Is it worth getting a JR pass and is so which one

Hello there :)

I've made a quick list of normal ticket prices to see if a JR Pass would be helpful.

Kansai Airport - Kyoto ¥ 3,370
Kyoto - Takayama ¥ 9,960
Takayama - Kanazawa ¥ 4,290
Kanazawa - Tokyo ¥ 13,050
Tokyo - Hakone (Odawara station) ¥ 3,740
Hakone (Odawara station) - Osaka ¥ 12,620

For a total of ¥ 47,030. Given that amount of nights you spend in each location, I think that it would be best to buy tickets as you go. The JR Pass is great if you if you do a certain amount of travel within it's validity period but you have the luxury of time on your side and then JR Pass may not always be the best option.

Hope this helps!
Daniel

Hi Daniel,
Thank you for the information it is very helpful .
If we were going to travel around by train within the areas we are going would it be very expensive without a JR pass.
Do you only use JR passes for long trips ?
Is there much to do in Kanazawa and takayama as we have 3 days in each place , do you think that is too much time to spend there ?
Thank you again for being so helpful

Hi Again!

The JR Pass is good for both local and longer distance travel. Local travel within most major areas is not very expansive and the JR Pass is really best used for longer distance travel, especially if you use the Shinkansen.

Both Takayama and Kanazawa are nice places to visit, I've stayed in both and 3 days is a good amount of time in each place. You can always make a visit to Shirakawago too if you don't know what to do in either area. With a little bit of planning you could spend a week or more in each places without being bored.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Thank you very much Daniel you are so helpful
We leave on the first of May so I may have more things to check with you if you dont mind.
Do you live in Japan ?
regards jan

Hi Jan,

Not at the moment but I've lived in Tokyo, Kyoto and Fukuoka over the years so I can definitely help if you have questions about living in Japan!

Let me know once you have more things to check,
Daniel