Starting Point

If you want to orient your landing airport to this sanctuary visit, the following three airports are the ones that usually make sense to fly in:

• Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT)
• Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)
• Sendai Airport (SDJ) <– International flights only from within Asia (Taipei, Seoul, Shanghai, Peiking)

Means of Transportation to Karumai

For transportation to Karumai, you have two options.

• High-speed train + local bus
• Night bus

How to Choose?

To help you compare these locations in terms of flight ticket price vs. time it takes to get to Karumai, here are some rough ideas:

• Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) -> Karumai
  • Bullet train option = ca. 17500 yen [ca. USD$165]
    Total time 6 hr (Time in vehicle: 4 hr), 3 transfers.
    (Excl. cost for staying overnight if you arrive after the final bus to Karumai)
  • Night bus option = ca. 11000 yen [ca. USD$100]
    Total time 9 hr (Time in vehicle: 9 hr), 1 -2 transfers getting onto night bus, then direct night bus to Karumai.
    Arrives around 6 AM.

• Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) -> Karumai
  • Bullet Train option = ca. 18500 yen [ca. USD$175]
    Total time 6.5 hr (Time in vehicle: 4.5 hr), 2 – 3 transfers
    (Excl. cost for staying overnight if you arrive after the final bus to Karumai)
  • Night bus option = ca. 11500 yen [ca. USD$105]
    Total time 9.5 hr (Time in vehicle: 9 hr), 2 transfers getting onto night bus, then direct night bus to Karumai.
    Arrives around 6 AM.

• Sendai Airport (SDJ) -> Karumai
  • Bullet Train option = ca. 10500 yen [ca. USD$95]
    Total time 4.5 hr (Time in vehicle: 2.5 hr), involves 2 transfers
    (Excl. cost for staying overnight if you arrive after the final bus to Karumai)
  • No night bus option.

For people traveling into Japan from outside of Asia and have not yet explored Tokyo much, I would recommend choosing Tokyo as the airport to fly in and out. It makes your exploration of Tokyo easier, and the large amount of flights in Tokyo will allow you to find alternative options more easily in case you miss a flight or in case typhoons (common in summer) changes any of your flights. Haneda is closer to Tokyo city center, while Narita usually has more (=cheaper + more possibility for alternatives) flights.

As mentioned in a separate post, buses leading to Karumai from its nearest bullet train station Ninohe are not frequent and ends every day around 19:30 already. This might require you to stay overnight or consider the night bus option if you can’t make it.

Tip: Consider getting Tohoku JR Pass

As its official name as “JR East Pass (Tohoku area)” can lead to confusion with some other similar-named JR Pass, I shall here refer to this JR Pass as “Tohoku JR Pass.”

The Tohoku JR Pass is the JR Pass that focuses on Northeast Japan, especially the Iwate region where you’ll be in. Like all JR Pass, it is only available for purchase for foreign traveler by showing your passport at designated purchase counters.

• Tohoku JR Pass Price: ca. 20000 yen [ca. USD$185] per adult
• Validity: Any 5 days within a 14-day period
• Can be obtained at counters at Tokyo Narita Airport, Tokyo Haneda Airport, Sendai Airport, some places in Tokyo city center, Sendai city center. (*)

For your journey to Karumai, the Tohoku JR Pass will cover the cost for all the following, making it a very economical choice for visitors to make full use of your precious time in Japan with bullet trains:

• Bullet trains between Tokyo <–> Ninohe
  (ca. 16000 yen [ca. USD$150] one way)
• Bullet trains between Sendai <–> Ninohe
  (ca. 8500 yen [ca. USD$80] one way)
• Bus between Ninohe <–> Karumai
  (ca. 1100 yen [ca. USD$10] one way)
• Bus between Karumai <–> Kindaichi Onsen
  (ca. 900 yen [ca. USD$8] each one-way)
• Bus between Kindaichi Onsen <–> Ninohe
  (ca. 500 yen [ca. USD$4] each one-way)
• Train between Tokyo Airport <–> Tokyo city center
  ( ca. 750 – 1100 yen [ca. USD $8 – $10] one way, Haneda or Narita)

• Sendai Airport to Sendai City Center
• Within Sendai City Center
  (Tohoku JR Pass not very useful in Sendai City Center, as there is not much JR coverage to important tourist spots.)

See Tohoku JR Pass’ official website for more detail.

If you are traveling to other parts of Japan, it could be interesting for you to purchase a national version of JR Pass to cover the complete Japan, instead of the Tohoku version which only covers the Northeast region.

(*) Notes concerning JR Pass ticket pickup:

• Be sure to check whether their opening times and closing times fit your itinerary. Some places close as early as 18:00.
• Some counters accept ONLY CASH, e.g. the Sendai Airport counter where we were at. There’s a currency exchange machine next by which you can exchange using credit cards, but we didn’t try. It seems to also be possible to pay already first online using credit cards; however, you have to visit the counter physically to pick up the actual ticket with your receipt. It’s not possible to avoid physically visiting their counter, as their staff needs to personally check your passport information.

Transportation Planning App

Use “Ninohe Eki Mae{JR Bus Tohoku}” as station name when planning around Ninohe. Using just “Ninohe” will lead to the system telling you to take a very long detour via Hachinohe which is truly not necessary.

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