Hi there

Hi there,

The 7 day JR Pass would be a great help for your itinerary. Just a normal return ticket Tokyo - Osaka using the Shinkansen will pay to for the 7 day JR Pass, any additional travel is basically what you save. You'll make great savings over normal tickets with all the additional travel. What should be noted is that some parts are not covered by the JR Pass. Mainly travel within Hakone and the last part by bus from Takayama or Kanazawa to Shirawa-go.

To make the best use of your JR Pass when going to Hakone, take the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo station to Odawara station. This is the Shinkansen station for Hakone and from here you may use local transport into the Hakone area. Odawara also makes for a good point to travel on from when going to Shirakawago.

A Green Class pass could be nice, given that you'll travel during the busy new year period. However an ordinary pass should also suffice.

Seat reservations can only be made once you are in Japan and have activated your JR Pass. We have a great blog post with all the details HERE for you.

Hope this helps!
Daniel