Hello,
My husband and I will be traveling to Japan later this week for a 9-day tour, and are hoping that someone can assist us with figuring which transportation pass to get makes most sense (economical and convenience factors).
Our hotel in Tokyo is by Kinshicho station.
Day 1:
- NRT to Kinshicho station
- Kinshicho station to Shinjuku station (tour around Kabukicho, Golden Gai, Omoide Yokocho
- return to hotel (Kinshicho)
Day 2:
- Tsukiji market
- Shinjuku - Tokyo Metropolitan Govt' Building
- Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
- Chidorigafuchi / Imperial Palace
- possibly Ueno Park if we have time
- Ameyoko Okocho Market
- Akihabara
- return to hotel (Kinshicho)
Day 3:
- Meguro River / Nakameguro
- Yoyogi Park / Meiji Shrine
- Harajuku / Takeshita Dori
- Shibuya
- return to hotel (Kinshicho)
Day 4:
- Kanagawa prefecture for Fujiko Museum
- Asakusa
- Sumida Park
- Minato
- return to hotel (Kinshicho)
Day 5:
- Possible return to Shinjuku
- Ginza
- return to hotel (Kinshicho)
Day 6:
- Tokyo to Hakone (most likely taking the Romancecar from Shinjuku)
Day 7:
- Hakone to Kyoto by Shinkansen
Day 8/9:
- tour around Kyoto (still need to do research on itinerary!!! I know...so last minute too). But I hear bus is a better option around Kyoto? Our hotel is 5 min. walk from the Gion bus stop, near the Yasaka-jinja Shrine.
Day 9:
- Kyoto to KIX airport in Osaka
So we think we have ruled out the 7-day JR pass, since we only have one big trip (between Hakone to Kyoto) if we use the Romancecar to Hakone. What about for all those daily itineraries within Tokyo and Kyoto? Which transportation pass should we go for? Should we get the single ticket, one-day Tokunai JR pass, one-day Tokyo Metro / Toei subway pass, one-day Tokyo metro open ticket, Tokyo Free Kippu (although we're not generally good with bus routes), Toei one-day economy pass, OR the Pasmo / Suica card? And is there a difference between the Pasmo and Suica card, and what transportation modes are available??
Thank you in advance to anyone who can help us out! We are just desperate to figure this out...all those options are way above our heads. Just a reference, we are proficient with subway systems in general (i.e., Hong Kong, New York, Paris) even though it may take us some time initially to figure it out, but we know Tokyo's is very extensive and can be confusing too. In contrast, we are not as good with bus routes, but if there's an easy reference / app to help guide us, it's do-able.