Please can you advise which rail pass or passes would be best for my itinerary,
Day 1 - Kansai - Kyoto
Day 2 - Kyoto
Day 3 - Kyoto
Day 4 - Kyoto
Day 5 - Day trip to Hamamatsu
Day 6 - Day trip to Nara
Day 7 - Hiroshima
Day 8 - Day trip to Miyajima
Day 9 - Himeji
Day 10 - Day trip to Tottori
Day 11- Osaka
Day 12 - Osaka
Day 13 - Osaka
Day 14 - KoyaSan
Day 15 - Kanazawa
Day 16 - Kanazawa
Day 17 - Toyama - Alpine Route - Nagano
Day 18 - Day trip Matsumoto
Day 19 - Shibu Onsen
Day 20 - Tokyo
Day 21- Day trip Kamakura
Day 22 - Day trip Hakone
Day 23 - Day 26 Tokyo
I was thinking a JR West Sanyo-Sanin area (start day 6), KoyaSan World Heritage Ticket, a JR 7 day pass (start day 15) and the Hakone free pass ??
Many thanks
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You can get the Hakone Free Pass at Odawara to see the area. You can cover it all if you get a good morning start.
For Kamakura/Enoshima, you can use an Odakyu pass.
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/hakone/
There is one other possibility if you'd like to drown in savings. Instead of one of your last days in Tokyo, see Hakone instead with the Hakone Free Pass ticket from Tokyo instead of Odawara, and on the last day of your 21 day pass go see Sendai and the Matsushima Coast north of Tokyo. The area is mostly ignored by the tourist crowds, there are some good sights in Sendai, but most importantly Matsushima is known as one of the traditional Top 3 most beautiful sights in Japan (along with Mt Misen on Miyajima, you'll see at least 2 of them).
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5100.html
BTW since you are taking 2 days for Hiroshima/Miyajima, you could also squeeze in Iwakuni with its iconic historical bridge and mountaintop castle.
For Tokyo, 3-4 days is quite enough to see the city. A good way to save money is a 2-3 day subway pass.
http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/value/travel/index.html#anc03
If leaving out of Narita, the cheapest way out is the 1000 yen bus.
http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/
You can see previews of some of the best places to see in Japan on:
https://www.youtube.com/user/thejapanfaq/videos
This is our itinerary
1-9-17 Arrive at Narita Airport, Tokyo
1-9-17 to 4-9-17 Tokyo
4-9-17 to 7-9-17 Kyoto
7-9-17 to 10-9-17 Osaka
10-9-17 Leave Osaka from Kansai International Airport
1. What's the best way to get from Narita Airport to Tokyo.
2. Which rail pass should we purchase to get from Tokyo to Kyoto and Osaka.
3. Should we purchase a Suica or Pasmo pass for internal travel for the towns of Tokyo,Kyoto and Osaka.
Thank you.
I'm not sure what you mean by "best". The cheapest way is the 1000 yen bus.
http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/
There is also the Narita Express (3000 yen), limousine bus (3100 yen), and Keisei trains.
You can use an IC card and they are convenient, but no real savings. Tokyo has a good 2-3 day subway pass though.
http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/value/travel/index.html#anc03
There is no pass that pays off Tokyo-Kansai one way. If you do a day trip to Hiroshima/Miyajima though, then a 7 day pass would pay off.
While in Kansai you should not miss Nara either.
A cheaper one way ticket from Tokyo is the Platt Kodama ticket. But it takes an extra hour due to all the train stops.
http://www.jrtours.co.jp/kodama/en/
Hope that helps.