21 days in Japan - should I get the JR Pass?

Hi there,

The JR system is quite overwhelming for everyone at first sight, don't worry you'll learn along the way.

Reading your travel plan, my advice would be to get a 14 day JR Pass to cover Tokyo - Kyoto - Hiroshima - Naoshima - and back to one of Fuji/Hakone/Tokyo. These are the most expensive routes and you would make very good savings compared to buying normal tickets. The Pass can also be used for travel to Nara, Miyajima and Kamakura. All adding to your total savings amount. Perhaps you could do something like:

Day 1 Kamakura - Start of JR Pass.
Day 2-7 Kyoto / Nara
Day 8-9 Koya
Day 10-11 Hiroshima - Miyajima
Day 12-13 Naoshima
Day 14 - Travel to Fuji - End of JR Pass.

Note that I count in days (not nights) as the JR Pass is counted in days.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Hi Daniel! Thank you so much! I like your suggestion of 14 day rail pass.
I did have a couple more questions, I hope you can help me with: 1. For the 14 day rail pass, I will be traveling between June 23 - July 06. I will often be traveling with luggage and would like to have a seat without worry. Do you think it would be worth getting the Green Seats vs Ordinary? I had read of people not getting seats because their trains were booked during a busy time. Will June 23-July 6 be a busy time?
2. How far in advance is recommended to purchase the JR pass?

Thank you so much!