Planning JR Pass

Hi there,

A 7-day pass in combination with regular rail tickets most likely suits you best, and you're more likely to save money doing so. Alternatively, since your trip is 13 days, you could opt for a 14-day pass as well, which lets you make additional day-trips and visits to other places (or perhaps other hiking trails!) and may make overall planning easier.

For more info on alternative destinations using your JR Pass, click here:

https://www.jrpass.com/destinations

Hope this helps!

Alexis

Hi Alexis,

Great, thank you so much!
Do you need the JR pass in Tokyo and to go to Nikko aswel?

If I understand it right, what I need would be:
- Osaka - Tokyo Hokuriku Arch pass (5 days) - Kansai wide pass (5 days) - Kansai - Hiroshima pass (5 days)

Or:
- Pass in tokyo - Nikko Pass - 7 day JR pass - Kansai - Hiroshima pass (5 days)

Is that right?

Hi there,

The Arch Pass won't cover travel to and from Nikko. Therefore, the second option is better, a 7-Day JR Pass and then a 5-day Kansai Hiroshima Pass.

This also suits you better than using the Arch Pass as it lets you take the Shinkansen to Kyoto from Nikko. Take the JR Nikko line to Utsunomiya, there you can get on the Shinkansen to Tokyo station. At Tokyo station change for a train bound for Kyoto. The full route will take around 5 hours, including transfer time.

For more info on the Kansai-Hiroshima Pass, click below:

https://www.jrpass.com/regional-passes/kansai-hiroshima-area-pass#regional_pass_type

In terms of Tokyo, the JR Pass lets you board the central Metro Yamanote Line, but if you want to board privately-owned metro trains in Tokyo you'll have to look into a Suica or equivalent prepaid card. This may not be completely necessary as the Yamanote line includes most central areas of Tokyo, such as Shibuya, Shinjuku etc.

Hope this helps!

Alexis