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Jr Pass 14 day vs combination Regional Pass

Hi was wondering which pass is best suited to our itinerary?
03/06 Arrive Haneda in early evening
03/07-08 Explore Tokyo
03/09 Day trip to Nikko
03/10 Explore Tokyo
03/11 Day trip to Takasaki to visit friends
03/12 Day trip to Kamakura
03/13-14 Explore Kyoto
03/15 Explore Arashiyama
03/16 Explore Nara
03/17-18 Explore Osaka
or
03/18 Explore Kyoto
03/19-21 Visit friends in Nagoya
03/22 Tokyo
03/23 Depart from Haneda

Itinerary is flexible and dependent on weather.
Any input you have would be great!

Comments

  • edited February 2018
    Hi,
    Well, as you can count, if you started using your pass from Mar 6th, the last day of use would be at the end of Mar 19 - so if you go with your first plan, a 14 day pass would work. If you switched your plans for Mar 9 & 10 and went to Nikko on Mar 10 starting your pass, your 14 day pass from Mar 10 to Mar 23 would pay off. It depends on what you want to do. You only get value from the pass if you are traveling long distance with it, especially by bullet train. If you choose the latter way to travel, you could get a Haneda train and subway combo ticket for your first few days - have a look at:
    http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/transportation/discount-tickets/railways-buses.html
    for the WELCOME Tokyo Subway Tickets.

    There is one big red flag in your plans though - it is about 4½ hours from Tokyo to Takayama - why would you go there, then take hours backtracking to Kamakura? It makes far more sense to go to Kamakura first, and then onward to Takayama.
    If you wanted to add value, you could instead go see Osaka after 5 PM and sightseeing in Kyoto. At night Osaka comes alive and has some great places to see, such as Dotonbori, plus the night views from the Umeda Sky Bldg and Abeno Harukas Bldg are wonderful.
    On another evening, you could also go and see Kobe.
    Instead, use that daytime and go to Himeji, which has Japan's finest original castle as well as the beautiful Kokoen Garden next door.

    You can see regular fares, routes and schedules on Hyperdia.
    http://www.hyperdia.com
    Under "More Options", be sure to uncheck the Nozomi box if on a JR Pass since you can't ride that train using the JR pass.

    You can see previews of some of the best places to see in Japan on:
    https://www.youtube.com/user/thejapanfaq/videos

    There are also loads of other tips on
    http://www.thejapanfaq.com/the-best-japan-travel-tips/

    Best wishes.
  • Thanks for the advice! We are actually going to Takasaki not Takayama to visit friends. The switch for Nikko makes sense. I was thinking it might be less crowded on a Friday vs Saturday.
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