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Which JR pass for our Japan travels?

Sarah&Bobby
Sarah&Bobby
about 10 years ago
10 responses

Hi there!

We need help in deciding whether or not we should be getting a JR Pass for our 2 week holiday in Japan. I know that there is a 7 or 14 day pass, but which would be better. 14 days to cover all travel or 7 days and paying for a few individual train fares. Our travel plans:

21 April - arrive Narita airport at 19:00hrs - travel to Tokyo
22, 23, 24 April - travel in and around Tokyo
25 April - travel Tokyo to Kyoto
26 April - Kyoto
27 April - day trip to Nara
28 April - travel Kyoto to Osaka
29, 30 April - Osaka (maybe a day trip to Mt Koya)
1 May - travel Osaka to Hiroshima
2 May- Hiroshima
3 May - travel Hiroshima to Miyajima
4 May - travel Miyajima to Hamamatsuu, stop for a few hours, then continue to Hakone.
5 May - travel Hakone to Narita airport for a 7pm departure.

Additionally, are there lockers at Hamamatsu to store luggage for a few hours?
What train time would you recommend leaving Hakone to arrive at Narita airport at approximately 4:30pm?

Any assistance you can provide will be much appreciated!!!

Thank you,

Sarah & Bobby

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
about 10 years ago
Expert

Hi Sarah and Bobby,

I checked your route to see what JR Pass would fit your itinerary best and I think that a 14 day JR Pass would be the best option for you. The JR Pass is best used for travel on the Shinkansen and longer distances, in your itinerary this is travel to Kyoto, Hiroshima, Hamamatsu and Hakone. The period between the 29th of April and 5th of May is where most of your expansive travel is located and a 7 day JR Pass would help you make great savings. The only question remaining is: if upgrading to a 14 day JR Pass would be worth it. I think so, here is why:The difference in price between the 7 day and 14 day JR Pass is ¥ 16,800 a one way ticket Tokyo - Kyoto is ¥ 13,420, so you'd just need an other ¥ 3,380 in travel for the upgrade to pay of and this is easily done with travel to Nara and Osaka.

Every station in Japan is equipped with lockers including Hamamatsu and storing your luggage for a couple of ours should be no problem at all. There are even lockers available that can store a full suitcase.

For travel to Narita, I think that you would want to arrive at leave 2 hours in advance so say 14:30. The route from Odawara station takes about 110 minutes using the Shinkansen and Narita Express (covered by the JR Pass). HERE is an example itinerary for you to consider. Feel free to change to time at the bottom of the page as needed.

Hope this helps!
Daniel


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