Japan Trip - 14 or 21 Day JR Pass for Maximum Value?

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  Zaenille on 18/04/2018 - 20:11

  http://japan.aoimirai.net/jrpass_calculator.html

  Best calculator I've used. Shows you alternatives, and shows you how much it costs comparing 21 days vs 14 days plus buying the tickets for the seven days you won't be able to use your JR pass.

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    Sex on 18/04/2018 - 21:34

    Awesome, that looks super helpful. Thanks! The ozbargainer in me really wants to see how much of a saving I can achieve even though the difference in the two tickets are only $160.

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  tighttighttight1 on 18/04/2018 - 20:13

  Even if you were to activate the JR pass on your last day in Tokyo, you'll still be over 14 days. Seems like you might have to just go with the 21 day pass and figure out how else you can save money. Maybe accomodation, budget for everyday expenditure?

  With the JR pass in Tokyo make sure you catch the JR lines so you can use your pass and avoid paying extra train ticket fees. Of course the JR lines are not going to take you everywhere you want. when you get your JR pass they will give you a map and should explain to you the different train lines

  From memory you can use the JR pass from Narita into Tokyo, but someone can correct me if i am wrong.

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  NotSureIfSerious on 18/04/2018 - 20:19

  I went 14 days pass and didn't really need it in Tokyo if that helps. I spent I think 17-18 days overall and didn't think the extra $160 was worth it.

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    Sex on 18/04/2018 - 21:32

    Thanks. And yes, I don't really intend to use it in Tokyo as I'll be staying within the city.

    • 

      arctan on 24/09/2018 - 14:38

      +1

      Did you guys just use Suica card in Tokyo? Is that sufficient?

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  Spun on 18/04/2018 - 20:54

  +2

  Your JR pass will pay off only if you're doing lots of shinkansen hops, which it looks like you will be. Generally, the longer you spend in big cities, the less value you get out of the JR pass. Your 5 days in Kyoto for example, could be a waste on the JR pass if you don't plan on leaving Kyoto city itself, as you'll be taking buses and subways everywhere.

  You would want it to cover the trip between Kyoto and Tokyo, as this is a ~ $150 shinkansen journey by itself. If you stick with your current itinerary though, you'll still be in Matsumoto when the 14 day pass runs out.

  If it were me, I'd cut a day off the Osaka stay, and do the Matsumoto -> Hakone trip on the last day of your 14 day pass. I'd buy a 3 day Hakone Free Pass for the Hakone stay, and spend an extra day in Tokyo at the end (to make up for the 1 day shortfall in Osaka).

  Use Hyperdia to work out your travel costs once you know the exact routes you're planning to take. When doing searches for the routes the JR pass will cover, uncheck the "NOZOMI / MIZUHO / HAYABUSA (SHINKANSEN)" and "Private Railway" search options.

  As a rough guide, the following are the costs for your major city hops:
  Tokyo -> Kyoto: ¥13,600
  Kyoto -> Hiroshima: ¥11,090
  Hiroshima -> Osaka: ¥10,810
  Osaka -> Toyama: ¥9,430
  Toyama -> Matsumoto: ¥8,080
  Matsumoto -> Odawara (Hakone): ¥12,760

  Are you doing the Kurobe Alpine Route between Toyama and Matsumoto? If you're not, you should be. It's amazing.

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    Sex on 18/04/2018 - 21:28

    Thank you for the detailed response, that is really helpful!

    I will be staying within Tokyo for my days there. However, I will be doing day trips from Kyoto to places like Kobe, Nara, etc, so I will be using the JR Pass for these.

    Unfortunately, I've booked all my accommodation so I won't be able to cut a day off the Osaka stay, even though that suggestion makes a lot of sense.

    I will be doing the Kurobe Alpine Route too, looking forward to that and everyone seems to say it's amazing.

    Given those rough estimates from Hyperdia and the fact that my itinerary is quite fixed, would you say that it would probably bit a little cheaper if I went for the 21 day pass and activated it on the third day of my trip so that it extends to the end?

    Thanks!

    • 

      Spun on 19/04/2018 - 10:47

      If your itinerary is fixed, it looks like you have 3 options:

      • Buy a 14 day JR pass, and activate it when you're leaving Tokyo. This will expire while you're in Matsumoto, so you have to pay the ~ $150 trip back from Matsumoto separate to the pass.
      • Buy a 14 day JR pass, and activate it once you're already in Kyoto, and have it extend until after your Matsumoto trip. There isn't much point having the pass while you're in Hakone, since none of the infrastructure in the area is JR (past Odawara, and if you're coming from the other way, Gotemba). As C9 has suggested below, maybe look at taking a cheap domestic flight from Tokyo to Kyoto with Jetstar JP or ANA. This will probably cost you ~$120 to $150 for the Tokyo -> Kyoto leg.
      • Buy a 21 day JR pass.

