Mount Kōya / Koyasan - getting there

The guidebooks say that for travellers with a Japan Rail Pass to get to Koyasan you should take a long winded route to Hashimoto (Wakayama) which takes about 2 hours from Osaka station

Everybody then has to pay 850 yen to take the Nankai line train from Hashimoto to Gokurakubashi station (from where you get the cable car to Koyasan station) - since there is no JR owned line to Gokurakubashi.

However, if you use your Japan Rail pass to get to Shinimamiya (about 17 mins from Osaka station) and then take the Nankai line from there - it costs 1260 - just 410 yen more than you would be paying anyway from Hashimoto.  And from Shinimamiya it takes about 46 minutes to Hashimoto - so about 70 mins in total from Osaka station (with a reasonable connection time).

So for the extra 410 yen, you save about 50 mins.  And since there is a gap of a couple of hours around lunchtime in the cable car service to Koyasan - those 50 mins saved may make an ever bigger difference !

Be aware that on the Nankai line - the 1260 fare does not allow you to use the "limited express" trains to Hashimoto - which require an additional 780 yen fee.  The "express" trains are marginally slower and don't require a supplement.  The extra fee may not even save you any time - it just may mean you don't need to change trains at Hashimoto.  But Hashimoto is a small station, so changing trains isn't a problem.

Japan Rail Pass - calculation

I booked a trip to Japan with just a couple of days notice - so I asked FB for advice ... and one of my friends texted me straight away to tell me to go get a Japan Rail pass before I left for Japan.

Having already looked at train travel, I'd realised that it would be expensive, so had assumed I would end up getting internal flights, as they are reasonably priced, and if you redeem points the taxes/fees are tiny.

But the Japan Rail Pass meant that I was able to cancel my internal flight, and spend a week travelling around by train.  The 7 day pass cost me 29,110 yen (188 gbp) - also available in 14 day, 21 day, child and first class variations - and for this I did the following travel (priced as individual journeys):

Tokyo - Kyoto via Nagano

9830 plus 8230 for seat reservation

Kyoto - Nara

710

Nara - Osaka

800

Osaka - Shinimamiya 

180

Osaka - Tokyo

8750 plus 5390 for seat reservation

Tokyo - Kagoshima Chuo

16410 plus 13450 for seat reservation

Tokyo - Yamanote Line loop

200 x 4

I had also planned to take a daytrip to Kawaguchiko (private line from Otsuki, so that part not covered by the JR pass) - but after a late night out in Tokyo, I decided against !

Tokyo - Otsuki (return)

1320 plus 1700 for seat reservation

1320

If I had taken the trip to Otsuki, I would have achieved a total value of 68,890 yen from my 29,110 yen Rail Pass.

If I hadn't bothered with any seat reservations (the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano was only reserved seating, but I might have been able to take another train with unreserved carriages) I would still have gained 40,120 yen worth of value.

As it was (without the Otsuki daytrip) I achieved 64,500 yen worth of value from my 29,110 Rail Pass - so I'm quite happy with that !

As I was booking the Rail Pass at such short notice, I needed a company where I could go in and pick up the voucher (which you exchange for an actual pass in Japan) on the same day - but many of the companies want at least a day's notice.

I ended up using Japan Experience - as long as you make the payment online by 4pm, you can go into their London office and pick it up before the office closes at 6pm (Monday to Saturday).  I gave them a quick call before making the payment, just to double check that they were open, and that I would be able to pick up my Rail Pass voucher.  It was ready and waiting for me when I arrived at their office an hour later.

The Rail Pass is also available for purchase in Japan (on a trial basis, which may continue to be extended) - but for the higher price of 33,000 yen for 7 days.  Still decent value if you are making a few trips.