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Which ticket should I buy to fit in my 9 days itinerary in Japan?

Lisa
Lisa
over 10 years ago
8 responses

Hi there,

We are going to Japan in 3 weeks and tossed up which pass should we buy as we are going more than 7 days, here is our itinerary below:

Arrive in Tokyo at 7am and will be staying in Shinjuku for 4 nights but would like to visit Mt Fuji for 1 day (possible the 3rd day). Then we will be going to Kyoto for 4 nights and heading to Osaka for 1 night before leaving Japan for Seoul.

Because of the 9 days trip , should I buy the 7 days pass but do not use it until the 3rd day and buy suica card when I arrive at Narita airport then top up again or is there a better way you suggest us to buy the tickets more sufficient for our itinerary?

Also, could you please help us how to get to Mt Fuji quickly to minimise travelling time as we only intend to spend 1 day there?
Thank you so much your help in advance!!

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 10 years ago
Expert

Hi there!

The JR Pass is pretty amazing if you wish to make trips on the Shinkansen and other limited express trains and quickly pays of if you make a return Tokyo Kyoto/Osaka for instance. I read that you will just go one way, so with that in mind I would suggest sticking with normal tickets (unless you are flying to Seoul from Tokyo).

As for Fuji, the fastest way there is by highway express bus from either Tokyo or Shinjuku station, a bus will generally cost around 1,700 yen /one way and get you in the area in about 120 minutes. I would recommend reading this article about traveling to Fuji.

Have a great time in Japan!
-Daniel

Lisa
Lisa
8 posts
over 10 years ago

Thank you so much Daniel.

But I still have to commute around Tokyo , Kyoto and Osaka. Could you suggest me type of tickets I should buy for 4 days in Tokyo, 4 days in Kyoto and 1 day in Osaka(including from Kyoto to Osaka) . Any idea the costing of these tickets so we can compare the normal tickets vs 7 days JR pass.

Cheers,

Lisa

Lisa
Lisa
8 posts
over 10 years ago

Sorry Daniel, one more thing that we need to commute from Tokyo to Kyoto as well. In this case you think is it still better of to buy JR pass?

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 10 years ago
Expert

Hi Lisa,

Yes I would certainly recommend buying a JR Pass, if you make a return Tokyo Kyoto or visa-versa. You would be sure to make some good savings with both the return and local travel around, Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
For reference, there are multiple day tickets available to travel around the capital. My favorite is the Tokyo Metro Day Pass, which is just 710 yen and allows for unlimited travel for one day.

You can find more information about regional tickets here.

Enjoy!
Daniel

Lisa
Lisa
8 posts
over 10 years ago

Thanks again Daniel.

We are not returning to Tokyo from Kyoto, just one way from Tokyo to Kyoto by bullet train and one way from Kyoto to Osaka. But definitely need a return ticket from Tokyo to Mt Fuji. Do we still need JR Pass?

Cheers,

Lisa

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 10 years ago
Expert

Hi Lisa!

Sorry I thought that you meant that you would return to Kyoto.
I would recommend buying just normal tickets for one way Kyoto - Tokyo, even if you wish to visit Fuji.

Fuji is reached by express bus / private train, so a JR Pass would not be very helpful here.
Here is more information on how to get to Fuji by Bus.

Cheers 'n Beers!
Daniel

Lisa
Lisa
8 posts
over 10 years ago

Just one more thing Daniel, where can I buy one way ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto by bullet train and how much does it cost? Do I have to reserve the seat and pay extra or I have a choice for non reserved seat ?

It would be very helpful if you could send me the link with more information how to buy Shinkansen ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto.

Many thanks!!
Lisa

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 10 years ago
Expert

Hi Lisa!

A one way trip between Tokyo and Kyoto is about ¥ 13,720. You can buy tickets at any JR station throughout Japan, either in advance or up to 10 minutes before departure. You can travel by reserved or non-reserved seat. You can save a little by taking a non reserved seat but I would only do so outside of the weekend.

Here's a link to the route in Hyperdia!

