Osaka-Tokyo-Hokkaido

aeagoh1

My family of 4 will be travelling to Japan from 5 to 19 December. Our first stop is Osaka for 3 nights. We might do day trip to Kyoto or Kobe. Then we'll move over to Tokyo for another 3 nights where you might go Hakone and Yokohama day trips. We'll take a domestic flight to Hokkaido. We'll probably take at Sapporo or Jozankei for 3 nights before we go for skiing at Rusutsu Ski Resort. When we are in Sapporo, we plan to do day trip to Otaru.

I would be grateful if anyone could share your experience or advise me:

1) is it more economically for me to get JR Pass based on my above itinerary? I'm aware of the hyperdia.com but I'm lost. For example, from Osaka to Tokyo, I need to change train at Shin Osaka. So can I use JR Pass from Osaka to Shin Osaka? Can I also use JR Pass for all limited express train?

2) do I need to get different pass for JR West or East or 1 pass works for all as long as it's under JR Line?

usagichan

The national JR Pass gives you access to the entire country on all JR trains, limited express and shinkansen (except for Nozomi and Mizuho). If you have the national pass, you don't need any other regional passes. Here's a more detailed explanation on how the pass works:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361.html

Personally I found the pass very useful!