You cannot Board JR Limited Express or Shinkansen directly just with JR Rail Pass !!! Any Time you want to take Limited Express or Shinkansen must go JR Ticket Office first. Show the JR Rail Pass to Staff & tell staff which train & which seat (Reserved or Unreserved) you want. It will Print out The Seat Ticket (Reserved or Unreserved also got Ticket with that Particular Train no.)
So before you pass that Manual Gate, you need to show 2 Ticket (JR Rail Pass + Seat Ticket).
Without 2 ticket, you can't even pass Manual gate of Shinkansen, staff will ask you go get seat ticket.

Local / Rapid train such as JR Yamanote Line / Chuo Line etc etc.....This kind of train, you can direct pass manual gate by showing JR Rail Pass. This part really interesting, Because Limited Express sharing same platfrom as Local train.
Staff will let you pass because he think you just wanted to take Local train. If you board Limited Express without Seat Ticket, Ticket Conductor will FXXX you HARD & Give you long long lectured
I see this incident many many many times

About the Stamp on JR Rail Pass only stamp once per day. After 24 hours, next passing manual gate, staff only stamp 2nd chop.

This post has been edited by RegentCid: Jan 6 2023, 10:54 PM

Alert News!
Hokkaido Rail Update:

From Sapporo Station Heading Asahikawa Station are all suspended.
From Chitose Station Heading Hakodate Station & Obihiro Station / Kushiro Station are all suspended.
From Sapporo Station Heading South maximum until Chitose & New Chitose Airport Station.
From Shin-Hokodate Station only got train service to Hakodate Station only.

Service Reopen on 26 Feb 2023

Road to Lake Shikotsu Fully Closed until further notice.

This post has been edited by RegentCid: Jan 7 2023, 10:40 PM

You had to buy JR Rail Pass from Malaysia first. It will be Exchange Order. Once you reach Japan, you can exchange JR Rail Pass with Exchange Order at JR Ticket Office.
If you JR Rail Pass Holder, you can't reserved Seat thru Machine / Online. Only JR Ticket Office.

price est Rm1300 - 2000 Per night for 2 pax with Onsen access. (Full naked)

This post has been edited by RegentCid: Jan 9 2023, 09:12 AM

I think alot people Complaint. JR Hokkaido do alot adjustment again.

Latest news I got was
Hokkaido Rail Update: 09 Jan 2023

From Sapporo Station Heading Otaru will be Suspended every Sat & Sun until 27 Feb 2023
From Sapporo Station Heading Chitose Station + New Chitose Airport Station will be Suspended every Sat & Sun until 27 Feb 2023
From Asahikawa heading Wakkanai will be Suspended 1 day due to Tree fall
From Asahikawa heading Furano will be Suspended 1 day for Snow Clearing

Road to Lake Shikotsu Fully Closed until 01 March 2023


From Airport heading Sapporo city alternative was Public Bus.

This post has been edited by RegentCid: Jan 9 2023, 09:51 AM

Male and female are separate.

Ryokan with private onsen need 3k ++

If did't eat beef at Takayama really hard man!! All the famous snack are related to beef. Even the local specialty Beef Sushi.
Beef skewer, Beef Bun, Beef Sushi, Grilled Beef.....But I only got 2 restraurant in my list which got serve non beef.

1) Juraku 寿乐久 ....Got Pork (豚）Tontaksu set & Tempura Prawn （海老）set. Each Set Cost 3200 Yen but very high quality and standard.
77-3 Kamininomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0845, Japan

2) Kikyou-ya....60 years Old Ramen Restaurant. 750 - 1500 Yen. Shop Signature Ramen Dish (Takayama Ramen) 750 Yen <<More towards Chinese Cuisine style
3 Chome-58 Honmachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0011, Japan

3) Bonus!! West side of Takayama Station 15 minute walk got Takayama Only Starbuck & Mcdonalds

Beef Sushi & Beef Bun as Snack

You can try Juraku for Lunch.

