Should we get a 7 day JR pass?

Hi Sue,

Good question, not many people travel around in Tohoku so looking at ticket prices there is always interesting.
I made a little list of ticket prices to see if it would make sense buying a 7 day JRPass.

Narita Airport - Tokyo ¥ 2,940
Tokyo - Utsunomiya ¥ 4,800
Utsunomiya - Yamagata ¥ 8,510
Yamagata - Utsunomiya ¥ 8,510
Utsunomiya Nikko (return) ¥ 1,480
Utsunomiya - Tokyo ¥ 4,800

Outside 7 day JR Pass usage period Tokyo - Narita Airport ¥ 2,940

This adds up to ¥ 31,040, the 7 day JR Pass is 28,300Yen, so you could make some nice savings. Also the convenience of not having to buy tickets very time is great. Of course you can also take any other train you wish with the JR Pass!

I hope this helps,
Daniel

Hi Daniel,

Thank you very much for your very helpful reply. We will certainly get a JR Pass.

I have just found out that my sister will be coming to Tokyo from Amsterdam but will have a stopover in Osaka for over 6 hours. I was wondering if it might be possible for her to catch a train to Tokyo from Kansai airport instead of waiting for the connecting flight? Would she be able to use the JR Pass to travel from Kansai airport?

Best wishes
Sue

Hi Sue!

Glad to hear your found the post useful.

Yes it is absolutely possible to take the train instead from Kansai Airport, the travel time from Kansai Airport to Tokyo by train is 234 Minutes (roughly 4 hours) and involves only 1 transfer. It is fully covered by the JR Pass and you get to ride the bullet train past Fuji-san!

All the best,
Daniel

That's great news Daniel. I will suggest she does that she takes the train instead. Thank you so much for your help. We're looking forward to our first visit to Japan. My nephew is getting married on 14 Oct in Yamagata so it's a very special trip!

Best wishes
Sue