I'm going to be traveling to Japan for a week in October. I've been looking into getting a rail pass, but I'd like to avoid high prices, and I only need the pass for four days. I'm flying into Narita airport. The cities I'm going to are Tokyo, Kyoto, and Sendai.

I noticed there are rail passes based on region, but I haven't found any that include those three cities except for the all-Japan one.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

Welcome to FT, and check out the Japan sticky at the top of the forum which tells you all sorts of good stuff about Japan, including about the JR pass.

To give a proper answer to your question, it is important to know not only that you are arriving at Narita, but what airport you are departing from.

Under the assumption that you are also departing from Narita, let me make a few short comments.

1. The only rail pass that will allow you to include Tokyo and Kyoto (let alone Sendai) is the all-Japan one.

2, If you would just use the pass for Tokyo-Kyoto-Sendai-Tokyo, you will come out ahead with the pass over buying individual tickets. Any use to/from Narita and local use in Tokyo or elsewhere will be a bonus.

3. If you are there for a full week (i.e., Sunday to Sunday), you will likely have to pay for one trip to or from Narita, as the pass is only good for 7 CALENDAR days. I.e., if you validate it to start on a Sunday, the last time it is good is the following Saturday at midnight.

Again, welcome to FT!

Oh yes, sorry, I'm leaving from Narita as well. I was hoping I had overlooked something in my research on the train pass, but I guess not. Thanks for the help though! I'll have to look into how much a train pass from Tokyo to Narita is.

You can do Tokyo to Narita on the cheap using the private Keisei line from Ueno or Nipport. The regular commuter service costs ~1000 yen and is only ~15 minutes slower than the JR Narita Express.

Just putting this out there for the sake of thoroughness:

ANA flies routes that might work for you:
- Narita (or Haneda) to Itami
- Itami to Sendai
- Sendai to Narita

Using a *A Japan pass for three flights is more expensive than a JR pass. But you'd certainly save time by flying Itami to Sendai.

But you'll see more by rail, it's more relaxing, and it takes you from city center to city center.

Consider returning from Kyoto to Tokyo by the "back way."

At Nagoya, get off the Shinkansen and take the trains that are headed for Nakatsugawa and Matsumoto (the Chuo line). You may have to change at Shiojiri, but in any case, take the train that is headed for Tokyo's Shinjuku Station. Trains are frequent, and with a pass, you can just hop on and off and take whichever unreserved (jiyuu-seki "jee-you-secky") seats are available.

Send your baggage by courier (takkyuubin "tahk-q-bin") for extra freedom.

You get rural mountain scenery, most likely the sight of the snow-covered Japan Alps, and then you emerge from a tunnel into Hachioji, which is the western edge of the Tokyo megalopolis and leads to a solid hour of densely packed suburbs.

Given the frequency and reliability of Japanese trains, this trip is easily doable in a day.

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I used it on my last trip because I arrived at Keisei Ueno at an awkward time between Skyliners (the express train to Narita), and I saw that the commuter choo-choo that was leaving in five minutes would arrive at NRT well before the next Skyliner, which didn't leave for another hour. Well, Keisei Ueno isn't exactly a wonderland of things for the waiting traveler to do, and I wanted to have time for one last leisurely Japanese meal before my flight, so I took the slower and cheaper option.

It was a typical commuter train with seats along the side, but it wasn't crowded, the day was bright and sunny, and I enjoyed watching the city fade away into the mini-farms of exurbia.

If you arrive at T2 and decide to take the Keisei limited express (the Y990 train), you might give serious consideration to riding the train from T2 to T1 and re-boarding there, assuming the staff doesn't stop you. At the wrong time of day, you might not find a seat by the time the train reaches T2, I've found.

OP, remember, your JR pass is valid for 7 calendar days, if you are there for a week, your pass will be valid for the Narita Express in at least one direction.

Best to make this the direction BACK to Narita, because at the same time you are validating your JR pass, you can buy the JR N'Ex+Suica deal that effectively gives you the ride FROM Narita at half-price -- a comfortable, faster ride for only Y500 more than the much more crowded Keisei line train.

Last fall I did the N'EX/Suica pass to get from NRT into the city and my hotel in Shinagawa. I refilled the Suica card a couple of times through the week and found it as convenient as advertised on both the Tokyo and Yokohama JR and metro systems. However, I see the competition has come up with its own version, price-wise even cheaper: Y2100 w/ 1-day metropass; Y2480 w/ 2-day metropass versus Y3500. I also gave the Keisei Express a try going back to NRT (I was planning to take the Skyliner from Nipporo but only had enough cash left for the Express...Keisei doesn't take credit cards!) and it wasn't all that bad albeit a normal commuter rail seating configuration.

Given my sightseeing agenda for this trip, the new combo seems worth trying out along with my Suica card that I'll bring along and refill.

Two questions:

1. Does Keisei take credit cards in payment for this combo at its NRT ticket office?
2. These passes are only available to those holding non-Japanese passports and useable from NRT into the city, not the other way around. However, are these limited to one sale/one time? That is, can one buy one of these passes on further visits? (Is one's passport details recorded in their systems such to deny an attempt to purchase a pass on a subsequent visit?)

Unfortunately, I don't have answers for your 2 questions but thanks for posting this. I was unaware of the Skyliner + metropass option and it is exactly what I have been hoping for. It will work perfectly for my next planned trip.

JR

I tried a credit card once at the Keisei counter at NRT and they wouldn't take it. Wasn't buying the "deal" though, just a regular ticket to Tokyo.

Note that a 2 day metro card can be bought at NRT for Y990, the Keisei deal saves Y500 over separate purchase. I expect that this metro card is not good on the 4 TOEI metro lines, like the separate card.

From the folders I picked up at the Japan Tourist Agency it appears to be exactly the same Tokyo Metro Open Ticket(s) that can be bought separately elsewhere at NRT. But you are correct in noting it cannot be used on Toei lines as there is a specific note to that effect on the Keisei brochure. There is no such note on the brochure offering just the 1 and 2 day Open Tickets, (Most confusing.)

Interesting. That kind or sucks. Fortunately, both the Ginza and Hibiya Lines connect in Ueno as well as the Yamanote. One can put together connections most everywhere from those three. It just requires a bit more creativity.

Do you know if the "1 day" option means 24 hours? I'd be arriving after 15:10 - probably catching the Skyline around 16:30 or so. Does the time on the Metro Pass part start when you buy it or upon first use? I wouldn't need it until the next day.

EDIT: Never mind. The link that Lap Lap provided answered the question. The Skyliner and Metro tickets can be used on different days.

I didn't know about this either.
http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetud....../index.html

Alas, like the NEX deal they also have the no-Japanese rule in place as well (shame it isn't like the JR pass which allows Japanese citizens resident in another country to buy it) so no good for MrLapLap

I'm arriving a day before him this next visit, I'll just not even mention this to him at all.