Originally Posted by
FederalFlyer
... I should also add: does the JR pass make sense? We want to take the fastest bullet train between Tokyo and Kyoto so the JR pass will be of no help there. Will just moving around Tokyo and Kyoto justify it's purchase?
No. If you will not be using the Rail Pass for the longest travel on the
shinkansen (bullet train) it would not make sense. Just get a Suica pre-paid card for local travel in Tokyo. There is a similar pre-paid card for Kyoto.
If, on the other hand, you use the Rail Pass for your longer travel PLUS the train trip out to NRT, then it would make sense. The "fastest" bullet train, called
Nozomi, is not really any faster than the other
shinaknsens, it just makes fewer stops. That means it makes the trip to/from Tokyo-Kyoto about 20 minutes faster than the
Hikari, which
is available to Pass holders.
Nozomi and
Hikari run at the same speed. The only real advantage to
Nozomi versus
Hikari is that there are more frequent departures on
Nozomi.
If you really want to stay with
Nozomi shinkansens, then I'd recommend purchasing the round-trip Narita Express ticket which has just been announced for the trip to and from the airport plus a Suica card for local travel. You can purchase your
Nozomi tickets as you go.