Steve Weagant

I will be in Japan for 8 days. I will arrive Tokyo on Sunday and depart from Osaka (KIX) the following Sunday. Is it better to use a day of the pass to get from NRT to Tokyo station or use a day of the pass to get from Osaka to KIX?

Is there a transit pass for Osaka that allows one to use the subways and trams to get around Osaka, and then take the train to KIX? I did some research and it appears that there is such a pass that allows transit from KIX to Osaka, but it is not clear if this can be used in the reverse direction.

Thank you.

RichardInSF

I'd say it's better to use the pass on the Narita Express than on the Hruka to KIX. That's because you can get a one day JR West pass at major stations that allows you to ride the Haruka for around Y2,200 and the one way on the Narita express is over Y3,000. Still, not much of a difference.

But if your travel is just NRT-Tokyo-local in Tokyo-Osaka-local in Osaka-KIX, why are you buying a JR pass in the first place? You can do all of that for less buying regular tickets.

Steve Weagant

But if your travel is just NRT-Tokyo-local in Tokyo-Osaka-local in Osaka-KIX, why are you buying a JR pass in the first place? You can do all of that for less buying regular tickets.[/QUOTE]


I will be using the pass to travel to different parts of Japan. I was posting to find out if I should validate the pass for the day I arrive in Tokyo, and then use some sort of day pass for my last day in Osaka to travel around in Osaka and then get out to KIX. I will check out the JR west pass. If I can use that on the trams and subways is Osaka I will be fine.

abmj-jr

I'd do the same as Richard. The N'ex costs more than the Haruka and if you can get the JR West Pass for the last day, it is even less. Additionally, you may or may not get some use out of the Rail Pass on your first day on local JR lines such as the Yamanote Loop or others.

As you probably know, you must purchase the 7-day Japan Rail Pass before you arrive in Japan and exchange for the actual Pass upon arrival. That is not the case for the shorter term JR West passes which can be purchased at Kyoto Station, Shin-Osaka or other main stations.

As you are finding, part of the art of using the Rail Passes is puzzling together your travel plans into the validity periods of the various Passes to get the maximum benefit from what you pay.

freecia

To further on Richard's point:
I'd also check prices on hyperdia for Tokyo-Osaka and some of the Osaka local routes you are interested in. If you don't go to Kyoto, you might want to just use Suica/Icoca for local trips in Tokyo and Osaka. The IC transit cards are mostly compatible with each other these days and you can reload them with cash when the stored credit gets low.

http://jprail.com/ is also a great resource to compare where you can go on a JR pass. Here's a few which may be of interest:

Do you need Rail Pass?
http://jprail.com/travel-information...ular-fare.html
http://jprail.com/travel-information...s-maximum.html

Airport access on Rail Pass
http://jprail.com/travel-information...own-tokyo.html
http://jprail.com/sample-itineraries...i-airport.html

Around Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto
http://jprail.com/travel-information...own-tokyo.html
http://jprail.com/travel-information...jor-spots.html
http://jprail.com/destinations/kansa...jor-spots.html

ETA: If you're going to multiple locations other than Tokyo-Osaka one-way in Japan, it can be worth checking regional passes for centralized areas and individual ticket prices between longer haul cities. It generally takes a round trip shinkansen ticket to get good value out of a nationwide pass.

Steve Weagant

I'll be taking several bullet trains in green class plus some limited express. I'm using the pass for sure. I think I'll validate for trip into Tokyo. We plan on riding yanote line and will also ride subways. So suica is necessary.

In Osaka we use suica for local trips and we will buy our tickets to Kix.