      Are you really sure that you can't shorten your Osaka stay? I'd still try if it were me, as in my experience hotels are usually pretty accommodating (pardon the pun) unless you're very close to your check-in date. I'm also not the biggest fan of Osaka. If there is a "meh" city, for me, Osaka is it.

      But if your itinerary is truly fixed you're not going to save a great deal of money with any of the 3 above options, if it were me I'd opt for the 21 day JR pass. In addition to the "free" rail trips, it also proves to be very convenient to not worry about buying tickets. This is a bit of a moot point though if you're also planning on travelling with an Icoca or Suica card.

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  SydStrand on 18/04/2018 - 20:56

  JR Pass practically requires a Shikansen trip every other day to break even. You can use it for JR metro lines, but it's poor use of the pass, since you're paying $35/day, even with a 21 day pass, whereas you can get a daily unlimited in major cities for around 600Y.

  What I'd recommend is spending longer in Tokyo, a week or so, then activating it on your last day in town and time it so it expires the day you fly out (or night before), so you get a free trip into Tokyo for return.

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  klonky on 18/04/2018 - 21:47

  Can you time it so that your 1st day is leaving Tokyo and the 14th day gets you to Hakone? it's cheap back to Tokyo from there.

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    Sex on 18/04/2018 - 21:53

    Unfortunately, even if I activate the JR pass as I leave Tokyo, the 14 day pass will only just get me to Matsumoto (so I will still need to pay for the trip to Hakone).

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  justaperson on 18/04/2018 - 22:17

  Its good value mainly if you use the shinkansen for multiple trips like others have said. I think the main thing to do is evaluate which lines you'll use (for example, what's close to your accomodation) and other public transport. Private lines such as Odakyu and Tokyo Metro are not covered by the JR Pass these usually fill in a lot of where the JR Lines don't cover. Last couple of times I was there I just got a Suica card and used that, it was a lot easier and you're able to choose an amount to prepay so you're not paying for something you might not get full use out of.

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  c9 on 18/04/2018 - 22:26

  Sorry I didn't spend time to do calculation of each trip, but looking at your itinerary, I may suggest you take the ANA tourist special rate for domestic flight (10800 yen) then activate 14 day pass from kyoto.

  Since the saving is $160, it is close to 20,000 yen, so it is a bit of saving (but of course you will need to pay for your trains in tokyo + kyoto. Advantage though is that you are taking domestic flight which is faster than bullet train, but that depends on where you live in Tokyo / Kyoto.

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  milo-oreo on 19/04/2018 - 23:13

  Follow up question to the initial thread:

  Does anyone have any good/bad/neutral experiences with Adapt Digital Pty Ltd (operating as Japan Rail Pass Now)?

  Its prices are a few dollars cheaper for the 7 and 14 day passes from JTB Australia and Travel Japan by HIS Australia Pty Ltd, and since I'm purchasing quite a few different passes at once, I'd be saving some bucks.

  The website for Japan Rail Pass Now looks less 'official' then the other two, but obviously I shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

  • 

    Spun on 20/04/2018 - 13:16

    +1

    My advice would be to hunt down your best price for the JR passes, and take the quotes to Flight Centre, who will beat them.
    I've done it for my last 2 Japan trips, and I plan on doing it again in December for our next trip. Flight Centre will also waive their credit card fees if the vendor they are matching doesn't charge CC fees.

    From memory these guys are usually around the cheapest (although you're usually only talking a dollar or two per pass):
    https://www.jrpass.com/buy-the-japan-rail-pass-online
    https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/

    • 

      arctan on 24/09/2018 - 14:43

      Thanks for the tips mate. Flight Centre is charging AU 509 for 7 days when these sites only charge AU 358!

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  myusername on 21/04/2018 - 08:30

  if you're going to use the shinkasen more than 5 times it's worth it. have just returned from 2 weeks in japan.

  on a side note i'd spend more time in Osaka than Kyoto, also make sure you get out to Arashiyama.

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    rover on 08/06/2018 - 11:38

    … if you do Arashiyama, IMO the best way to get there is by the Hozugawa river boat ride (4100Y, take train from Kyoto to Kameoka station).