Our trip has a simple thread: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Osaka. Four cities, four transfers. Here is how we organized them.
| Journey | Date | Train and times | Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo → Kanazawa | 21 September | Hakutaka (Shinkansen), 10:33 → 13:36 | Booked in advance |
| Kanazawa → Kyoto | 23 September | Train, 11:05 → 13:35 | Bought in advance |
| Kyoto → Osaka | 27 September | JR Special Rapid | No reservation |
| Osaka (Namba) → airport | 30 September | Nankai Rapi:t, flight at 18:30 | Seat to reserve |
Tokyo → Kanazawa: the ticket is a slip you pick up
We booked online, but the booking's QR code is not the ticket: it's used to print it. A JR EAST reserved-seat machine, compatible with Eki-net, reads it and prints your travel tickets. The procedure we had prepared:
- look for a JR EAST reserved-seat machine; at Tokyo Station there are also machines from other companies, so pay attention;
- set the language to English, choose "Pick up tickets" (or "JR-EAST Train Reservation", "Eki-net", "Read QR code") and scan the QR;
- check date, route, train, car and seats, then confirm;
- for each passenger two slips come out (base fare and Limited Express/Shinkansen supplement): keep them together.
At the Shinkansen gates you insert both slips together: the gate returns them on the other side, so remember to take them back. If something isn't clear, show the booking to a JR staff member and say: "Eki-net ticket pickup, please".
We planned to be at the station well ahead: for a 10:33 train the plan was to leave Asakusa for Tokyo Station at 9:00, to have time to find the platform without rushing. A little over three hours later we were in Kanazawa, in time for a light walk and a dinner of oden.
Kanazawa → Kyoto
Here too the ticket was already bought, to be picked up on paper before boarding. Departure at 11:05, arrival at 13:35: time for a relaxed check-in and a first walk around Gion Shirakawa. The rest is in our Kyoto itinerary (in Italian).
Kyoto → Osaka: no reservation
This is the simplest leg. The JR Special Rapid doesn't require a reservation: you buy a single ticket and get on. For all five of us we paid €17.69 in total. With the suitcases, for the Namba hotel we had picked out Daikokucho station and its exit with an elevator, so we wouldn't carry the luggage up the stairs.
Osaka → airport
On the last day the plan was: check-out at 10:00, bags stored at the hotel until 13:15, then the Nankai Rapi:t from Namba to Kansai Airport. It's a reserved-seat train, so it's worth booking. The flight was at 18:30, and for an international flight arriving early is always a good idea.
What we learned
- Book in advance only the long journeys (Shinkansen and limited express). For the short ones, you buy the ticket on the spot.
- Get to the station early: you need time to pick up tickets, find the platform and the car.
- Keep the Suica for everything else: subways and local trains. We explain how it works in Suica and IC Cards.
- Travel light on journeys with connections: see Luggage, eSIM and takkyubin.
In total, intercity trains (Shinkansen and local) cost about €360 per person, 16% of our budget: all the lines (in Italian).