Using Kyoto and Tokyo as base for JR Pass travel

Hi there,

For a trip of this length I think you're looking at a 14 day pass to give you most peace of mind, although a 7 day pass from the 20th-26th could also well give you some savings. Lets take a look at your base JR ticket costs to get an idea of the overall costs of your trip for comparison, assuming you'll depart from Nartia within the 14 day period:

1. Narita airport terminal 1 > Kyoto: ¥16330, (238mins, 592km)
2. Kyoto > Nara: ¥690, (44mins, 41km)
3. Nara > Kyoto: ¥690, (44mins, 41km)
4. Kyoto > Hiroshima: ¥10990, (112mins, 380km)
5. Hiroshima > Kyoto: ¥10990, (126mins, 380km)
6. Kyoto > Osaka: ¥540, (28mins, 42km)
7. Osaka > Kyoto: ¥540, (29mins, 42km)
8. Kyoto > Odawara: ¥11950, (177mins, 429km)
9. Odawara > Tokyo: ¥1450, (36mins, 83km)
10. Tokyo > Nikko: ¥5630, (121mins, 150km)
11. Nikko > Tokyo: ¥5630, (117mins, 150km)
12. Tokyo > Narita airport terminal 1: ¥3140, (58mins, 79km)

JR ticket cost: ¥68570 for 12 legs

• 14 day rail pass (¥45,100) saving: ¥23470

Based on your JR ticket prices, you stand to save over ¥23,470 each with a 14 day JR Pass so I can certainly recommend this option over individual tickets.

The Green Car is certainly more spacious and exclusive, but is not available on all bullets between Tokyo and Kyoto. We have a good blog post on the benefits of the green car here.

From Kyoto, I think you've got all the bases covered - If you think you'll have time I recommend looking into trips to Koyasan on the Kii Penninsular to the south of Kyoto, and Kinosaki Onsen hotspring which is around 2 hours from Kyoto with a JR Pass on the Sea of Japan coast. Both are best as overnight stays, but could be reached in a day.

Hope this helps!

Mari thank you, this is very helpful. Is it possible to tell in advance which trains have green cars?

Most routes on Hyperdia do include the green car, but I do know from experience that the main one on your trip with patchy coverage is the Tokyo-Kyoto route. The others should have good coverage.