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Is it worth buying a train pass and if so, which one should I buy and how many days? Thanks for your advice in advance! :)

It's hard to say... and there are many different types of JR pass. The following comments apply to the JR-Pass which covers all of Japan:

You have a choice of 7-days / 14-days etc. I think it is very unlikely that you will benefit from the longer passes. (You would need to be traveling much further to make that one pay). So the following comments assume that you are trying to make a decision about whether to purchase a 7-day pass.

Regarding 7-day passes, which cover all of Japan - They work out to be similar to the price of a Tokyo-Osaka-Tokyo trip (by Shinkansen).

Do you plan to return to Tokyo after your time in Osaka? Could you adjust your schedule to spend only six nights in Osaka? (The most common pass is valid for 7 days - so if you stay 7 nights, you will only use the pass for one leg of your journey).

Many people consider that if they can use the JR pass for the Tokyo-Osaka-Tokyo trip, then everything else is a "gift" from JR (i.e. the Osaka-Hiroshima-Osaka trip and if you plan well, then also the trip back to NRT).

For an exact calculation you should check the cost of your trips on hyperdia and compare with the cost of a JR pass:
http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperd01.cgi

For more general ideas, the following site has a few comments which may help with working out whether the pass will be worthwhile:
http://www.japanrail.com/helpfaq.php

BUT you should note that there are some errors in the information on the above site - as we discussed in a previous thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5417298#post5417298

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On hyperdia, it shows a fare and what looks like an additional charge for reserved seats. Do you have to pay for reserved seats?

You do pay a little extra for reserved seats, but the Hyperdia display is confusing: the charge listed there is the entire supplement over the fare for a local train that makes every stop. You can select "unreserved seat" from the "charge fare" pull-down menu to compare the prices; it's typically about 500 yen per segment.

Except at the most off-peak times, the reserved seat is a very good investment; the trains can be quite crowded.

I would say grab the pass, though check out whether any of the regional passes, which only cover certain regions of Japan, will work for you. For example there is a pass thst covers only the Sanyo region (which includes pretty much everywhere you want to go EXCEPT the Osaka-Tokyo journey) which is considerably cheaper than the full pass.

My experience has been that you will save if taking day trips by Shinkansen on most days of your trip. Even more importantly, you will avoid the hassle of having to buy tickets at what are sometimes very crowded ticket offices for every journey you take. The ability to simply walk up to the ticket barrier and onto the train at each station should not be underestimated when calculating the value of the ticket.

Reservations are not compulsory (trains have cars marked UNRESERVED) but at peak times (rush hours) they mean you definitely get a seat.

Thanks for the great info. I'm flying into NRT and flying out of KIX so I won't be making a round trip on the train. On hyperdia, it shows a fare and what looks like an additional charge for reserved seats. Do you have to pay for reserved seats? I'm still torn as to whether the 7 day pass will be the best economic value. :confused:

If you are travelling from Tokyo to Osaka to Hiroshima to Osaka, a 7 day pass will be worth it. The Shinkansen fares total up to just over jpy 30,000, slightly more than the jpy 28,300 price of the ordinary 7 day pass. Anything else you use the pass for is gravy.

I'll be staying in Osaka for 7 nights, but will use Osaka as a base for day trips to Kyoto, Hiroshima, and other nearby cities.


Sorry, I couldn't help but pick up on this.

Tokyo - Osaka = 345 miles

Osaka - Hiroshima = 215 miles

It's only the sheer speed of the bullet trains that might make Hiroshima feel 'nearby'.

If you're intent on seeing Hiroshima (or Miyajima or even Okayama) then I’d certainly recommend getting the JR pass.

If you don’t think you’re going to venture further than Kyoto/Nara and you don’t have to return to NRT, then I don’t see the need.

I planned a tour last year for my parents and my fiancé – the snag was that my Japanese fiancé wasn’t able to get a JR pass as he was living there.

Best way to think of it is that the JR pass costs the equivalent of 660 miles of shinkansen travel. (1,000 kms).

Tokyo-Osaka-Hiroshima-Osaka = 775miles = Good value ^

Tokyo-Osaka = 345 = Not so good value :td:

I'm going to stay in Tokyo for 3 nights and then travel from Tokyo to Osaka by train. I'll be staying in Osaka for 7 nights, but will use Osaka as a base for day trips to Kyoto, Hiroshima, and other nearby cities.

Is it worth buying a train pass and if so, which one should I buy and how many days? Thanks for your advice in advance! :)

We had the same question you did - and decided against the rail pass for a few reasons. First - it doesn't cover all the JR trains - like the nozomi train from Tokyo to Osaka - which is the one I want to take. Second - JR doesn't serve all the places I might want to go to. Some are served by other rail lines that don't accept JR passes. Third - the passes aren't cheap (we'll be "on the road" from Tokyo for over a week). I think what you have to do is get a good idea of which trains you are almost sure you will be taking - and add up their costs. Then see if the pass makes sense. I think everyone's mileage in this calculation will vary. Robyn

We had the same question you did - and decided against the rail pass for a few reasons. First - it doesn't cover all the JR trains - like the nozomi train from Tokyo to Osaka - which is the one I want to take. Second - JR doesn't serve all the places I might want to go to. Some are served by other rail lines that don't accept JR passes. Third - the passes aren't cheap (we'll be "on the road" from Tokyo for over a week). I think what you have to do is get a good idea of which trains you are almost sure you will be taking - and add up their costs. Then see if the pass makes sense. I think everyone's mileage in this calculation will vary. Robyn
The only difference between the Nozomi and Hikari trains is the name (and # of stops) and frequency. If you buy a ticket the prices are virtually the same........And the passes are cheap( in comparison to simple one way tickets), really they are.......please believe me and the others on this one!

