We took a taxi from our hotel in Osaka (Ritz Carlton) to our hotel in Kyoto (the Granvia - in the train station). We were taking first class trains. And - by the time we figured in the cost of first class trains and taxis - and the cost of forwarding our bags (or the hassle of carrying them with us) - a taxi cost only a few dollars more for 2 people. Think it was on the order of $100 US give or take (flat rate including our luggage). And it was super convenient.

BTW - in case no one has mentioned it - there are 2 "main" train stations in Osaka. One is pretty close to the Ritz Carlton - easy walk (OTOH - this station seems to be 2+ KM from the St. Regis). The other - the shinkansen station - is kind of at the "edge" of town (seems to be 5+ KM from the St. Regis). You should double check this. So you'll need to take a cab to either (although I suspect there's bus service and the like to both).

Also - I suspect one can get from the "central" Osaka station to Kyoto (not sure) - but not on the shinkansen. The trains will probably be slower - but - since downtown Osaka is only 27 miles from downtown Kyoto - you're not talking about a long trip no matter how fast/slow you go.

Anyway - if I were you I'd ask your concierge to compare the cost of the most convenient train transfer with the cost of a cab - and then decide what you want to do. Robyn

P.S. We didn't get a rail pass. Our train legs were Tokyo ---> Osaka and Kyoto ---> Tokyo. And we wanted to take the nozomi train first class:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nozomi_%28train%29

Figured this would be the only time in our lives we'd be able to try it - and it was more or less a tourist attraction to us . You can't use these trains with a rail pass.