11/6 - Arima Onsen to Kobe to Himeji

We knew today would be the day that we'd be in transit a lot.  First, we had to get from Arima Onsen to Kobe.  We were lead to believe that the bus would accept our Kansai Thru Pass.  However, after the somewhat twisty ride down the mountain and a long journey through a tunnel to the seaside metropolis, we found out from the driver that our cards wouldn't work.  We had to fork out about ¥2400 out of our own pockets.  Thank goodness Japanese buses give change!

After leaving the bus, we had to walk a while to find the correct train station. We were in the Sannomiya area of Kobe which is the central train hub for the city.  However, there are like 3 or 4 different Sannomiya stations, so we had to figure out where the Hanshin Railway station was.  When we finally found it, we unloaded our extra bags into a coin locker for the day.  That way, we didn't have to lug around too much stuff while we visited Himeji for the afternoon. 


We entered the Hanshin Sannomiya station and boarded an express train to Himeji.  Himeji is 60km west of Kobe and a one-hour journey by train. So we were very happy that we caught the express instead of the milk run that would stop at every single stop between Kobe and Himeji.  The Seaside Express was a wonderful ride.  It didn't really start that way because we were underground at first, then the train passes through the outer suburbs of Kobe.  However, once you get out of the burbs, the sky opens up and the sea is in full view to the left of the train.  It was a beautiful and clear day.  The rays of sunshine glistened off the waves and whitecaps of the ocean.  I think N may have missed most of it as she nodded off beside me.  Even the couple across from us were pretty sleepy.  For whatever reason, I didn't take my camera out at that moment, but just took in the whole view.

We passed the very imposing Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge that connects the main Honshu island to the much smaller Awaji Island.  For those who are into bridges, I'm sure that they would want to make a pilgrimage to this bridge that spans a pretty wide strait.  I didn't get a picture of the bridge on the way to Himeji, but I did get this shot on the way back.

After an hour, we arrived in Himeji.  I also eventually caught a little bit of shut eye along with N.  We exited the Sanyo Himeji Station and walked up the main road to Himeji to our destination - Himeji Castle.

Kansai - planning to get around

H continuing the blog here...

One of the hardest things about travelling in a foreign country is figuring out what the best way to get around is.  When I looked initially at the transportation maps for Osaka and the surrounding Kansai region, my eyes just boggled.  It looked like a tangle mess of coloured lines running in every direction, with a minor exception of a nice big circular loop line in Osaka.  Needless to say, we needed planning.

One of the things about most transit systems in Asia is that you pay per ride and you pay by distance.  So finding the cheapest ride is not necessarily the fastest ride.  Ideally, we needed to have as little transfers as possible, so finding direct routes is best.  The other major wrinkle is that there are at least 7 different train companies running in the region in and around Osaka.  So once you change from one company to another, you have to pay again.

N did a lot of calculations and recalculations about what combinations would give us the best bang for our buck.  She really poured over the different websites and entered different permutations in a spreadsheet.  She even had to go into the Japanese side of many websites to access trip fare calculators to see what a trip would cost.  I'm very thankful that she has more of a mind for math than I do.

One thing that a lot of people buy before heading to Japan is a JR Rail Pass.  However, we weren't planning to travel outside of the Kansai area and we weren't going to be riding the Shinkansen.  So the JR Rail Pass looked like a waste of money for us.  Especially since there are 6 other rail companies that criss-cross the region.

One thing that we decided to get is the Kansai Thru Pass (or Surutto Pass).  What is wonderful about this pass is that it gives you unlimited travel on 6 of the 7 major train companies in the Osaka area for the duration of the pass.  The pass covers almost all rail except JR Lines.  We had the option of a 2-day or 3-day pass.  The 2-day pass costs ¥3,800 and the 3-day pass costs ¥5,000.  The pass must be purchased at select locations.  If you're flying into Kansai, then it's best to buy it right at the airport.  The Kansai Thru Pass also gives you coupons to use at select locations, like a tourist attraction.  Sometimes you get a small discount or you get a small complimentary gift. These coupons are only good on the days that you are using the pass.

We were planning to be in the Kansai for well over 3 days, so we needed to figure out what else to do about transport on the other days.  We knew we would be spending a lot of time in Osaka itself.  So we looked into getting the Osaka Unlimited Pass.  The Osaka Unlimited Pass has a 1-day version (¥2,000) and a 2-day version (¥2,700). Between the 1-day and 2-day passes, there is more than just the difference in time that you must consider.  The 1-day pass gives you unlimited access to 6 of the 7 major train companies within Osaka's city limits and access to the bus.  The 2-day pass only allows you unlimited access to the Osaka Municipal Subway lines, the New Tram, and the city buses.  So you have to be careful that you know which pass you have before just trying to enter a station.  Just like the Kansai Thru Pass, you can get discounts, or even free admission, to some attractions.  Again, you can only get your discounts on the day(s) that you are using the pass.  Also, the discounts are different depending on whether you have the 1-day or 2-day pass.  The Osaka Unlimited Pass can be purchased at Kansai International Airport or at one of four Osaka Visitors Information Centers.

Confused yet?  I hope not.  The two passes were life-savers.  There was one more pass that we bought when in Kansai and that's the Kyoto City Bus Daypass.  For ¥500, you get unlimited travel on almost all Kyoto City Buses.  After 3 rides on a bus, the day pass will pay for itself.  When N looked at the attractions we wanted to see in Kyoto, she noticed that many of them were not close to the train lines.  However, the buses could bring you really close to the sites.  So for the two days we planned for in Kyoto, N decided that the Kyoto City Bus Daypass was the way to go.  We just had to buy it twice.  The easiest location to get this pass would be at Kyoto Station.  At the station, either purchase the pass at the info centre or at the bus loop's info kiosk.

All right.  With transportation all planned, we ready to head off on our little adventure in Kansai.