liewell

Hi all,

thank you for taking the time to read.

Will need some advice if I should purchase JR pass Kansai Pass or just get single tickets travelling to and fro at the ticketing machines

Day 1 - Haneda Tokyo
Day 2 - Tokyo
Day 3 - Day Trip Tokyo to Hakone
Day 4 - Tokyo to Kyoto
Day 5 - Day Trip Kyoto to Nara
Day 6 - Kyoto
Day 7 - Kyoto to Osaka
Day 8 - Osaka
Day 9 - Osaka
Day 10 - Osaka
Day 11 - Osaka to Kansai Airport

Thank you in advance for any help.

jib71

7-Day JR Pass will cost more than all of your travel
JR Kansai Area Pass won't save you any money with the itinerary that you have. Exact fares will depend on the stations that you depart and arrive from, and the lines that you take. Kyoto to Nara is likely to cost you around 1500 Yen. Kyoto to Osaka is likely to cost you around 600 yen. Osaka to Kansai Airport is likely to cost you 2,300 (about the same as a 1-day Kansai area pass - so you might save a yen or two that day). In addition, the JR pass limits you to JR lines, so it really isn't a good idea.

U suggest that you buy an IC card and load it with cash to avoid having to purchase tickets for every journey within Tokyo or within the Kansai region. For example you could buy a SUICA in Tokyo, and get the balance refunded at the station before you take the train to Kyoto. Then buy an ICOCA in Kyoto to use around the Kansai area, and get the balance refunded at KIX.

ksandness

The conventional wisdom on this board is that a JR Pass makes sense only if you are making the equivalent of a round trip between Kyoto/Osaka and Tokyo, i.e. if you are both flying into and flying out of NRT or HND.

Since you are flying into HND and out of KIX, you are better off with single tickets.

freecia

You may want to look into regional passes + 1 way shinkansen ticket between Tokyo and Kyoto
There's a Puratto Kodama ticket with advance purchase a bit cheaper than Nozomi
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html

Hakone Free Pass https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_008.html
Kansai https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357_kansai.html

FlitBen

If you decide to visit Himeji, Kobe, and/or Hiroshima as well as well, a Kansai Area Pass might be worth getting once you're in Kyoto.

ktllo

Then, you will have to pay handling charge for returning the card twice. If you plans to return to Japan for another trip in a 10 years, just buy a SUICA/PASMO in Tokyo, use it thoughout your journey for local travel, and keep the card for your next trip.

jib71

If you use the credit on the card there's no transaction charge. I have never paid a transaction fee to get my SUICA deposit back. (And I have heard that PASMO has no transaction charge - but I have yet to confirm it for myself).