Q Shoe Guy - Yes - I realize that. My husband and I love to travel. And for family reasons that I won't bore you with - we have had to stick pretty close to home the last couple of years. So this is a "pull out all the stops once in a lifetime" trip for us. And we will probably be doing a lot of cost-ineffective things that other travelers might not care to do. The way I look at it - if I can only go on the bullet trains once in my life - I want to go on the Nozomi :) .

Although our budget for this trip is somewhat high - I will point out that I do read budget guides - like Let's Go. And I thought it was awful that the guide suggested that a trip to Mt. Yoshino might not be worthwhile because your JR pass wouldn't work on the rail line that got you there. Now I don't know if the cherry blossoms will be in blossom there when I'm there - but if they are - I wouldn't pass the place up simply because I can't use the JR pass. Perhaps if I was 20 or 30 - or went to Japan frequently on business - I'd say perhaps I'll save it for another trip. But at my stage of life - I don't want this trip to be determined by whether a JR pass will get me somewhere.

Like I have always said - the mileage of any individual traveler with regard to any trip may vary. All that's important is that you know the options - and their upsides and downsides - and pick the one that suits you best. Robyn

Q Shoe Guy - Yes - I realize that. My husband and I love to travel. And for family reasons that I won't bore you with - we have had to stick pretty close to home the last couple of years. So this is a "pull out all the stops once in a lifetime" trip for us. And we will probably be doing a lot of cost-ineffective things that other travelers might not care to do. The way I look at it - if I can only go on the bullet trains once in my life - I want to go on the Nozomi :) .

Although our budget for this trip is somewhat high - I will point out that I do read budget guides - like Let's Go. And I thought it was awful that the guide suggested that a trip to Mt. Yoshino might not be worthwhile because your JR pass wouldn't work on the rail line that got you there. Now I don't know if the cherry blossoms will be in blossom there when I'm there - but if they are - I wouldn't pass the place up simply because I can't use the JR pass. Perhaps if I was 20 or 30 - or went to Japan frequently on business - I'd say perhaps I'll save it for another trip. But at my stage of life - I don't want this trip to be determined by whether a JR pass will get me somewhere.

Like I have always said - the mileage of any individual traveler with regard to any trip may vary. All that's important is that you know the options - and their upsides and downsides - and pick the one that suits you best. Robyn
Sorry I misunderstood your previous post but now I understand.

With regards to Let's Go , I remember using their Europe on $10 a day.........that was a loooong time ago.

The only difference between the Nozomi and Hikari trains is the name (and # of stops) and frequency

... and (for a handful of journeys) using only Hikari trains can force you to make some extra stops in your journey.

For example, if you want to go from Kyoto to Hiroshima using only Hikari trains, I believe you have to change trains in Shin Osaka or Kobe or somewhere. At some times of day that can mean waiting around for 30 minutes to get the next Hikari - whereas with Nozomi you could go non-stop from Kyoto to Hiroshima.

It's no great hardship if you're on a leisure trip and feeling great about all the money you're saving by using the pass. It might be a show stopper if you were trying to get places in the shortest possible time - hang the expense.

... and (for a handful of journeys) using only Hikari trains can force you to make some extra stops in your journey.

For example, if you want to go from Kyoto to Hiroshima using only Hikari trains, I believe you have to change trains in Shin Osaka or Kobe or somewhere. At some times of day that can mean waiting around for 30 minutes to get the next Hikari - whereas with Nozomi you could go non-stop from Kyoto to Hiroshima.

It's no great hardship if you're on a leisure trip and feeling great about all the money you're saving by using the pass. It might be a show stopper if you were trying to get places in the shortest possible time - hang the expense.


Try getting from Hakata to Tokyo on the Hikari :td: .......Well at least they don't make you pay more for the Nozomi anymore :rolleyes: !

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And I thought it was awful that the guide suggested that a trip to Mt. Yoshino might not be worthwhile because your JR pass wouldn't work on the rail line that got you there. Now I don't know if the cherry blossoms will be in blossom there when I'm there - but if they are - I wouldn't pass the place up simply because I can't use the JR pass. ..

I don't know if the cherry blossoms will be in bloom when you go to Yoshino, either, but it's a lovely rural getaway. You hop on the private rail line, and gradually, you find yourself leaving Concreteland and entering the Japan of rural villages, rice paddies, and green hills. The final leg of the trip is on an aerial tramway. There's a village at the top with the usual temples and shrines, along with shops run by friendly old people. The local specialities are bisque figurines and "sakura mochi," cherry-flavored rice paste candy wrapped in a cherry leaf. At various points in the village, you can see panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.

I went there when nothing much was going on (just a week too early for the peak of autumn leaf season), and it was delightfully quiet.

By the way, for the private railways in the Kyoto-Osaka area, there's a debit card called the Surutto Kansai card, which automatically deducts the fares as you pass through the turnstiles. You don't save any money, but you don't have to worry about having correct change or losing your little tiny ticket stub.

Ksandness - Thank you for the information about the Mt. Yoshino area. Our trip is pretty long - about 2 1/2 weeks - and I know we will have to spend some time sitting - and we should see places other than big cities. So a train ride to spend a "day in the country" sounds about right near the end of our trip. Robyn

Thanks everyone for your insightful input. I decided to purchase the ordinary 7 day JR pass. Now I need to figure out how to use it effectively! :)

Just don't activate the pass late in the day as it will count as 1 full day.
It could be a problem (as it almost was for us) when we needed to return to Tokyo from Kyoto on the 8th day. :D That would have been a very costly trip.