21 day pass?

Hi Alf,

I thought I had already replied to this topic but do not see my own post anywhere. Here's what I had written before:

A 21-day JR Pass would not be worth it on this route, as you don't cover enough dispatch to be cost-effective. However, a 7-day Japan Rail Pass would be good for travel to Kyoto and back to Tokyo for travel on day 2-8. You can then buy local tickets or day passes for travel to Nikko, Hakone and Matsumoto. Most have a few budget options available to travel.

Such as the Hakone Free Pass, Tobu Nikko Pass and high speed bus to Matsumoto.

Hope this helps :)
Daniel

Hi Daniel,

Thank you for your reply. This was very helpful! We will buy a 7-day pass for day 2-8 and use that in Kyoto and for the daytrips there and for the journey back to Tokyo.

I hope that it is okay that I ask som follow up questions:

1. As I understand it, we will have to buy a ticket on the Narita Express from the airport to Tokyo and in Tokyo buy a ticket on the Shinkansen to Kyoto. The cost of this total journey will then be around 14.350 yen per person. Is that correct?

2. On the JR website it says that we can bring luggage on the Shinkansen less than 250 cm (sum of height x length x width). I reckon this means that I should add and not multiply. Our suitcases are 76+50+28 that makes a total of 154 which means we can bring them on the train without making a reservation (limit 160 cm). Is that correct? Or are there different rules since we don't travel with a JR pass?

3. We arrive in Narita at 13.05 in the afternoon. Is there a possibility that we are getting close to rush hour and therefore should send our luggage with a delivery service instead of bringing it on the train or is it okay to bring the luggage on the train. We are four persons travelling with either two or three suitcases.

4. In Tokyo our Airbnb is close to Otsuka station, where there is a JR-train. We will probably use this to get in and out of Tokyo the week we are there. Does this make any difference to your recommendation to buy a 7-day pass? Or will it still be better to buy single tickets there or to buy an IC-card that can be used at both metro and train? What would you advise us to do?

It would be very helpful for us if you could advise us on these matters, but please just let me know if I am asking to many questions which are outside of what this forum is meant for.

Thank you again for your time and help!

Kind regards,
Alf

Hi Alf,

All these questions are perfectly fine, happy to help!

1.) You only need to buy a one way into Tokyo, your JR Pass will cover travel the next day to Kyoto.

2.) Yes, your luggage will be fine and does not need any further reservations. Just put it in the overhead luggage compartments. Rules for luggage are the same for normal tickets and the JR Pass.

3.) You can bring it on the train, especially the high speed trains like the Narita Express and Keisei Skylines. These trains are specifically made for airport transport, make little stops elsewhere and have special luggage compartments.

4.) Not really, only if you were to add a longer distance trip using the Shinkansen, might it make a difference. For example, to Hiroshima, Kanazawa or Sendai.

Kind regards,
Daniel

Hi Daniel,

Thank you so much for helping us out here! This is of great help for us!

I think a 7-day pass will not cover both ways Tokyo-Kyoto for us as we stay 6 full days in Kyoto. If we buy the pass in Tokyo on day 1 the pass will expire on day 7 right? So when we are travelling back to Tokyo on day 8 we have to buy a regular ticket. I think this wasn't clear in my first post. Does this change your advice on a 7 day-pass?

In our week in Tokyo, would you recommend us to buy another type of pass to travel with the train and metro?

Thanks again for all your time and help!

Kind regards,
Alf

Hi Alf,

Each day is counted as a full day, so when written out in a simple way (2-3-4-5-6-7-8) this would be 7 days, and the pass is both valid on both day 2 and day 8. So you'd start using the pass on day 2 (and buy normal tickets on day 1).

In general, local travel within Tokyo is not very costly. Here you'd be okay just using normal tickets or a card like Suica.

Kind regards,
Daniel

Hi Daniel,

Thank you once again! This is such a good service that you answer all our questions! We are truly greatful!

Good to know that travel within Tokyo is not very costly.

I am sorry for my poor explanation about the days. I will try to clearify.

We go to Kyoto on the day we land (Airport-Tokyo-Kyoto in day 1). If we activate the JR-pass then, this will be day 1.
Day 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 we stay in Kyoto and make daytrips to different places as mentioned in my first post.
Day 8 we go back to Tokyo to stay there for a week.

This means that we won't be travelling back and forth Tokyo-Kyoto on the 7-day pass, but we will use it a lot inside Kyoto and for daytrips to Osaka, Nara and Arashiyama.

Will it still be worth it?

Kind regards,
Alf

Hi Alf,

I see now, in that case it may not make sense to use a JR Pass. In my understanding it was you'd go to Tokyo, then next day to Kyoto. I would still recommend doing it like this, as one you get to use the JR Pass well, but also immigration can be long these days (I've seen reports on Facebook of a 6-hour wait). So it will be a much more relaxed experience to travel to Tokyo, then take the train the following morning to Kyoto.

However, if that's not the case, then I'd just get normal tickets for this trip.

Kind regards,
Daniel