3 weeks Japan

Hi Ellen,

A 7 day rail pass is ¥28,300, so you need to spend more than that on individual tickets for it to be worthwhile.

Travel around and between the Kansai and Tokai sights at the start of your trip is surprisingly cheap (Nagoya to Osaka is ¥5,980, and travel to Kyoto/Nara from Osaka is ¥500-1000), so I'd not recommend a rail pass for this portion.

Looking at your plans, it may only be worth buying a 7 rail pass for use from the 30th-5th if you can travel up to Sapporo by train on the 5th. In that case your rail fees will be ¥35,890 (¥13,020 for Kyoto-Tokyo + ¥22,870 for Tokyo-Sapporo) and so at ¥28,300 it will be better for you to buy a 7 day rail pass.

I noticed you plan on flying back to Nagoya however, so maybe you're planning on flying up to Sapporo as well?

Hope this helps!

Dear Mari,

Thank very much for your reply. It helped a lot.
We have changed our plans a bit so that it will be worthwile buying a 7 day rail pass;
I have noticed though, that when ordering the pass, the date of use is asked.
Does that mean that I already have to decide what the first day of my pass will be?
I thought the pass was valid from the first day you use it.

And another question is, when I order the pass before Monday, when do you think it will arrive in Belgium?
Thank you once again for your help.

Ellen

Hi Ellen,

The date of use asked for is just as a guide. You can exchange your rail pass anytime within 3 months of purchase (and then choose to activate it any time up to a further 1 month from the exchange date).

If you order your pass before 12pm today, we should dispatch it to arrive in Belgium by Tuesday. Please note that someone must be available to sign for the FedEx delivery.

Hope this helps!