I hope this helps!
Daniel

Lisa
Lisa
8 posts
over 10 years ago

Hi Daniel,

Sorry to bother you again but I need your advice the ticket from Shinjuku to Kansai Airport but stop over in Kyoto for 4 days(2 Sep to 6 Sep) then Osaka for 1 day(6 Sep) and then go to Kansai Airporton 7 Sep. From hyperdia web site it cost me Yen 16,120( fare is 9,560 Yen, seat 6,560 Yen) and distance is 613.4km. I heard that the long distance ticket can be used in multiple days. For instance if the distance is 601km-800km , it is valid for 5 days.

Therefore, can I use this ticket to stop in Kyoto, Osaka and Kansai for the above mentioned dates?

If I would like to go to Kyoto-Kobe-Kyoto, what ticket should I buy what station should I get on at Kyoto and Kobe and how much it would cost for the return ticket ?

In Kyoto, what kind of ticket should I buy to explore Kyoto city for 4 days? Bus or metro?

Finally in Osaka what kind of ticket should I buy to explore Osaka city for 1 day ? Bus or metro?

Thank you so much for your time again Daniel!

Lisa

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 10 years ago
Expert

Hi Lisa,

Where did you read about tickets beeing valid for 5 days if your route is over 600KM? This is actually new for me, as I've not read about that before. I don't think it matter much in any event, as travel around Kansai is pretty cheap, so you could just buy a ticket Tokyo - Osaka and buy the other tickets when you travel (this is about the same price).

In Kyoto go for the one day bus ticket which is just 500Yen and will get you anywhere in the city. This is the most economic way of exploring Kyoto (except for walking).

There's only one real station in Kyoto, which is Kyoto station. Here you can take a direct train to Sannomiya (the centre station of Kobe). A one way ticket is ¥ 1,050, I don't think that you will need a special pass here but you could buy the Kansai Area 1 day Pass which would save you 100 yen over the cost of a return.

You could consider the a Osaka Unlimited Pass for Osaka if you wish to do a lot of sightseeing there. I would recommend sticking to the JR Network / Metro in Osaka as it is the best way to get around the city.

Hope you find this information useful!
Daniel

Lisa
Lisa
8 posts
over 10 years ago

Hi Daniel,

Below is a link from an article I read from JP Rail forum:
http://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/for-non-jr-pass-travellers-guide-to-use-jr-single-ticket-basic-rules-validity-and-stopover.html

For non JR pass travellers. Guide to use JR single ticket, basic rules, validity and stopover
JPRail | 4th Jul 2013 | 2 Comments

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Typical JR ticket is like this.
I have received many inquiries about Tokyo-Osaka one way trip. I always recommend to use single ticket for long distance transfer. like from Tokyo to Kyoto, Tokyo to Osaka or Osaka to Nagoya. Because it is cheaper than Japan Rail Pass 7 days pass. I wrote about fare calculation before. But I think it is not enough. I need to explain much more about JR single ticket rule. It is very complicated for the tourists from oversea. But you don’t need to understand everything. If you understand some basic rules, single ticket is more useful and it may save your cost.

In this post, I show you some basic rules of single ticket for long distance transfer and how to use and purchase it.
How to purchase it
Simply you can purchase it at the station. In major stations, you can purchase it at even vending machine. Especially when you purchase a ticket for short distance transfer, vending machine is the easiest. But ticket window is easier to purchase a llong distance ticket for the travellers.

If you want to take express trains, you have to purchase express surcharge ticket too. Even if you want to take non reserved seat on limited express, you have to purchase it. Both reserved and non reserved ticket for limited express (Shinkansen as well) can be purchased at “Midori no Madoguchi”. Midori no Madoguchi is the name of JR reservation window. You can purchase base fare ticket at Midori no Madoguchi too. Please get the detail about reservation at the post, “How to reserve the train seat of Japan Railway. Is Online reservation available for Japan Rail Pass user?“.

Base fare ticket can be purchased any station where station staff is on duty. Don’t worry about station staff. There are many unstaffed station in rural area. In major cities and major stations, there are station staff. Even if you take a train at unstaffed station, you can purchase it from the conductor in the train.

