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Should JR pass is cheaper than buying individual tickets

shlomoh
shlomoh
over 11 years ago
1 response

Pls. you advise - I have two travel routes which I would like your advise if JP pass is better/cheaper solution over individual tickets. Both are similar but a bit different in days and the first end at Tokyo Narita APT and the second ends at Osaka APT.

First route:
Day 1: Narita/Tokyo APT > Tokyo
Days 1-7: Tokyo - 7 days internal at Tokyo
Day 7: Tokyo > Hakone
Day 8-9: Hakone 2 - internal - Travel pass ?
Day 9: Hakone > Kyoto
Days 9-14: Kyoto + Nara
Day 14: Kyoto > Hiroshima
Days 14-17: Hiroshima
Day 17: Hiroshima > Takayama
Days 17-19: Takayama
Day 19; Takayama > Narita/Tokyo APT

Second Route:
Day 1: Narita/Tokyo APT > Tokyo
Days 1-6: Tokyo - 6 days internal at Tokyo
Day 6: Tokyo > Hakone
Day 7-8: Hakone 2 - internal - Travel pass ?
Day 8: Hakone > Kyoto
Days 8-13: Kyoto + Nara
Day 13: Kyoto > Hiroshima
Days 14-16: Hiroshima
Day 16: Hiroshima > Takayama
Days 16-17: Takayama
Day 17: Takayama > Nagoya
Days 17-20; Nagoya
day 20: Nagoya > Osaka-APT

Other que - maybe it's good to have Tokyo with daily or weekly pass and than activate the JR-Pass for ~2 weeks ?

Thank you very much in advance,
Shlomo H.

avatar
mari
1950 posts
over 11 years ago
Expert

Hi there,

As you'll be in Tokyo for the first 6-7 days, for this period I recommend you use a [Narita Express + Suica prepaid metro card package] purchased at Narita on arrival. This will get you into town and give you ¥1500 of free metro or JR travel, allowing you to explore the city. You can also purchase unlimited metro passes at Narita for ¥980 for 2 days if needed.

As your first 7 days will be covered, lets compare your 2 routes from when you leave Tokyo to a 14 day pass cost (¥45,100):

Route 1

  1. Tokyo > Odawara: ¥3840, (35mins, 83km)
  2. Odawara > Kyoto: ¥11950, (160mins, 429km)
  3. Kyoto > Nara: ¥690, (44mins, 41km)
  4. Nara > Kyoto: ¥690, (44mins, 41km)
  5. Kyoto > Hiroshima: ¥10990, (112mins, 380km)
  6. Hiroshima > Takayama: ¥16110, (317mins, 694km)
  7. Takayama > Narita airport terminal 1: ¥16300, (350mins, 611km)

JR ticket cost: ¥60570 for 7 legs

  • 14 day rail pass (¥45,100) saving: ¥15470

Route 2

  1. Tokyo > Odawara: ¥3840, (35mins, 83km)
  2. Odawara > Kyoto: ¥11950, (160mins, 429km)
  3. Kyoto > Nara: ¥690, (44mins, 41km)
  4. Nara > Kyoto: ¥690, (44mins, 41km)
  5. Kyoto > Hiroshima: ¥10990, (112mins, 380km)
  6. Hiroshima > Takayama: ¥16110, (317mins, 694km)
  7. Takayama > Nagoya: ¥5670, (145mins, 166km)
  8. Nagoya > Kansai airport: ¥7970, (113mins, 247km)

JR ticket cost: ¥57910 for 8 legs

  • 14 day rail pass (¥45,100) saving: ¥12810

Recommendations

As you can see, both routes will give you good savings with a 14 day Japan Rail Pass. Please note that for Hakone you'll need to get to Odawara on the JR bullet train, and from here use non-JR Fujikyu lines up to Hakone itself. I recommend the Hakone Free Pass for this, available for purchase at Odawara station on arrival.

You can look up precise train timetables and costs at the Hyperdia travel planning website and learn how to use Hyperdia for JR Pass holders through our video blog.

Hope this helps!


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