Shortcuts by Route In fact, a common means of shortcuts on the Tokushima and Uchibo Lines is by boat. Hama-Kanaya Station on the Uchibo Line and the Kanaya Port terminal of the Tokyo Bay Ferry are only about 500 meters apart. The Kurihama Port terminal on the other side can also be reached by bus from Kurihama Station on the JR Yokosuka Line or Keikyu Kurihama Station on the Keihin Kyuko Line. Tokushima can be reached by Nankai Ferry to and from Wakayama. This is a realistic option for travel between Wakayama Prefecture and Tokushima. In the past, this route was also useful for travel between Osaka and Tokushima, but now that the Akashi Kaikyo route has been established, it is somewhat less convenient. Compared to eastern Japan, western Japan, especially the Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu regions, has many more options for shipping routes. For example, the fastest way to travel between Matsuyama and Hiroshima/Kure is by ship, which takes the shortest route. You can also travel to and from Kyushu by ferry between Yawatahama and Beppu or Usuki, which are also in Ehime Prefecture. The author has used the route between Kumamoto and Shimabara as a way of killing time. The Kumamoto side is far from the station and a bit inconvenient, but the Shimabara side is right next to Shimabara-ko Station, the last stop on the Shimabara Railway. So I took the first ferry over to Shimabara in the morning and got on the Shimabara Railway. On the Kumamoto side, however, there was no way to get to the ferry terminal, so I took a cab. A large paper timetable contains information on express buses and sea routes in addition to railroads. In particular, the route information is included in the index map at the beginning of the timetable, so it is easy to find the route. It may be good to use a different mode once in a while for a change of pace.
Combining Station Rent-a-Car for Local Legs Cars are the best for freedom and mobility. However, when you are far away, it is time-consuming and tiring to drive by yourself. And gasoline is expensive these days. This is where the JR Group’s “Rail & Car Rental Ticket” comes in. The ticket is for a one-way, round-trip, or continuous trip, and the operating kilometer must be 201 km or more by rail, and the car rental service is limited to JR Station Rent-a-Car. Instead, the advantage is that both train and limited express tickets are discounted, with some exceptions. In particular, when renting a car at a Shinkansen station, the further away the destination, the more advantageous both “discount” and “speed” become. It is unfortunate that the discount does not apply to express fares for the “Nozomi” and “Mizuho” trains. To use the service, first secure a car by selecting “Rail & Rent-a-Car Reservation” on the Station Rent-a-Car website. Using the reservation number issued there, the passenger then goes to the “Midori-no-madoguchi” ticket counter at the station, asks for a Rail & Rent-a-Car ticket, and purchases a train ticket and a limited express ticket. This “Rail & Rent-a-Car Ticket” is very useful in situations such as when going on a photo trip to a remote area. However, recently, the “Midori-no-Madoguchi” has been closed one after another, so it has become somewhat difficult to use this service. Some so-called “Otoku na Kippu” tickets or JR East’s “Eki-net” also offer discounts for station car rentals, depending on the product.
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