Worth getting pass or seperate tickets?

Hi Kristy!

The JR Pass is great if you can use it to cover your long distance with it, for instance a return Tokyo - Osaka will quickly pay off. Since there's more than a 7 day gap between your travel to Koya (via Osaka) and back to Tokyo, I do think that it would be better to buy normal tickets as you travel.

To travel to Koya-san, take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin Osaka (¥ 14,050/covered by the JR Pass), take a local train to Shin-Imamiya station (¥ 160/covered by the JR Pass) and from there board the Nankai Ltd. Exp. to Gokurakubashi (the station for Koya san, ¥ 850/not covered by the JR Pass).

Hope this helps!
Daniel

Thanks Daniel, that's great. I don't speak Japanese, is it difficult to get served at railway stations in English or can you easily use ticket machines? Cheers!

Hi Again!

Most stations have an map with place names written in English with the corresponding fare's. Also most major stations such as Tokyo and Kyoto have a special English speaking ticket desk, which is a great help if you want to buy special tickets, like bullet train tickets. Otherwise just tell the staff something like ''to Osaka please'' and they will show you the price and print the tickets for you.

I hope this helps too!
Daniel

PS: Also see this video guide on how to purchase tickets at a ticket machine.

Perfect thanks so much!!