How to get a fare
As I wrote the post, Guide to plan your trip. Fare Calculation, you can get it at Hyperdia easily.

Click to enlarge.
As you see above capture image of Hyperdia, you can get base fare and seat fare (includes surcharge). In this image, total fare is the following:

Base fare – 9560 yen
Shinkansen Nozomi (Tokyo – Shin-Osaka) – 5740 yen (reserved seat)
Ltd Exp Haruka (Shin-Osaka – Kansai airport) – 820 yen (reserved seat)
Total – 16120 yen

The price of Japan Rail Pass 7 days ordinary is 28300 yen. Total single fare is more than 10000 yen cheaper than 7 days pass price. This is the reason why I recommend to use single fare for Tokyo – Osaka one way transfer.

Validity
Please see the above capture image of Hyperdia again. You also can find a distance at Hyperdia. This is a key to use single ticket. Actually long distance ticket can be used in multiple days.

Distance Valid days
101 – 200 km 2 days
201 – 400 km 3 days
401 – 600 km 4 days
601 – 800 km 5 days
801 – 1000 km 6 days

•From 1001 km and up, add 1 day every 200 km. •If you travel more than 101 km but it is in Tokyo or Osaka zone only, ticket valid in one day only. So in above capture image, distance is 613.4km. This ticket valid in 5 days.

Stopover
You can stopover as many as you want. Of course you cannot go back. Once you start to travel, you have to go forward. You have to care only one thing. When you depart/arrive to travel at the following areas, you cannot stopover in same areas.

•Sapporo •Sendai •Tokyo 23 wards •Tokyo Yamanote line •Yokohana •Nagoya •Kyoto •Osaka •Kobe •Hiroshima •Kitakyushu •Fukuoka These areas are same as city limit. I show you some examples.

  1. Above ticket (Tokyo – Kansai Airport)
    You can NOT – Stopover at anywhere in Tokyo 23 wards. For example, after you start to travel from Tokyo, you cannot stopover at Shinagawa.
    You can – Stopover at Kyoto, Osaka and anywhere outside of Tokyo 23 wards.
    By the way, you can start to travel from anywhere in Tokyo 23 wards.

  2. Ticket from Narita airport to Osaka
    You can NOT – Stopover at anywhere in Osaka city. For example, you cannot stopover at Shin-Osaka. Once you exit at any stations in Osaka city, your ticket will be expired right away.
    You can – Stopover at Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagoya and anywhere outside of Osaka city.
    By the way, when you travel through Tokyo downtown core, ticket will be calculated by the shortest route. For example, most typical route from Narita to Osaka via Tokyo, via Tokyo station and Shinagawa station. But if you want to go to Osaka via Akihabara and Shinjuku, you can take this route and stopover.

Sample ideas
Please see above capture image of Hyperdia again. If you use this ticket, you can do the following itinerary.

Day 1 Tokyo – Kyoto (Stopover at Kyoto)
Day 2 Kyoto (no use single ticket)
Day 3 Kyoto – Osaka (Stopover at Osaka)
Day 4 One day trip to Kobe (purchase another single ticket.)
Day 5 Osaka – Kansai airport

When you arrive in Tokyo, you can use other deals, such as Suica & N’ex. And you have 5 days after you finish to see Tokyo. If you add Suica & N’ex one way ticket, total amount is 19620 yen. It is about 9000 yen cheaper than JR Pass 7 days.

I believe this is the perfect solution for Tokyo – Osaka one way travellers.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IS IT CORRECT?
Thanks
Lisa

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
over 10 years ago
Expert

Hi Lisa,

I believe it is correct but as the post your linked says '' no stop over are allowed in -Kyoto -Osaka -Kobe. So it would not work for your plan.

What I would recommend is buying a single ticket Tokyo - Osaka and an other ticket when you travel from Osaka - Kansai Airport. This way you won't have to spend anything extra.

Lisa
Lisa
8 posts
over 10 years ago

Thanks so much for your help Daniel


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