Ms.Cheng

Hi Cheng,

I think one option could be to focus the first part of your trip around the Kansai Area (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe), then use a 7 day JR Pass and do the long and expensive trips such as to Hiroshima, Himeji and Tokyo and finally stay in Tokyo where different local options are available. Then covering any additional travel with the 7 day JR Pass only adds more to your savings.

The JR Pass works best for the longer intercity routes. Travel on local JR lines in cities like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka are included but other transport like the metro and buses run by other companies are not included.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Hi Daniel,
Will JR local line will be sufficient to travel within Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe? Do I need to buy the local pass lines to reach different area? I will be living at Buena Vista Nama Minami 204. Will the JR line reach this hotel? Can tell me how to get to this hotel by Jr pass?
Thanks again Daniel-san

Hi again,

It will cover most Osaka and Tokyo but you may still need local transport to reach some areas. In Kyoto there are JR lines in the south and west side of the city but you would need other transport for the east and north.
Nara can be explored all on foot. Kobe can centrally be accessed via JR Sannomiya station but there too you may need additional transport depending on what you want to see/do. Your hotel looks to be closely JR-Namba station.

That said, you will make good savings using the JR Pass in the scenario I mentioned in my first post.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Do you mean once we land on Tokyo we immediate buy a JR pass right a way to travel from Tokyo to Osaka? How many days should we buy? we will first stay in Osaka for 4 days then Kyoto for 4 days, Nara 1 day, Kobe may be 2 days if we have time we might travel to Hiroshima. On April 30 we will travel to Tokyo by Jr line again. Then we only have 2 days left to use for Jr pass in Tokyo if I buy 14 days pass. Do you think we should used the rest of the two days to travel to Hakone and outlet. I am staying at The Grand Palace Hotel for 6 days in Tokyo. Where we can buy the local pass for 4 days? How can we travel from the Grand Palace Hotel to the airport on our last day?