16 days in japan

Hi there!

The JR Pass is valid for consecutive periods and counted in full days.

I took some time to look at options available and see what would suit your travel best. You've got a nice amount of time to explore Tokyo, however travel around Tokyo is not very expansive and I would recommend start using the JR Pass when you start to travel around the country.

Taking the above into mind I think that a 7 day JR Pass would be the best option for your travel, supplemented with normal tickets to cover local travel in Tokyo. I would recommend to start using the pass on your 2nd Friday when you depart from Nikko to cover all of your travel to Kyoto and back to Narita Airport, this would give you some impressive savings.
One thing I should note is that you can't activate the JR Pass at Nikko station, I would recommend doing so before
you travel at Tokyo station or Narita Airport, you can select a first day of use when you activate your JR Pass.

For Hakone, consider the Hakone Free Pass this is a regional pass for Hakone that allows travel on all kinds of transport and you can quickly make savings with it, in addition it also covers travel from Tokyo (Shinjuku) - Hakone.

I hope this helps!
Daniel

Daniel

thanks that is a very full and helpful reply

for my first 5 days in tokyo only including getting from narita to tokyo what are my best options

is there a tokyo only day ticket or 2/3/4/5 day ticket

would a tokyo day ticket include getting to tokyo from narita and if not what is the best way to get to tokyo from narita, not necessarily the cheapest as with luggage i do not want to kill myself trying too hard

do i only need to buy the 7 day JR pass in advance from UK and then buy any local day tickets or hakone tickets in tokyo

Clive

Hi Clive!

For your arrival consider buying a [Suica + Narita Express] package. This consists of a prepaid travel card (the Suica card) and a discounted ticket on the Narita Express which is the best way to get to Tokyo, especially if you carry luggage. It's kinda familiar to the Gatwick Express but more modern and convenient.

You can use the Suica card later on to pay for your local travel in Tokyo, as it is valid on the metro as well as JR and other companies.

When in Tokyo also consider buying an all day metro pass which is 710yen and allows for unlimited travel on the Tokyo Metro for a full day. This make for easy budgeting and you can make some savings on the way too.

Lastly you can buy the Hakone Pass in Japan at Shinjuku station.

Hope this helps too!
Daniel

thanks

we return from Nikko 7 days before we travel from kyoto to tokyo so that will all be covered by the 7 day pass but we go to Nikko a day earlier so what are the options for getting to Nikko. I assume just a single train fair to Nikko ? Any Better Ideas ?

Hi Clive!

Good that you ask about it!
Going to Nikko by JR can be a little pricey because part is traveled on the Shinkansen. Instead I would recommand taking the Tobu line from Asakusa. This is the most economic way to get there, if you don't have a JR Pass.