Reliable Japan Rail Timetables
Reliable Japan Rail Timetables
Hi all! We are travelling to Japan soon and will have a Japan Rail pass. I am putting together a list of train combinations so that I have that written down when we book our seats at the ticket counter. I have used apps (e.g., hyperdia) before to find the train combinations that would work best as the train system is so vast. I understand that hyperdia has recently changed and no longer shows the train times or time tables.
Using other apps like Japan travel (by Navitime) does give you the times but it’s limited in showing you earlier/later trains to allow for more time between transfers. As I am a manual chair user and my husband will be helping me, we might need a bit more time to get to the transfer train platform.
Can anybody recommend a source for either time tables or an app that allows for a bit more flexibility? Thanks!
- 7 Replies
For mobile phones, I recommend Japan Transit Planner app by Jorudan. Available in English for iPhone and Android. Free.
For PCs, you can use the Jorudan website:
Probably not the best app, but I always used Google Maps when in Japan. I checked the train or subway option and then, once you see the recommended route that you prefer, if you press on top of the train lines’ names, you can see the schedule for previous and next trains. Next time, I’ll also try the ones suggested in this post. Thanks for sharing!
For checking next train etc, Jorudan is likely the best.
You are correct though, leave extra time for transfers! And it can depend on the company. Subway lines can be very quick and you can almost go the same speed as everyone else. JR on the other hand often makes you wait, and even if you get to the platform and there is a train waiting, you may need to wait for them to contact your destination to ensure someone can meet you, and therefore wait for the next train.
So, remember for your planning that you will need to add wait times for the person to come get you to guide you, as well as at transfers. The accessible routes are are sometimes (often?) not as direct as the normal routes and going up and down elevators etc can eat up time.
You mention you are in a manual wheelchair, so you might not need the assistance of staff, but you may want to use it just because you don’t need to worry about finding your way – they guide you… at the cost of time.
Bonus:
While it isn’t time-table related, this website can help you find the accessibility of most stations: https://www.ecomo-rakuraku.jp/en
Jorudan (Japan Transit Planner) would be my vote too.
Jorudan is, in my humble opinion, better equivalent app than Hyperdia. As well as train timetables, it also includes a flight planner.
I was using Jorudan long before Hyperdia made their announcement and was never much of a fan of Hyperdia’s app interface. So I think you’ll like the new option too.
In addition to the Jorudan website they also have excellent apps for both Android and iOS – click to go to the respective app download pages.
One thing to be aware of – there is a paid version of the app with additional functionality. I *think* platform numbers are only shown on the paid version of the app.
Thanks for all the responses. With the Japan Transit Planner I was able to piece together some additional options. My husband is going to be with me to help push the chair and I can get on and off a train without a ramp so it should not require additional assistance. I did give us plenty of time and if we do have to wait a while, there’s always plenty of shops and food to keep us entertained at the station!
Thanks again all.
Yes, that is one big disadvantage of getting assistance – you can’t just stop at a restaurant or shop in the station that looks interesting!
Anyway, let us know how everything goes and feel free to start new discussions if you have other questions!
Me again! Just wanted to report back on this discussion. As I mentioned, I ended up not requesting station assistance as my husband was able to push me onto most of the metro trains we took and I was able to step onto the shinkansen myself. However, I do want to point out that station staff were very helpful in pointing out where the closest elevator to the platform was since some of them are not close to the stairs going to the same platforms.
I will add that what really saved a lot of time when exchanging our JR pass order and booking the trains ahead of time was to make sure I had the time options we wanted clearly written down and some backup options in case our preferred option was unavailable. If you are going to request station staff assistance, definitely give yourself more time between transfers!
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