JR Pass, route and reserved seats

Carabao

I'm planning a trip probably in late February or early March, and trying to work out if the 7-day JR Pass would be worth it.

We'll be in Kyoto for a few days and then would activate the pass travelling to Matsumoto. After a couple of days there, we would either go to Fujinomiya or Kawaguchiko. To Kawaguchiko, it looks like the JR Pass could be used as far as Otsuki. Is that right? After a couple of days there, we would head to Tokyo for the last two days of the trip. And I think we could use the JR Pass to get to Narita Airport.

If I've been using Hyperdia correctly, the 7-day JR Pass would probably cover the Fujinomiya route, but not if we went to Kawaguchiko. Does that look right? Even on the Fujinomiya route, the reserved and unreserved seat prices could make some difference. Would you recommend using reserved or unreserved tickets to compare with the value of the JR Pass?

Many thanks for any help and suggestions.

japanexperience

Dear Carabao,

Yes, the JR Pass would only get you to Otsuki. Then you will have to change to the Fujikyu Railway for KAWAGUCHIKO, which is a private line which will cost you an extra ¥1,140 on top of your JR Pass.

The Fujinomiya route however is totally covered by the JR Pass.

Of course, to get your money's worth with the pass and for your comfort, it is always a good idea to reserve your seats.

If you are only going from Kyoto to Matsumoto, then either Kawaguchiko or Fujinomiya and then finally to Narita airport, you would not be saving much money going with the 7 day JR pass.

Best,
Japan Experience

Carabao

Thanks for the reply. It looks like buying individual tickets will be the way to go than.

Travelbugsoo

We are wondering if we should purchase a 7 or 14-day JR pass since a few of the bus transportation routes are not covered by JR passes. We are a party of three seniors flying out of NY to Narita Airport Tokyo arriving on April 6, 2017. We also would appreciate recommendations/assistance in negotiating JR train rides and other train transfers. The following is our itinerary:

Tokyo/Nikko/Hakone 6 nites
Yudanaka 1 nite
Matsumoto 1 nite
Takayama/Shirakwago 3 nites
Kanazawa 2 nites
Kyoto/Nara 6 nites
Osaka 1 nite

Thank you for your assistance.

Tenjin

First, it's better to start a new thread and not piggyback your question on someone else's.
You could make a 14 day pass pay off if you use it to go to Nikko and Odawara to get to Hakone. From there, a JR pass won't help you, but a Hakone Free Pass can save you money in seeing Hakone.
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/hakone/
For Yudanaka also, a JR Pass will get you part of the way there.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6024.html
Since you are already seeing Tokyo, you can largely skip Osaka during the day. After the temples of Kyoto close down around 5PM, you can zip over to Osaka for the evening. At night the city 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.
Instead, you might want to see Himeji, with Japan's best castle, and even Kobe on the way back.