Japan 🇯🇵 – How to Buy / Use the JR Pass + Kanazawa and Takayama (Part 2) | Japan Travel Guide

I continue my travels throughout Japan and explore the Ishikawa Prefecture to visit historic, preserved Edo period towns in Kanazawa and Takayama.
I sample the Hida beef that is only available in this region of Japan and visit some of the classic districts where many tea houses and geishas entertain guests.

I also go over how to purchase the JR Pass, how to redeem the exchange order for a physical copy of the pass at the train station, and how to reserve seats on a train car for the best travel experience.

Japan Rail Pass Calculator Website: https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/ Use this to calculate your trips and see whether it is cost-effective to buy the JR Pass or not.

00:00 Intro
00:37 Japan Rail Pass
02:08 Seat Reservation with JR Pass
03:41 Kanazawa
05:56 Toyama
06:25 Takayama
08:13 Outro

Feel free to check out some of my other videos for travel tips, ideas, and overall impressions of the country I’m in!

#LeoDoesLife #Japan #Travel

After bouncing around Kyoto and Osaka,   and getting acquainted with Japanese culture  and savory cuisine options, I travel northeast  to the Ishikawa Prefecture and its  incredibly preserved historical districts. Kyoto Station is a huge, and frankly, eye-catching  transportation hub connecting various trains,   local subways, and bullet train lines. It’s busy most days but is surprisingly  

Easy to navigate for first-timers.  Before catching my train,   I needed to pick up my JR Pass from the main office. I purchased the JR Pass from Klook   about a week before arriving to Japan. It comes  in the mail to your address as a document you 

Will need to exchange for the  physical copy of the pass. I bought my JR Pass for 21 consecutive days to   travel throughout Japan. The cost was just  over 60,000 Yen and I placed my order just  before the price increase that  went into effect on October 1st.

Since the price hike, individual tickets  suddenly seem more appealing than  paying full price for the JR Pass. There is a   link I’ll leave in the description of  this video, which can help you decide  whether to buy the JR pass versus  individual tickets and vice versa.

Japan practically runs on rail.  It’s easily the most efficient,   punctual, and streamlined experience  I’ve had in all my travels. Besides  the basic premise of going from Point A to Point  B, the JR Pass also includes the bullet trains,   known as shinkansen. These stylish and insanely fast trains are just amazing. They  

Connect major cities all across Japan, come in a  variety of colors, and offer a truly comfortable  ride, similar to an airplane taking off. You can  buy bento boxes at the station to consume on the   train, so be sure to reserve a seat for the best possible experience.

I’ll quickly show a quick crash course on how  to reserve a seat using the green machine at   the station. Touch Japan Rail Pass on the bottom left, and then “Select Train to Use   Now” and number of passengers. Scan the QR code  on the JR Pass, input your passport number, 

Followed by spelling out your  desired departure station,   your arrival station, and the date and  approximate time for your departure. A quick search will give you some options,  select the one you’re most comfortable with,   and then the seat reservation menu will open. Hit the button with the green circle for each  

Leg of the journey and then you can either  manually select your seat or let the system  reserve one automatically. I prefer to do my  own and choose a car that is least occupied.   After all is said and done, the seat tickets will print out. Don’t forget to take your  

JR Pass as well and then head to the track  where your train will be arriving on time. Back at Kyoto Station, I hopped on  the Thunderbird to take me across   the varied landscape of middle Japan. The line  stems from Kyoto to Kanazawa and the  entire trip took just over two hours.

Kanazawa station was voted one of  the most beautiful train stations in   the world. The city itself is chill,  with a mix of modern infrastructure  and old-world charm. I only had one day here,  so I walked over to the Higashi Chaya district,  

Which was once an entertainment district filled with tea houses and geishas. It’s exceptionally   preserved and authentic, making  each little alleyway fun to   explore. The smell of tea, cedar, and local eateries is something special   and I really felt like I stepped  into a bygone era in this district.

You’ll find a lot of classic homes still standing  in Kanazawa, so naturally I chose a 140-year old   home to serve as my guesthouse. A former kimono shop, located next to a small canal,   and felt like home right from the  get-go. Really recommend it if  

Staying in Kanazawa, and I even learned how to create origami cranes. Write a   wish on the small paper, make the crane, and  add to a large collection to be incinerated   at the end of the year for good fortune. This was also a city where I tried  bullet train sushi. Order from a menu,  

The train arrives carrying your  order, hit the button to send it back.  Rinse, repeat. It’s not to be  confused with conveyor belt sushi,   from which you can just pick and choose  pre-made individual plates. The empty 

Plates are tallied up at the end for payment and  it’s a great idea if you want a quick sushi fix. The next day I took another bullet train  for a short ride heading east to the   sister city of Toyama. I actually  liked this city, it’s kind of old- 

School and has a fun little college vibe going for  it. It was also where I was first introduced to   the traditional Japanese instrument called a Shamisen. The train ride to Takayama from Toyama is  quite beautiful, with a river winding its way  

Underneath the train tracks all the way into town. Takayama is known for its preserved old town,   called Sanmachi, dating all the way back to the  Edo period. It’s lined with traditional wooden  merchant homes, sake breweries, craft shops, and  cafes. I was told to try the Hida Beef while in  

Takayama. Similar to Kobe beef, its renowned for its exceptional quality and taste. I got   it sashimi style on a rice cracker. But  overall, wasn’t really blown away by it. The main drag can be crowded but once you cross  the road, there are more merchant stores and old  

Timey shops, with a few hits of random nostalgia. An old, wooden shrine in the forest is also a   nice touch, with a lot of intricate  details and a glimpse into a bygone   era. There’s just so much art, ancient calligraphy, and impressive  

Woodworking to be found in this unique region.  The attention to detail is quite impressive. If I had to choose, I’d pick Takayama  as a nice day trip if you’re looking   to experience Japan from its early  days and admire the dedication the  locals have into preserving  such a historic region.

This wraps up my travels in  the Ishikawa Prefecture – a   region that truly transports you back in  time of ancient Japan. In my next video,  I travel to the Central Alps near  Nagano to explore the high country   and take in the bright colors of fall.  If you like this video, please don’t 

Forget to like, subscribe and follow my  journey around Japan. See you next time.