expired Posted by serra | Staff ā¢ Dec 4, 2023
Dec 4, 2023 6:47 PM
Item 1 of 1
expired Posted by serra | Staff ā¢ Dec 4, 2023
Dec 4, 2023 6:47 PM
American Airlines Roundtrip Flight: Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to Osaka, Japan (ITM)
(Travel February-March 2024)$667
$980
31% offAmerican Airlines
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You might say well there is a layover. I say that gives me time to eat all the cheap yummy foods at the 7/11 and airport.
EDIT: someone in the comments said they found a flight that goes from LAX to HND to NRT to ITM.
Make sure you check the flight before buying. This is not ideal.
Ideal would be LAX to HND to ITM
but with the current exchange rate it is closer to ~$350 USD
what I never really liked about the JR Pass was that it limited you to the slower trains, so instead of sub-2 hours Osaka/Tokyo it was 2.5-3 hours and a more limited train schedule.
so instead of being able to get to Kyoto by 8AM from Tokyo you're stuck getting there a later point in the morning. can't do day trips as easily.
before when it was ~$250 USD the rail pass would be worth it if you were going to do at least 1 single Tokyo/Osaka RT on the bullet train AND you were going to take the Narita Express AND you were going to take mostly JR surface rail.
I used it once in 2017, and quickly realized it was not useful for getting around Tokyo, as a lot of places are either accessible only via Tokyo Metro/Toei Subway, or you have to constantly transfer between different lines.
the money "saved" was not worth the extra time getting around the stations, especially when some JR to subway exits are opposite of where the ticket offices are for you to exit from when you have the JR pass.
for those wondering: round trip between Tokyo and Osaka is JPY 14,000 one way, about $100 USD. that's if you book the ticket last minute at the station or online via Smart EX.
zero point using the rail pass unless you're trying to see all of Japan by train within a very short period of time.
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If you did need to change though, it's a 2 hour train ride on the Narita Express from one airport to the other - though you'd need at least 3-4 hours of time to comfortably make such a transfer IMO (especially if first time in Japan)
I was lucky enough to grab ours (2 week pass) just BEFORE the hike (since they're good for EDIT---up to 4 months after) and we used it a LOT on the shinkansen, and some limited use on local/regional transit
IIRC you CAN, but there's an additional fee each time you do...
I was lucky enough to grab ours (2 week pass) just BEFORE the hike (since they're good for a year after) and we used it a LOT on the shinkansen, and some limited use on local/regional transit
IIRC you CAN, but there's an additional fee each time you do...
The missing 10% BTW it you can get 4 months rather than 3--- you buy a voucher that is good for 3 months, you can exchange the voucher anytime in that 3 months for a JR Pass-- but when you do you can pick an activation date of that pass up to 30 days further out--- then it's good for however many days after activation you bought a pass for... so it can effectively be 4 months from purchase to activation.
I got mine in August. for a mid-Oct through Mid Nov trip. Anyway appreciate the correction and I've added a labeled edit to my original post fixing the mistake.
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Very very different places... Kyoto is the cultural heart of the country and had some absolutely stunning temples/palaces I'd have hated to miss (plus a monkey park well worth the hike up to it)- Osaka was much more modern city shopping/nightlife (though also a nice castle)
Nishiki Market is nothing like dotonburi.
That said I found nothing in Osaka comparable to the experience of walking up the centuries old shopping streets from the Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka Slopes to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple- and doing so first thing in the morning there was very little in the way of crowds.... they WERE showing up by the time I was done and leaving though.... Ditto the 1000 buddahs at Sanjusangendo
For that matter, a night visit to Kodaji-Ji Temple was simply jaw dropping and one of the most singular highlights of the entire 3 weeks in Japan.
BTW I looked up my hotels since you keep insisting Osaka is much cheaper--- again, not so much in my experience.
I stayed in a NICER room in Kyoto here:
http://sanjo-muromachi.net/en/#
For about $330 a night including breakfast after exchange rate
In Osaka I stayed here- which was $382 a night (over $50/nt more)- it was also nice, just not quite AS nice-- and I only got free breakfast thanks to my Plat status with Marriott, otherwise it would've been like 25 bucks a day more.
https://www.tripadvisor
That's not to say you can't find cheaper hotels in either city-- but based on excellent ratings and location I didn't find any evidence of your "much cheaper in Osaka" claim myself.
Was in Jp earlier this year and unless you plan on going to visit Tokyo, you can prob enjoy a full trip just staying in Osaka. You can spend a ton of time just checking the shopping area at dotonburi and even the nearly shinsaibashi for fancy brands. There is also universal studios and denden town. A fancy hotel in Osaka is also less than half the price compared to Tokyo.
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