All using Hida beef, taste very similar, any beef sushi will do. The famous one was at Old street "Hida Kotte Ushi".
I been takayama so many times, try once only because taste no big difference from other, even google rating 3.5 also taste very nice. But if you go Takayama only once, then Hida Kotte Ushi will be your insta spot.

If that day Juraku closed. You can try Ginputei 銀風亭 as alternative.

Juraku & Ginputei are my Takayama highest ranking restaurant


This post has been edited by RegentCid: Jan 10 2023, 11:23 AM

Nagoya local likes to eat everything with thick miso paste.

Things that usually tourists dont eat:
Beef intestine with thick Miso
Pasta with thick Miso
Chicken Sashimi dip into miso
Miso Oden
Tonkatsu with thick Miso (still acceptable)
Ramen with Thick Miso soup (still acceptable)

Ginputei are not kaiseiki restaurant. It very similar to Juraku. Selling set lunch around 2500-4000 per set. It got sell Tonkatsu set.

Japan e hailing price no difference compare to Taxi. Kawaguchiko station sure got taxi standby.
That distant easily will cost you 5000-6000 Yen

This post has been edited by RegentCid: Jan 11 2023, 07:02 PM

If you got the budget to spend then Tateyama Alpine Route. From Toyama Dentetsu Station >Ogizawa > Matsumoto Station cost 14000 Yen. Even you backtrack back to Toyama also 13000 Yen
I been 4 Season of Alpine Route, Spring is the best (Snow wall) but also most crowded. Autumn season 2nd, if your timing is right, you can see full of red & yellow colour tree. 3rd will be Winter, Nov before it closed, if you lucky, sometimes Nov also can get full thick snow + less people. Summer at last, very crowded because alot Tokyo people come here to cold down, full of flower specially Ice wall section become flower field.

Kamikochi hiking avoid summer, same reason as Alpine Route. Autumn are the best season, cold but not so cold but autumn in Nagano area, weather very unpredictable.

If you didnt go Swiss before, like less crowd, spend less money also can get very beautiful scenery then Kamikochi.

This post has been edited by RegentCid: Jan 12 2023, 12:15 AM

Day 1 stay at Toyama because u need go Tateyama very early.
Day 2 stay Kanazawa
Day 3 go Takayama from Toyama with Train Hida limited Express. Do not take Bus because it will pass Shirakwago and potong stim.
Day 4 can go shirakawa go
Day 5 can go Gokayama, then continue to Kanazawa then Kyoto.

Kawaguchiko are very small town, 70% taxi are based at Kawaguchiko Station, 20% are on the road with passenger & 10% was empty car on the way back to Kawaguchiko Station.

If you at Bus stop waiting for taxi then you only got 10% which is no idea how long had to wait, if very lucky maybe less than 10 minute.
More on gambling side.

You are wasting 20 minute on Kanazawa to Toyama. From Toyama Station walk out from platfrom, getting down escalator, passing autogate, walk to Toyama Dentetsu Station....another 10 minute wasted. 30 minute + another 5 minute of Toyama Dentetsu Station.

Toyama Dentetsu Time Schedule:
1st Train leaving Toyama was 5:23am
2nd Train 6:06 am
3rd train 7:08 am <<This 7am train are the most crowded train!! People going work +student + Packed of tourist

When you reach Teteyama Station, you already behind 100++ people which is start their journey from Toyama City. You will started to wait line at Tateyama Station buying Tateyama Alpine Route combo ticket....then another long line for the Cable car to Bijodaira.

This post has been edited by RegentCid: Jan 12 2023, 10:14 AM

Yes, because already endemic. Alot sick people around the world also can go in Japan.

From Fujiten Snow Resort back to Kawaguchiko, You can ask Resort Concierge / Information counter to called taxi for you.
That will be another 20% Surcharge as calling taxi. From Resort to Station will be est 7200 Yen

But...if you damm lucky, got taxi waiting at Resort then good good

This post has been edited by RegentCid: Jan 12 2023, 10:09 AM

JR Hokkaido, East, Central, West, Kyushu website.
Private line its own website.

100% accurate