Ranger8

We are in our late 50's and need help with the JR lines and inter city subway trips in japan. Trying to understand the various links and what passes (single trips or multi days) for cost and convenience. Thanks in advance for any suggestions....
5 days in Tokyo -
From Narita Airport to Asakusa Area (transportation?) for 2 nights
Sight-seeing sites (Asakusa shrine, Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Doori ..)
From Asakusa - Shinjuku - train?
Transfer to Shinjuku area for 2 nights - City Hall, Toho building ...
Go to Nagoya for day trip to see snow monkey and return back to shinjuku
Last day in Tokyo spend some time in Shibuya.Harujuku area.
From Shinjuku - Kyoto
5 days in Kyoto -
Fushimi Inari, Kinkaju Temple, Arashiyama Bamboo gorve ...

From Kyoto - Osaka with a pit stop at Nara before onto Osaka
1 day in Osaka
Day trip to Nara before Osaka
Evening spend time in Dotonbori

Late flight out of Kansai.

shuigao

Unless you are yuge fans, I'd cut out the day trip to the Nagano (not Nagoya, I presume) snow monkeys. You're looking at a ~2hr shinkansen ride, ~45min bus ride and ~35min trek up the trail from the bus station to the snow monkey place. So that's like 7hrs traveling to-and-fro to spend 15mins looking at some monkeys sitting in a small pond.

Nevertheless if you insist, you could get some value out of the JR Nagano Pass for the Tokyo - Nagano return shinkansen if you also take the NEX from Narita (instead of the Keisei/Skyliner). Or you might be able to just about break even with a 7-days JR Pass to additionally cover the one-way shinkansen to Kyoto.

Otherwise, if you cut out the snow monkeys from your itinerary, then don't bother with any sort of JR Pass.

Within Tokyo, my view is just buy individual tickets, or buy a pasmo/suica stored-value prepaid card. If you're willing to do lots of planning your train journeys around sticking to the non-JR metro, you can save a bit of money with the subway 3-day passes. But for me the couple-hundred ¥ saved is more trouble than it's worth.

ksandness

As Shuigao says, use a Suica/Pasmo debit card for transportation within Tokyo. You don't save any significant money, but it's very convenient, because you can use it for surface trains, subways, and buses.

evergrn

If it were me, I'd just stay at one hotel in Tokyo. I wouldn't bother staying at one place in Asakusa, then moving on to a different place in Shinjuku.

Agree with shuigao about the snow monkey trip and about the train pass for travel within Tokyo.

Ranger8

Hi,
Thanks for the advice. As per suggestion, I checked for the 7 days JR Pass with the one way shinkansen to Kyoto which I could not find.
> The JR East-Nagano, Niigata Pass does not cover the Kyoto route. https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/pass...gata-area-pass .
Am I missing something here? Thanks again .

Gary

ksandness

Your go-to source for ticket prices is hyperdia.com. To find out the fare for any Shinkansen trip, fill in your dates and destinations and then click on "More choices" to eliminate the transport options you don't want.

I did the search by eliminating everything but the Nozomi Shinkansen, the one not available to JR Pass-holders, and looking at a trip from Tokyo to Kyoto at 9:00AM on May 1.

The cost is ¥14,110, as opposed to ¥29,110 for a 7-day JR Pass.

So you could get a Suica/Pasmo debit card for travel within Tokyo, which will cover all transport that you are likely to use (JR- and non-JR trains, subways, buses), buy a Nozomi ticket for Kyoto, and then use a Miyako Card, similar to Suica/Pasmo, to get around on non-JR trains in the Kansai area. The places you want to go to in and around Kyoto and Osaka are all reachable by non-JR train.

The regions covered by these cards change all the time, but I think you could save money by buying single tickets and using debit cards in the metro areas, since your JR Pass will not cover most transportation within either Kyoto or Tokyo.

Ranger8

Thank you .

freecia

Transportation between Nagano and Jigokudani runs more often in winter than summer. Agree that it would suck a lot of time.

There are a few Passes in the Osaka area
http://jprail.com/travel-information...jor-spots.html

Surutto currently suggests the Kansai Thru Pass
http://www.surutto.com/tickets/kansai_thru_english.html
Miyako might have been discontinued?
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...ure_Kinki.html
An Icoca or Suica will probably be compatible for most major routes in Osaka and Kyoto
More about Suica & Icoca http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html
More about the Thru Pass http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357_005.html

Thru Pass can be used on non-consecutive days so you can save it for travel heavy days like going to the airport or to/from Osaka and use Suica/Icoca on less expensive short hauls. Depending on the time of year, a taxi or two in Kyoto might also be a good time saver. If hopping on and off buses is more your style, there is also a 1 day bus pass
https://www.kyotostation.com/taking-a-bus-in-kyoto/

shuigao

Don't know if this explanation helps, but here goes anyway. Estimated shinkansen/train costs assuming no pass of any kind:

A. Narita Express (NEX) Narita to Kanda (followed by switch to metro to Asakusa) ¥3,220
B. Shinkansen Tokyo-Nagano return ¥16,800
C. Shinkansen Tokyo-Kyoto one-way (from ksandness) ¥14,110

(Trip A+B) Since the JR East-Nagano, Niigata Pass (which you found) costs ¥17,000, buying it would save you some money if you really want to go to the monkey park. Plus you can use it for all your JR train trips within Tokyo.

(Trip A+B+C). Alternately, buy the 7 day nationwide JR Pass for ¥29,110 and use it for all 3 trips, plus all your JR train trips within Tokyo.

(Trip A+C). However if you decide not to see the snow monkeys, Trip A+C would cost less on their own than the 7-day JR Pass.

Ranger8

Wow ! Nicely done ...Suigao. Thanks also to all who participated for your effort and time. Happy a fantastic day.