Family of 5 travelling Tokyo to Kyoto to Nozawa Onsen

Hello there,

I checked the route you will travel for the best option but must conclude that so far it would be better to purchase normal tickets as you travel. This because the total amount of tickets is below the price of the JR Pass. The difference is pretty small though, about 4,000yen. So if you'd make a day trip, then a 7 day JR Pass could be a great option if you'd also cover Tokyo - Kyoto ad Kyoto - Nozawa Onsen with it.

It will indeed be busy with new year, so I would recommend purchasing/reserving the tickets on day of arrival. This should give you enough time to reserve them.

Hope this helps,
Daniel