Living in Color (TDR Report Summer 2023)

[Kestryl]

That's why I don't write them anymore. I am thinking of giving it a try. I like Kestryl's summary level style. Maybe I can emulate that...

The plus of this version is I could stop at any point and just pick up later. The downside is it's also easy to keep putting off updating! Ha ha.

 

[Kestryl]

How did you purchase your JR Rail pass? Did you book times / seats on the longer rides (Tokyo to Osaka and Osaka to Hiroshima)? How did you get from Hiroshima to Miyajima? I thought about staying overnight in Hiroshima, but decided that we will use Osaka as our base for 4 nights because I'm not a fan of packing and unpacking too frequently. When I was in Hiroshima in 2019 we had okinomiyaki (sp?) and omgosh I *must* have it again when we are there.

I'm taking ds in February and we are also staying in Osaka. We will also be leaving Tokyo Disney and heading to Osaka by train. He's a meat lover so we will definitely visit Kobe and since he's also a history buff I think we will also visit Hiroshima (I've been, but it was with a tour so I didn't work on the logistics). Do you think USJ is worth a visit after TDL? Neither of us are fans of roller coasters (I was in my much younger years, but find that I can only do 1 a day now).

Thanks so much for your TR! Loved every detail.

We bought our JR (Japan Rail) pass online before we got to Japan, but we had to pick up the pass at a train station once we got there. I understand that the prices have gone up a lot more since we went, so it may not be worth it. You should try to price your routes out individually to see if the pass is worth it. For us, the cost of Tokyo to Osaka and Osaka to and from Hiroshima was more than the cost of the pass. Not all train lines are covered by the JR Pass- we used our Pasmo cards (which we got at the airport) to cover some of the local lines, especially in Tokyo. We just booked individual tickets at the kiosks at the stations when we got there. We tended to reserve the tickets a few days before we needed them, just to make sure we got seats.

To get from Hiroshima to Miyajima, we took the JR Ferry, which was covered by the JR pass. We booked our pass at the ferry terminal. You could also take the express ferry from the Peace Memorial Park- which I think is easier if you're already there, though it is not covered by the JR pass, which is why we skipped it.

Yes, okonomiyaki! Osaka and Hiroshima have their own versions. Osaka is all mixed up, and Hiroshima is more like a seven layer dip (or a pizza... something layered!). So it'll be worth trying the Osaka style, too!

We are pro-USJ if there is something there that interests you! My husband in particular was interested in Super Nintendo World. (We haven't been to Universal Hollywood, and Epic Universe in Orlando was still a few years away.) I just like roller coasters and theme parks in general, so I won't say no to a new theme park! If you like old-school Universal, they still have Jaws. The Harry Potter area is also pretty different- the rides are the same, but the area is much more isolated compared to Universal Orlando, and there were a lot more elaborate shows and creature meet-and-greets. Basically, if you would go to a Universal in the states, I think you would like the Japan one!