October), and then I would stay in either Kyoto or Osaka for another 9 days. Obviously I would still have the flexibility to just hop on a train and do whatever whenever but in the 10 days I'm in Tokyo I would mostly focus on doing stuff in and around Tokyo and in the 9 days I'm in Osaka/Kyoto I would mostly focus on doing things in and around Osaka/Kyoto. I think I would get just the Suica card in this instance.
Or
- Option 2. Do I take the approach that comes more natural to me in that I just plan certain days around certain events that are happening and the rest of what I do will just be whatever I'm feeling that day? I think with this being such big and expensive trip that I've wanted to do for so long I feel like I need to plan it out despite that being atypical of how I operate. In this scenario Tokyo would be my home base (except for an overnight stay at the floating shrine) and I would pick up the 14 day JR rail pass along with a Suica card. I would almost certainly find myself doing more frequent and longer train rides this way but I really see myself enjoying my time on the trains so I think I might be fine with this.
The burdens that come with being indecisive. Lol
If you are just doing one trip Tokyo-Hiroshima, Hiroshima-Osaka and then Osaka-Tokyo, I don't think the JR pass will be worth it. Check the calculator on the site. If you travel around a lot, it certainly will be. Just a tip: just travelling around without any specific plan will cut down on the time you actually get to do things and you're not in Japan to sit in a Shinkansen seat (pleasant as it may be). If you want to visit a place, find out WHAT you want to visit and, importantly, when it's available. A friend travelled at the same time as me last October and from what I could tell, they mostly rushed from place to place and never really got to do much because places turned up to be closed or they ran out of time and just stayed in their room.
You don't have to make an hourly schedule, but what I did was to note down several places of interest in each area I planned on going to, and things to look for. Even if I didn't check everything, I also didn't run out of things to do and mostly didn't miss out on things (except the damn renovation at Miyajima).
Also, don't spend 9 days in Osaka. It's a cool city but you'll run out of things to do in five, at most, unless you really like eating (the cuisine is insane in Osaka). You can spend a couple days in Kyoto visiting Sanjuusangendo, Kinkakuji, Kiyomizudera, the street market/food court and maybe the imperial palace, but that would take 1-3 days.
I liked Kobe, but mostly for the Nunobiki experience. I fell in love with Hiroshima, I would rather just hang around there than in Osaka if I don't have anything specific to do. If you do end up getting the JR Pass, choose a couple of cities to see rather than just staying in one. I think only Tokyo lasts more than a week for mostly touristy stuff.
I like the concept of capsule hotels but I have some hang ups: are there ones with private bathrooms? How is the sound dampening in most of the pods? Are the mattresses generally comfortable? Will my size be a problem? (I'm 6'4" 300lbs).
Private bathrooms would kind of defeat the purpose of a cheap, compact livingspace so I think not. Sound dampening is only average since you're not sealed inside. Mattresses in my place were like 2 inches thick. I was not comfortable and at 6'0" my feet were touching the screen door. I'd actually recommend trying one, for one night and the novelty of it all, but don't expect to sleep well, and definitely not stay there longer.
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