{"id":97350,"date":"2023-02-02T17:50:55","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T08:50:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=97350"},"modified":"2023-03-22T15:04:01","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T06:04:01","slug":"kyoto-osaka-hokuriku-arch-pass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/kyoto-osaka-hokuriku-arch-pass\/","title":{"rendered":"The New Golden Route: Discover Hidden Kyoto and Osaka with the Hokuriku Arch Pass"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
While the cities of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka continue to get the lion\u2019s share of overseas tourists to Japan, few visitors realize that there is a lot of Japan to see between them. Fewer still know that apart from the traditional \u201cGolden Route\u201d between the cities using the Tokaido Shinkansen, there is another route you can use full of off-the-beaten-path destinations and experiences few overseas visitors will discover. The Hokuriku Arch Pass<\/strong> offers such an option to you, opening up the route known as the New Golden Route of Japan<\/strong>. This is literally a different side of Japan, a less traveled region with its own unique set of traditions, culture, and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hokuriku Arch Pass is a train pass that allows unlimited week-long travel on Hokuriku Shinkansen trains operated by JR East and JR West. The prefectures covered along the route include Tokyo, Saitama, Gunma, Nagano, Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Shiga, Kyoto, and Osaka. An online map on the JR West website<\/a> details the stations covered by the Hokuriku Arch Pass. There is also a JNTO catalog of the highlights of the New Golden Route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pass is available to visitors to Japan with a temporary visitor entry status and can be used for seven consecutive days. The cost is 24,500 yen for passengers over 12 years old and 12,250 yen for children aged 6-11 (when purchased outside of Japan). The pass can be purchased at ticket offices in Japan or bought online (JR East website or JR West website).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article is the conclusion of a series of 4 articles about Japan\u2019s New Golden Route, serviced by the Hokuriku Arch Pass offered by JR West and JR East railways. This article will explore two of these prefectures: Kyoto and Osaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Kyoto City needs no introduction as one of the top tourist destinations in Japan, the city itself overshadows the rest of the prefecture, which stretches well beyond the city into the mountains and eventually to the Sea of Japan in the north, and through hilly terrain producing some of Japan\u2019s highest quality teas in the south. This is a shame because there are some incredible places to visit outside of the city, close enough to be a day trip from Kyoto city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kyoto\u2019s mountainous region contains Miyama town (\u7f8e\u5c71\u753a), home to the nation\u2019s largest number of traditional kayabuki thatched roof houses<\/a>. These houses differ from the buildings you\u2019ll find at Shirakawa-go as they are hipped and gabled, with four sloped roof surfaces instead of just two. About 100 houses of this style remain in the region, but the vast majority now have metal roofs due to the difficulty and expense of maintaining a thatched roof made from traditional grass.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is Hokuriku Arch Pass?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Other Kyoto: Venturing Beyond Kyoto City<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Overnight Stay in a Traditional Thatched Roof House<\/h3>\n\n\n\n