How do I figure out which trains JR-railpass is good for?

First, I did a google on this group and didn't find my question
answered. This is not to say that it wasn't, just that I couldn't find it.

My wife and I are going to Japan in May (yes, I know, too late for
cherry blossoms, except in the far north) and are planning to use a
three-week JR railpass. I have found two sites which try to plan
routes, but they can't be constrained to the rules of the railpass.
That's okay, as I have figured out how to trick them. But there is one
problem. My understanding is that even if I find a JR train there may
still be a extra charge if it happens to use someone else's track. Is
there any way to find out which routes would trigger this charge?

For example, going from Kanazaw to Nikko the route proposed is:

Limited Express Hakutaka to Echigo-Yuzawa
Shinkansen Max Toki to Omiya (Saitama)
Shinkansen Tsubasa to Utsunomiya
JR Nikko Line to Nikko

but when I examine the maps that I have it looks as if the part of the
route of the L. E. Hakutaka from Naoetsu to Echigo-Yazawa may be on
non-JR track. Is there any way of verifying this, one way or the other?

There are a lot of other bits of our route for which this might be true,
but I can't find anything on the web that will give me the information I
want, and JR doesn't seem to have a e-mail address for questions, nor to
either of the planning sites answer e-mail, at least not mine (in English).

BTW, the sites I've been using a

http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperd01.cgi
HYPERDIA Japan Home Page

and

http://www.zone81.com/arch_sections/...vel_calculator
ZONE81 Japan train maps, train fare calculator and train route planners
in English

are there any others that I have missed?

Any help will be appreciated.

Yours,
Cyril N. Alberga

"Cyril & Sandy Alberga" wrote in message
...
First, I did a google on this group and didn't find my question
answered. This is not to say that it wasn't, just that I couldn't find
it.

My wife and I are going to Japan in May (yes, I know, too late for
cherry blossoms, except in the far north) and are planning to use a
three-week JR railpass. I have found two sites which try to plan
routes, but they can't be constrained to the rules of the railpass.
That's okay, as I have figured out how to trick them. But there is one
problem. My understanding is that even if I find a JR train there may
still be a extra charge if it happens to use someone else's track. Is
there any way to find out which routes would trigger this charge?

For example, going from Kanazaw to Nikko the route proposed is:

Limited Express Hakutaka to Echigo-Yuzawa
Shinkansen Max Toki to Omiya (Saitama)
Shinkansen Tsubasa to Utsunomiya
JR Nikko Line to Nikko

but when I examine the maps that I have it looks as if the part of the
route of the L. E. Hakutaka from Naoetsu to Echigo-Yazawa may be on
non-JR track. Is there any way of verifying this, one way or the other?

There are a lot of other bits of our route for which this might be true,
but I can't find anything on the web that will give me the information I
want, and JR doesn't seem to have a e-mail address for questions, nor to
either of the planning sites answer e-mail, at least not mine (in
English).


I took that route some years ago and it does use non-JR track. I wasn't
using a railpass at the time so I can't say how much the surcharge was. I
also ran into that on the Tango peninsula while using the railpass, and the
surcharge (a nominal sum) was collected by the conductor.

For example, going from Kanazaw to Nikko the route proposed is:

Limited Express Hakutaka to Echigo-Yuzawa
Shinkansen Max Toki to Omiya (Saitama)
Shinkansen Tsubasa to Utsunomiya
JR Nikko Line to Nikko

but when I examine the maps that I have it looks as if the part of the
route of the L. E. Hakutaka from Naoetsu to Echigo-Yazawa may be on
non-JR track. Is there any way of verifying this, one way or the other?

Hakutaka Ltd. travels through non-JR Hokuetsu Express Line part of the way.

There are a lot of other bits of our route for which this might be true,
but I can't find anything on the web that will give me the information I
want, and JR doesn't seem to have a e-mail address for questions, nor to
either of the planning sites answer e-mail, at least not mine (in English).

This is the web-page that answers this question in detail:

http://www.japanrailpass.net/images/map_en.pdf (PDF format, English)

I do not like to say this but on at least one case in the past the above was not
promptly updated after a major timetable revision. With the current version,
there should be a dotted line between Yatsushiro-Sendai in Kyushu parallel to
the Shinkansen.

If in doubt, email me or post to this newsgroup.

