Hello,
My friend and I will be in Japan for 9 days. We will spend 3 days in Kyoto, 2 days around Fuji-san, and the rest in Tokyo. We need to do this cheap as we can. Is it worth it for us to get the JR Rail Pass or to take the cheaper train from Tokyo to Kyoto. Not worried about comfort, we are worried about money. SO will it save us money or would it be cheaper to take the local buses, trains, or get the pass? Any ideas will help, but we won't be traveling around too much in our short vacation. However we will be traveling around Kyoto and Tokyo- Is the JR pass valid on their subways? We live in Vietnam and are having a difficult time finding adequate info. Thanks for your help, Matt
chek
1
lizanne
Hi Matt
Try googling japan rail pass, there is a website with lots of info on the pass.
The japan rail pass is only valid on all Japan rail trains and buses. It includes all JR trains except the fastest Nazomi shinkansen, which is not really something to worry about.
I think even if you do ONLY a trip to Kyoto by shinkansen, you already got value for money from the pass. So maybe plan your trip well, that you only buy a 7 day pass, use it to go to Kyoto and Fuji san. The other 2 days you can buy indiv tickets in tokyo. The pass is not valid on Tokyo subways.
I think if you only spend 3 days in Kyoto, you do not really want to spend 1/2 a day travelling.
From looking at your iten. you will spend about 4 days in Tokyo...enough, depending on what you want to see. So also consider doing a day trip to Nikko. Beautiful temple town.
Hope this helps!
2
cocodrilo
Here's the site for the railpass. I'd do the math and if it doesn't make sense to buy the pass, just get the individual tickets. If you decide to do the latter, there are discount ticket centers in most cities that can save you a decent sum on Shinkansen tickets, etc.
4
nodak83
Could be because I've never traveled with the pass, but I don't see any reason why you wouldn't want it. People emphasize that you can use it on the shinkansen, but don't forget you can use it on any JR trains. That includes all the local trains around Tokyo, Kyoto, wherever you want to go. No, you can't use it on the subway in Tokyo, but I've only used it once to go out to Roppongi. The JR train system around the city is more efficient, in my opinion.
The only other way I see you doing it cheaper is if you only ride the night buses between cities. It's a pain in the ass, but you'll be able to save on accommodation those night as well. I'm sure Cocodrilo has some basis for saying that there are good discount ticket centers, but I've never found them. The biggest discount I've seen advertised anywhere is about 10 bucks. Bottom line is, though, I drool at the sight of a pass. I think it's the best thing since sliced bread.
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
trusted partner
trusted partner