14 Day Trip

Oh, also we were thinking of puchasing the 14 day JR pass. Good idea?

Hi there,

Ok, you have a great trip planned! I think you have a good amount of things to do, and could even possibly do more depending on how busy you want to be. Here are some tips:

1. Hiroshima is very reachable from Osaka by Bullet train at 1hr40m each way. If you do travel to Hiroshima, make sure you visit Miyajima off the coast. Ideally staying 1 night on the island.
2. Rather than Sento (which there will be many of in Osaka if you ask your hotel reception), how about a night at an onsen? Kinosaki onsen is around 2hrs by train from Osaka and makes for a great experience.
3. If you're staying in Osaka/Kyoto for a while, how about a night in a buddhist temple at Mt Koya. At 1 hour away from Osaka it would make for a great experience. Also, as it is Buddhist lodgings, the food is strictly vegetarian (and excellent).
4. If you are in Tokyo long enough, how about a trip to the World Heritage site of Nikko (accessible by JR)
5. If you decided to follow your non Hiroshima itinerary then I don't think a 7 day pass would be worthwhile. However, if you do decide to do many of these side trips, then a 7 or even 14 day pass may make sense. If you let me know your finalised itinerary I can let you know if it's economical for you. Otherwise you can look up precise train timetables and costs at the Hyperdia travel planning website and learn how to use Hyperdia for JR Pass holders through our video blog.

Hope this helps!

Ok, finally figured out our itinerary...

Start in Osaka
Hiroshima
Miyajima
Mt Koya
Kyoto
Kinosaki Onsen
Back to Kyoto
Nara
Fuji Area
End in Tokyo

We were thinking of getting the 14 day JR pass. Good idea? Will all these locations be covered under the pass?

Thank you so much, Mari!! You are the best!

Hi there!

Looks like a great trip! The JR Pass will cover all areas except for the trip to Mt Koya for which an additional charge will be necessary from Osaka station and Mt Fuji area (assuming Kawaguchiko) for which an additional charge will be necessary from Otsuki station.

As a 14 day JR Pass is ¥45,100, you'll need to spend more than this on JR tickets for one to be worthwhile. Lets take a look at your costs (assuming arrival at Kansai airport and departure from Narita):

1. Kansai airport > Osaka: ¥2,600 (53mins, 57km)
2. Osaka > Hiroshima: ¥10,150 (104mins, 345km)
3. Hiroshima > Miyajimaguchi: ¥400 (26mins, 21km)
4. Miyajimaguchi > Osaka: ¥10,540 (148mins, 367km)
5. Osaka > Kyoto: ¥540 (29mins, 42km)
6. Kyoto > Kinosakionsen: ¥4,510 (146mins, 158km)
7. Kinosakionsen > Kyoto: ¥4,510 (156mins, 158km)
8. Kyoto > Nara: ¥690 (44mins, 41km)
9. Nara > Otsuki: ¥15,280 (309mins, 603km)
10. Otsuki > Tokyo: ¥2,860 (76mins, 87km)
11. Tokyo > Narita airport terminal 1: ¥3,140 (58mins, 79km)

JR ticket cost: ¥55,220 for 11 legs

• 14 day Japan Rail Pass (¥45,100) saving: ¥10,120

Based on your itinerary you'll make minimum savings of ¥10,120 with a 14 day JR Pass. In addition you'll have the flexibility to change your plans as needed. Note that you can also get good use of the JR Pass in Tokyo and Osaka. JR has excellent network coverage in both cities and so with some planning you can minimise the amount of times you need to pay for the subway. Here's a map of JR lines in Tokyo and a map of rail lines in Osaka, including JR.

Hope this helps!