How to best use 7 days JR Pass

Hi there,

Travel to Kyoto and back to Tokyo are the parts that cost the most by far! So make sure to use the JR Pass for these two trips, from there try to add as much travel as you can within the 7 day validity period to get the best possible savings.

For Fuji see:
http://www.jrpass.com/blogs/itinerary-tip-mt-fuji

Hope this helps,
Daniel

For 7 days JR pass, is it easy to reserve the seats from Tokyo to Kyoto, and from Kyoto to Haneda airport? Thanks.

Yes, just go to any ticket window and tell the staff when you want to travel. They'll do the rest from there and reserve your seats.

My travel plan probably will be -
Day 1 night arriving Tokyo
Day 2-3 Tokyo (day trip to Hakone??)
Day 4-9 Kyoto
Day 9 Kyoto to Haneda airport
What other places would you recommend to go while staying in Kyoto i.e. Nara, Osaka, etc?
Thanks.

Hi there,

Your itinerary looks like the example itinerary I wrote a while back, you make like some suggestions from it. Also let me know what kinds of things you are interested in and I can give you some specific recommendations.

https://www.jrpass.com/blog/7-day-sample-itinerary-tokyo---kyoto---nara

Thank you. The things we are interested in exploring different scenery besides the shrine / temples which will be visited mostly in Tokyo and Kyoto.
With 7 days JR pass, what other cities around Tokyo and Kyoto will be best to visit within our schedule? Thanks.

Thank you. The things we are interested in exploring different scenery besides the shrine / temples which will be visited mostly in Tokyo and Kyoto.
With 7 days JR pass, what other cities around Tokyo and Kyoto will be best to visit within our schedule? Thanks.

Hi again :)

In Kyoto I would definitely add a visit to Arashiyama, there's a lot to see and do in the area. Think of the bamboo groves, the Saga Scenic railway, different temples, shrines and there is a cute monkey park.

If you like hiking, go up to the north of Kyoto and hike from Kurama to Kibune, it is a Zen inspiring trail. I also recommend the Kyoto Railway museum.

With the JR Pass, I recommend making a day trip visit to Nikko from Tokyo. There's much to see and do and I always thought it was the best day trip to make from Tokyo.

Hope this helps,
Daniel