What's the best option?

Hi there,

The best way by far would be to get a 7 day JR pass and buy a ticket back to Narita at the last day. This can be as low as 1,200 Yen by local train or 3,000Yen with the Narita Express.

For reference, a ticket Tokyo - Kanazawa is ¥ 12,710 and the upgrade to the 14 day JR Pass is ¥ 16,800.

Enjoy Japan!
-Daniel

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for your reply! Just would like to find out if I want to visit Nara or Nagoya from Kyoto (before going to Tokyo), would the JR pass cover all these travels please?

And also how much does it cost to get a ticket for Tokyo-Narita Airport on the last day please?

Many thanks again!

Hi Again,

Yes the pass covers both the way to Nara and Nagoya! Nagoya is directly on the route back to Tokyo so it would make for a good stop over.

For Narita Airport, as mentioned above the price depends on your travel method. Most people take the Narita Express directly to Narita Airport, this is by far the most convenient way and will cost around 3,000 Yen when you travel from Tokyo station.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Hi Daniel, thanks again for your great advise!

Just would like to check whether this route makes sense for heading to Kanazawa from Narita Airport on the first day:

Narita Airport to Tokyo station via Narita Express; then
Take Joetsu Shinkaknsen at Tokyo to Nagaoka and then transfer to Limited Express Hokuetsu arriving directly to Kanazawa.

And believe the JR Pass covers the the above travels fully and no extra charges?

Again many thanks!

Best Regards.

Hi there!

Good question! Going to Kanazawa may be a little much for the first day depending on your previous flight time. The route takes roughly 330 minutes, that's 5.5 hours. I guess you could get some sleep in the train and have most of your travel behind you but than again it may just be a little overboard.

The best route the Kanazawa depends on your departure time, here are a couple. The route your mentioned is fastest. The JR Staff will always find the best route for you and print the tickets with clear transfer direction, so there's no need to worry here.

Still, it may be a better idea is to switch Kanazawa and Kyoto around, the route to Kyoto is a little shorter and only has 1 transfer at Tokyo station, from Kyoto you can reach Kanazawa very easy by direct limited express (called the Thunderbird) and then go to Tokyo before heading back to Narita Airport, this would ease the amount of travel you do everyday a little.

The good thing is that the JR Pass does cover both option, so you won't have any additional charges, no matter what you do!

Best Wishes,
Daniel