Originally Posted by
Thunderroad
So, my questions:
2. Am I correct in assuming that the rail pass for the travel we have in mind is less expensive than buying tickets for individual trips?
You can find the fare @
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/charge/index.asp
For Tokyo ~ Kyoto:
Tokaido Shinkansen (Hikari and Kodama trains) is 13,220 yen per person
Tokaido Shinkansen (Nozomi trains) is 13,520 yen per person
While 7 day ordinary pass is 28,300 yen per person.
As jib71 already points out, JR pass won't save you much unless your day trip is long. If you don't plan to take any long day trips, then I will probably just buy Nozomi trains instead (not valid with JR pass) since it is newer, more frequent, and less stops usually.