Please can you advise what Rail Pass I should buy?

Alli

Hi, please can you advise which pass I should buy for the following itinerary:

Day 1 - 3 in Tokyo (transfer from Narita airport & getting around town)
Day 4 - 7 in Kyoto (incl. going in to Kyoto by train daily from suburbs)
Day 8 - 9 in Kanazawa
Day 10 - 12 in Koyasan (Mount Koya)
Day 13 - 14 in Nara
Day 15 - 17 in Tokyo (getting around town and transfer to Haneda airport)

Kind regards
Alli

japanexperience

Hi Alli,

Looking at your itinerary it might be worth you getting a 14-day JR Pass and activating it on day 1 when you arrive at Narita Airport, but only if you're returning to Tokyo on day 14 of your trip, since the most expensive journeys you're making are Tokyo-Kyoto and Nara-Tokyo so you'd definitely want your pass to cover those trips.

Depending on how much you use JR lines commuting in to Kyoto and getting around Tokyo, a 14-day pass may or may not save you money overall - the cost of a pass and the cost of paying for each leg of your journey separately is very close. So it's up to you. I recommend checking the website HyperDia to plan your journeys and see how much the trains will cost, and comparing that to the cost and convenience of a pass: http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

Also, please note that a JR Pass isn't valid on subways or private train lines (such as the Koya line to Mount Koya - a JR Pass would get you to Shin-Osaka, then Shinimamiya Station where you must change to the Koya line and pay for the final leg of your journey separately).

I hope this helps.

Kind Regards,

Japan Experience

Alli

Really helpful Japan Experience, thank you. I will do the research and then book what I need through you!
Kind regards
Alli

Alli

Ah, on checking I am returning to Tokyo on day 15 of my trip. So would it be better to activate a 14 day rail pass on day 2, and just pay for the journey from Narita airport to my hotel separately?
Kind regards
Alli