Hi,
I will traveling to Japan with my family in middle of July for 7 days. We will be staying in Shinjuku and will spend most of our time exploring Tokyo. However we plan on taking a day trip to Hakone (leave Tokyo early morning for Hakone & return the same night) so I wasn't sure if a 7 day JR pass was worth it.
Questions:
1) We were thinking of taking the RomanceCar from Shinjuku to Hakone mainly because it seems like the quickest way to travel and also because we won't have to switch trains. Is this a good idea or do you recommend getting off at Odawara to visit the castle and then travel to Hakone using the Hakone Free Pass? Since we are only doing a day trip to Hakone I wanted to make sure we saw the best parts.
2) Is the RomanceCar fare covered by the 7 days JR pass? Is there another way to get to Odawara that is covered by the JR pass?
3) Other than Hakone, we will spend our 7 days exploring sites in Tokyo at a relaxed pace. Should we get a 7 day JR pass or is there a more economical way for us to use the rail system? We will mainly want to take the rail everywhere we go since my daughter cannot walk very far due to issues with her legs.
Thanks for your help.
Neil