Hello everyone, I need help organizing my JR Pass alternative. I’m in Japan on a student visa, but I haven’t been anywhere else than Tokyo/Yokohama, so I am feeling very overwhelmed by all the passes that are available.
In march, I am planning a 3-week trip around Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka with my boyfriend who will be here as a tourist, so he got the JR Pass as he is eligible.
For the first 6 days, we’ll be staying at my place in Tokyo and visiting the city, as well as a day trip to Nikko. We’re then going to Hakone for 2 days and 1 night, coming back to Tokyo afterward. For this first week, I was thinking of using what’s left on my Pasmo as well as the Tokyo Wide Pass (+ Hakone free pass). But the issue is that it only lasts for 3 days.
We’re then going to Kyoto from Tokyo and staying there for 3 nights. We’re planning on visiting the city using the subway and buses.
After that we’re going to Osaka for 5 nights, spending 1 day at Universal Studios, then 1 day at Kobe, 1 day at Nara, and finally one last day in Osaka for sightseeing. After that, we’re going back to Tokyo.
For Kyoto and Osaka, I was thinking of buying the Kansai WIDE Area Excursion Pass, available to foreign residents. It’s only valid 3 days, so I would have to buy it 3 times but I can’t seem to see on the website if I can do that.
I also saw that there is a pass available for March called the Seishun 18. Would it be worth it ?
Sorry if this is long and all over the place, I really need someone that has gone through something similar to help me, as there is so much different information on different websites and different passes that do different things. I’ve only taken the Tokyo subway, the furthest I’ve been to is Yokohama, so I don’t even know what all the different trains are.
If this isn’t the place to ask for help then I’m sorry.
6 comments
If you want someone to make a personalized plan for your whole holiday for you you should probably go to a professional rather than Reddit.
The Tokyo Wide Pass is so expensive that it’s rarely worth it; the same is true for most of the Kansai passes AFAIK. The Hakone freepass and the Tobu Nikko similar one are pretty good deals.
The Seishun 18 ticket is only valid on regular trains, not shinkansen (I think maybe even no limited express?). So going all the way to Kansai will take a while. Up to you if the cost saving is worth it.
Ultimately there’s no good answer for getting to/from Kansai cheaply, you mainly have to suck it up and pay what it costs unless you’re ok with a slow option. Highway buses are the cheapest, but have obvious downsides.
Try r/japantravel
For Nikko, get the world heritage pass. For Hakone, get the Hakone Free Pass. If that’s what you do outside the main area, don’t get the Tokyo Wide Pass. Just use Tokunai Pass or Subway pass if it’s worth it depend on your itinerary.
From Tokyo to Osaka use the night bus.
Kansai Wide Excursion is only worth it if you do day trips to farther destinations. You haven’t list anything yet so we don’t know.
There are also Kansai Thru Pass, which allow Japanese resident to act as a guide so your bf can buy two for both of you. But again, it’s depend on where you are visiting.
You have to plan where you wanted to visit first before thinking about pass. Passes that are available to residents are generally not as flexible as pass for foreign residents.
You don’t need a pass when you are in Osaka and Kyoto. Just buy the Hakone free pass and the Nikko world heritage Pass. Anything else sounds like it wouldn’t be worth it for you.
Make sure to check Google maps to see how much it costs from A to B. You can add up if your travel will make any pass worthwhile
For travel within and between Kyoto and Osaka you really don’t need a pass. Just use your Suica or Passmo (it works the same as elsewhere in Japan) for the bus and train routes you’ll take. To get to/from Nara you can just take a regular train too. It’s not expensive as these cities are all quite close. The Kansai WIDE Area Excursion might not pay off. You’ll have to add up your planned daily route to see if any of the three days you will break even using this or not. Just check estimated cost for your planned route in Google Maps and compare to cost of the Kansai pass. I’m Osaka, you walk around the shopping streets a lot so may only need to take 1 or 2 (or even no) subways or buses per day depending on where you’re staying.
The number 1 tip for any visit to Kyoto, Osaka, or Tokyo is to lump sightseeing together by district. These are *huge* and very spread out cities. Number 2 tip is to get your one to two must-see/do’s done as early each day as possible. Then, anything else you do that day, is gravy.
– [Tokyo Districts](https://trulytokyo.com/tokyo-districts/)
– [Kyoto Districts](https://www.insidekyoto.com/kyoto-districts)
– [Osaka Districts](https://insideosaka.com/osaka-districts/)
– [Save the places you want to visit in Google maps.](https://www.theunconventionalroute.com/google-maps-saved-places/)
– Then, zoom out and see where those places are lumped together. Do *that* specific district/area in the morning and shift to another district/area in the afternoon. This way you don’t lose time/money criss-crossing the city.
– See how long it will take to travel via public transit (or walking if within the same area) between your sites. You need to account for travel time and add in an extra 15- 20 minutes from what Google Maps says as you may get turned around looking for your entrance/exit or platform in the subway/train stations.
– Be sure you check opening hours/days in Google maps too. You don’t want to show up at 8 am to Akihabara only to find all the shops closed or to a museum on a Monday as that is often (but not always) a closed day.
As others have mentioned, the Nikko Heritage and Hakone Free Passes might be good options. The JapanGuide site is a great staring resource as their Get There and Around section for cities has a good overview of costs and pass options.
– [JapanGuide: Hakone Get There and Around](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5206.html)
– [JapanGuide: Nikko Get There and Around](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3805.html)
Straight up.
You don’t need 5 days in Osaka.