Will a 7-day JR pass work for my trip??

Hi there!

Interesting question, the JR Pass would cover the full price for your travel to Kanazawa and also the Hida Wide View so you would not have to buy any additional tickets.

I'd suggest that we have a look at ticket prices and see if a JR Pass would work out for you.

Tokyo - Kanazawa ¥ 12,710
Kanazawa - Shirakawago - Takayama - Done by Bus.
Takayama - Hakone (Odawara station) ¥ 12,410
Hakone (Odawara) - Tokyo ¥ 3,640

This adds up to ¥ 26,460, the 7 day JR Pass is ¥ 28,300, so you are close but right now the JR Pass would not pay off. Of course it could quickly become worth it if you decide on a little more travel.

Note that you can use the JR Pass all the way up to the gateway station of Hakone (Odawara) but that local travel in the Hakone Area is done by private railway companies that do not accept the JRPass.

Hope this helps!
Daniel

But from this article

http://jprail.com/trains/limited-express-hakutaka.html

It says that to get to kanazawa

you need to pay the extra by using Japan Rail Pass. The extra fares are the following:
Basic fare (Muikamachi-Saigata) — 950yen
Limited Express surcharge for Ordinary class– Non reserved 1130yen / Reserved 1740yen
Limited Express surcharge for Green class — 2630yen - See more at: http://jprail.com/trains/limited-express-hakutaka.html#sthash.hhhvUVlU.dpuf

Hi Again,

Yes that's correct, if you take the Hakutaka express there's a surcharge (¥2690).

However your can use the following route via Maibara and use the Shirasagi express instead which is completely covered by the JR Pass. It does take about 20 minutes longer than the Hakutaka.

Additionally you can also use the Hokuetsu from Nagaoka if you do wish to travel via the upper coast route. This route is about 40 minutes longer than the Hakutaka but also free with the JR pass.

Hope this helps!
Daniel