6.2 Updating Travel Wisdom: Shattering the “Shinkansen Myth”#

Transport costs in Japan are notoriously high. Take taxis, for example: two thousand yen (approx. HK$100) often won’t get you very far. If you want to charter a car for a day, expect to pay several thousand Hong Kong dollars—it’s a common standard. Public transport isn’t exactly cheap either, a concept that might be hard for friends back home to imagine. Consider this: a Shinkansen ride from Tokyo to Osaka takes only two to three hours, but a standard reserved seat ticket costs over 15,000 yen (approx. HK$750).

Fortunately, JR offers discounts for foreign tourists. By purchasing a JR Pass (Rail Pass), you can enjoy unlimited rides within a designated area for a set number of days. For this trip, we bought the “Sanyo-San’in Area Pass” at 23,000 yen per person (approx. HK$1,200), valid for seven days. Our strategy was simple: activate it immediately upon arrival to cover the long-distance travel from Okayama to Izumo and finally to Kobe. For the last few days in Kobe, we would switch to paying per ride.

The Trap of the “New” (Shin) Station#

After years of traveling in Japan, we had grown accustomed to the “JR Pass + Shinkansen” mode of movement, always planning our itineraries around high-speed rail. Unexpectedly, this “veteran experience” nearly caused us to “fall into a trap” in Kobe.

When booking our hotel, I specifically chose a location in the city center (near Chinatown), which looked close to both the subway and JR stations on the map. However, upon arrival, we realized that getting from the Shinkansen’s “Shin-Kobe Station” to our hotel via public transport was incredibly convoluted.

Travelers should pay close attention to the character “Shin” (New) in station names. In Japan (and indeed globally), high-speed rail stations are often built in suburbs or near mountains to accommodate straight tracks. “Shin-Kobe Station” is a prime example: situated at the foot of a mountain, it sits at an awkward distance from the bustling city center (Sannomiya and Motomachi).

Upon first arriving, considering our heavy luggage, we opted for a taxi. The fare was over 2,000 yen—not astronomical, but it triggered a worrying thought: Would we have to take a taxi to switch to the Shinkansen every single day for our upcoming trips to Osaka?

The Lesson from Google Maps and the Discovery of “Special Rapid”#

Once settled, we decided to visit Osaka. Out of habit, I opened Google Maps to find public transport to “Shin-Kobe Station.” The navigation suggested walking to the nearby “Kencho-mae Station” to catch the subway. The map showed it was only a few hundred meters away, so I thought it would be a breeze.

As it turned out, that short distance was a relentless uphill climb accompanied by numerous flights of stairs. For my wife, who suffers from knee issues, this was torture. Although she gritted her teeth and made it through, we knew we could absolutely not do that again.

This lesson forced me to re-examine our route options. After digging deeper, I had an epiphany: in the Kansai region, there is a train service called “Special Rapid”.

Running on conventional lines (Zairaisen), these trains may not match the top speed of the Shinkansen, but they make very few stops and are surprisingly fast.

• Shinkansen: Shin-Kobe → Shin-Osaka: approx. 13 minutes (1,520 yen). Cons: Requires extra time and taxi fare to get to the remote station.
• Special Rapid: Kobe/Sannomiya (City Center) → Osaka Station (City Center): approx. 21 minutes (420 yen).

Although the ride is 8 minutes longer, it saves the hassle of transferring and takes you directly from city center to city center. Best of all, the fare is a fraction of the Shinkansen price.

It was a real wake-up call. The “Special Rapid” service has existed for years; it wasn’t some new invention. I had simply been so reliant on my habit of “taking the Shinkansen for long distances” that I automatically filtered out other options. This trip to Kobe truly updated my mental travel database: for short hops within Kansai, forget the Shinkansen—the “Special Rapid” is the superior choice.