Prophet of the Way wrote:

For example, going from Kanazaw to Nikko the route proposed is:

Limited Express Hakutaka to Echigo-Yuzawa
Shinkansen Max Toki to Omiya (Saitama)
Shinkansen Tsubasa to Utsunomiya
JR Nikko Line to Nikko

but when I examine the maps that I have it looks as if the part of the
route of the L. E. Hakutaka from Naoetsu to Echigo-Yazawa may be on
non-JR track. Is there any way of verifying this, one way or the other?


Hakutaka Ltd. travels through non-JR Hokuetsu Express Line part of the way.


There are a lot of other bits of our route for which this might be true,
but I can't find anything on the web that will give me the information I
want, and JR doesn't seem to have a e-mail address for questions, nor to
either of the planning sites answer e-mail, at least not mine (in English).


This is the web-page that answers this question in detail:

http://www.japanrailpass.net/images/map_en.pdf (PDF format, English)

I do not like to say this but on at least one case in the past the above was not
promptly updated after a major timetable revision. With the current version,
there should be a dotted line between Yatsushiro-Sendai in Kyushu parallel to
the Shinkansen.

If in doubt, email me or post to this newsgroup.

Thank you for the URL, I missed that one. It looks as if our whole
itinrary, as currently set up will only use two of the non-JR bits, one
(near Ise) very short. For the other, I suppose, if the extra is more
than we want to pay (on top of the cost of two 21 day passes!) we could
always bypass that stretch, either going via Takayama, or picking up the
shinkansen at Nagaoka, if the connections work.

Again, thank you,
Cyril

"Cyril & Sandy Alberga" wrote in message
...
Prophet of the Way wrote:

For example, going from Kanazaw to Nikko the route proposed is:

Limited Express Hakutaka to Echigo-Yuzawa
Shinkansen Max Toki to Omiya (Saitama)
Shinkansen Tsubasa to Utsunomiya
JR Nikko Line to Nikko

but when I examine the maps that I have it looks as if the part of the
route of the L. E. Hakutaka from Naoetsu to Echigo-Yazawa may be on
non-JR track. Is there any way of verifying this, one way or the other?


Hakutaka Ltd. travels through non-JR Hokuetsu Express Line part of the
way.


There are a lot of other bits of our route for which this might be true,
but I can't find anything on the web that will give me the information I
want, and JR doesn't seem to have a e-mail address for questions, nor to
either of the planning sites answer e-mail, at least not mine (in
English).


This is the web-page that answers this question in detail:

http://www.japanrailpass.net/images/map_en.pdf (PDF format, English)

I do not like to say this but on at least one case in the past the above
was not
promptly updated after a major timetable revision. With the current
version,
there should be a dotted line between Yatsushiro-Sendai in Kyushu
parallel to
the Shinkansen.

If in doubt, email me or post to this
newsgroup.

Thank you for the URL, I missed that one. It looks as if our whole
itinrary, as currently set up will only use two of the non-JR bits, one
(near Ise) very short. For the other, I suppose, if the extra is more
than we want to pay (on top of the cost of two 21 day passes!) we could
always bypass that stretch, either going via Takayama, or picking up the
shinkansen at Nagaoka, if the connections work.

Yes, with JR Pass you need to change train at Nagaoka. In your case you
catch Limited Express Hokuetsu (bound for Niigata) from Kanazawa, changing
at Nagaoka for Joetsu Shinkansen Toki/Maxi Toki (double decker, with fine
views). Alternatively, get Limited Express Shirasagi from Kanazawa to
Maibara, and change for Tokaido Shinkansen to Tokyo. It will take a little
longer as you have to change to Joetsu Shinkansen at Tokyo for Utsunomiya.

This problem over the non-availability of JR Pass over non-JR lines can be
very puzzling, as those who buy point-to-point tickets are unaffected. When
JR was privatised in 1987, small stretches of mainly minor, uneconomical or
incomplete lines were sold off to private companies, often involving the
local community wanting to sustain a rail service. These lines, now called
'Third Sector Lines' are dotted all over the country but mainly in the
north, and as separate companies to JR, promotional tickets (like JR Pass),
but not regular tickets, aren't valid on them. To use Hakutaka to Echigo
Yuzawa, you have to pay 1,350 yen (950 yen fare + 400 yen express supp) to
the conductor on the train for the 60 km Saigata - Muikamatchi stretch of
Hokuhoku line.

Alec

You're the guy who's been sending me those e-mails right?


If so, I Just wanted to say thanks in case u never got my response for some reason