Order Your JRPass
Back to General Japan Travel

JR pass or not? - 14 days

rainbow612
rainbow612
over 8 years ago
4 responses

Me and my husband arrive in Osaka, Japan on the 15th of August till the 28th of Aug - so about 14 days stay. Ive been to Japan before, and i like rushing through traditional sites, not interested too much, although they are pretty i really want to focus on seeing animals, going to amusement parks and shopping.
I want to first head to:

Osaka Namba - check out dontonburi and around - shopping - 1 day

Okunoshima - short day trip to see the rabbits - maybe half day - shopping in osaka city - 1 day

Osaka - UNiversal studios - Osaka shopping in the city - 1 day

Kyoto - not obsessed with traditional sites, but i did this before really quickly - iwatayama - monkey park - 1 day

Nara - traditional sites and the wild deer - 1 day

Nagoya - castle, shopping, osu - 2 days maybe less

Mt Fuji - sightseeing, amusement park - 1 day

Tokyo - Disney Sea, Joypolis Tokyo, Akihabara - 3 days

Tokyo to Osaka - flight home

I might spend extra days in other places - see how it goes

I want to know if anyone can suggest a travel pass, should i get the JR pass, not sure if its worth it, any suggestions?

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 8 years ago
Expert

Hello there,

I checked your itinerary and had a look at possible options for train tickets/passes. I recommend purchasing a 7 day JR Pass and use it for travel from Osaka - Kyoto - Nara - Nagoya - Tokyo - Osaka. This way you can make very good savings and cover most of your travel with it.

The JR Pass also comes in handy when traveling in Tokyo, travel to Akihabara and Disneyland is both covered.

Looks all good if you ask me, let me know if there's any part you'd like feedback on.

Hope this helps!
Daniel

rainbow612
rainbow612
4 posts
over 8 years ago

Hi, thanks for the response, i see what your saying but then doesnt that only give me 1 day in each of those places? I really wanted to stay in Nagoya for 2 nights. Can you explain how thats works with my itinerary, i want to make this holiday as cost effective as possible.

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 8 years ago
Expert

Hi again!

The most expensive travel is Kyoto - Nagoya - Tokyo - Osaka. If you can cover at least this, then you can make good savings. So you could either start using the JR Pass later or spend a bit less time in Nagoya.

While Nagoya is great for shopping most tourists don't really like it as much as other bigger cities in Japan. I think you could just spend 1 day there or even drop it entirely since you'll be in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo as well.

If planning allows it, I would also try to cover travel to the rabbit island with the JR Pass. Because this is also on of the more pricey trips.

Osaka, Kyoto and Nara are all close together, so you would not have to use the JR Pass there.

rainbow612
rainbow612
4 posts
over 8 years ago

I see, so i will try to make it all fit. I was in Nagoya last year and really liked it, i want to base myself there and travel to Tokyo and back, and Mt Fuji and back, is this practical? It prob isn't, but i guess the question is it manageable?

Is the JRpass consecutive days or any 7 days? So i mean, once its activated, the clock starts ticking?

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 8 years ago
Expert

Hi again!

Yes the JR Pass is consecutive! I must say that I certainly enjoyed parts of Nagoya myself but am also taking feedback from other travelers in mind.

Tokyo and Nagoya are connected directly using the Shinkansen and you could base yourself in Nagoya without much trouble.

Mt. Fuji can also be reached from Nagoya, I recommend making the approach via the Shizuoka area or visit Hakone. However I would not go to the Fuji Five Lakes area (including Kawaguchiko) as there's a lot of travel involved coming from Nagoya.

rainbow612
rainbow612
4 posts
over 8 years ago

In the case that it is consecutive then i am thinking the best way to try to take advantage of this would be to re-shape my itinerary, if i was to purchase 7 day pass then i would change it as shown:
Base myself in Osaka for 5 days, i feel like its a bit rushed though
Day 1 - KIX to Osaka Namba
Day 2 - Kyoto
Day 3 - Universal Studios
Day 4 - Nara
Day 5 - Osaka general sightseeing, Castle, Dontonburi, Amerikamura
Day 6 - Nagoya - activate 7 day pass to from Osaka to Nagoya - shopping, castle, Osu - base myself in Nagoya
Day 7 - Okunoshima
Day 8 - Mt Fuji
Day 9 - Tokyo - Disney Sea
Day 10 - Tokyo - sightseeing in the city
Day 11 - Akihabara
Day 12 - Back to Osaka - 7 day pass expires
Day 13-14 - stay in Osaka - shopping etc

Or with a 14 day pass, i would base myself in Nagoya from Day 3-ish, as i really know that city well and i would feel more comfortable and its cheaper to stay in Nagoya, and i don't mind the back and forth traveling, and its really likely i'll change my mind about when i want to do things, i feel like the 14 day gives that flexibility, but maybe i am being silly, i just feel that if i can base myself in Nagoya, accommodation is cheaper and makes it worth it.....i'm not sure if i have planned the initial days very well, any suggestions? what do u think re the JR pass?

Day 1 - KIX to Osaka - stay in Osaka for 2 nights
Day 2 - Kyoto - sightseeing at night in Osaka
Day 3 - Nara all day - sightseeing at night - luggage storage - head to Nagoya, base myself in Nagoya - activate JR pass 14 days
Day 4 - Nagoya to Okunoshima
Day 5 - Nagoya to Universal Studios, Osaka
Day 6 - Nagoya to Mt Fuji
Day 7 - Nagoya sightseeing, shopping, castle etc
Day 8 - Nagoya, Osu, malls
Day 9 - Nagoya to Tokyo - Disney Sea
Day 10- Nagoya to Tokyo - Akihabara
Day 11 - Nagoya to Tokyo sightseeing around the city
Day 12 - Nagoya to Tokyo - water parks
Day 13 - Nagoya to Osaka - sightseeing, KIX on day 14

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 8 years ago
Expert

Hi there,

The charm of the JR Pass of course is that you don't have to worry about travel costs. So basing yourself in Nagoya and traveling somewhere everyday is a possibility. I don't see any problem with it, as long as you are okay with traveling every day as well.

Option one will give you less distance to cover but maybe higher hotel prices.

Option two will give you one central base but will involve more distance to travel and you have to purchase a 14 day pass instead of a 7 day pass but may have lower accommodation costs and you don't have to move all your luggage as much.

Both options do work it's up to your own preferences I guess.


Looking for more information? Search the forum

Select Category

Instant Quote

Starting from €315.00 for 7 days of unlimited Japan Rail travel

Can’t find the answer?

Learn from over 17329 questions about the Japan Rail Pass, or ask our Japan Rail travel experts

Ask Question

Get pocket Wifi in Japan

Get pocket Wifi in Japan

Visit us on Facebook

Get inspired for your visit to Japan by following us on Instagram and don't forget your own shots once you are there.


Find out where to buy the japan rail pass online.

Order your JRPass Now!

We have special prices for children and great first class options. See all tickets or see our range of Regional Passes