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Can't decide to get a pass or not

kittiefuk
kittiefuk
over 10 years ago
2 responses

I'm conflicted about whether or not I want to get a rail pass. If I do get one, it will be a 7-day pass.

Were flying into Osaka on Nov 11th, and departing from Tokyo on November 24th.

Our tentative plan is to travel from Osaka Airport to Kyoto the day we arrive. We'd like to spend 3 days (min) in Kyoto before activating our pass. We would then travel from Kyoto to Nikko, spend 2 nights, and one full day in Nikko, before heading to Tokyo to complete our trip.

As we travel to Nikko, we'd like (weather permitting) to stop somewhere enroute to get some really great views of Mt Fuji. We were looking at a prolonged afternoon, or an over night in Hakone.

We are considering a possible overnight/afternoon trip to Kobe as well as Osaka. Going to Nara does not interest us.

So the main stops we've been looking at are Kyoto, (possibly Kobe & Osaka), Hakone, Nikko and Tokyo.

I've priced it out and emailed a few travel bloggers who have been to Japan recently and have gotten conflicting advice. Some people say to get one, others say to not bother.

Help!

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 10 years ago
Expert

Hi there!

Whether a JR Pass would work out really depends on the additional travel you may do. The most expensive travel you will do now is Kyoto - Nikko - Tokyo. A one way ticket Kyoto - Nikko is ¥ 17,310 and from Nikko - Tokyo ¥ 5,230 (there are non JR Budget options available too). Odawara (the Shinkansen station for Hakone is just directly on the route and you could take a break and hang around there without having to pay extra costs if you want to resume your trip from there to Nikko later on. Also travel around Kansai, the area where Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe are located is not very pricey (think about 500 - 1000 yen for a one way ride between the cities).

What this all means is that you probably won`t reach the cost price of the 7 day JR Pass (28,300 Yen). The JR Pass would pay of if you where say, return to Osaka after or if you would use it for additional travel, such as going to the Airport. However right now I think your best option may be to just stick with normal tickets.

Let me know what you think!
Daniel


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