Aaargh, please help, it's all so confusing!

[Emilie]

I don't get the Japanses transportation system!
My plans are:

-From Narita airport the 2nd...
-Tokyo from 2nd - 8th
-Fujii / Hakone area (not all planned yet) from 8th-10th
-Kyoto from 10th - 13th
-(Koya-San or Nara on the 13th perhaps)
-Osaka from 14th - 16
-...back to Narita airport the 16th

What passes should I get? Not JR rail pass while I'm in Tokyo, right? I
should probably just use the metro, maybe buy a T-card?
... But maybe JR railpass for the last week,
when I start travelling longer and then maybe just the West JR railpass. But
there are a few long trips that make it complicated:

-Narita airport to Asakusa st
-one trip to Disneyland while in Tokyo
-Ueno st - Fujii / Hakone area
-Fujii / Hakone area - Kyoto / Osaka
-Osaka - Narita airport

I could use some help, especially since it's so soon and I have to buy the JR rail pass before I leave...

-Emilie (Denmark)

 

[Ewok85]

If you want it simple, dont get a pass, just buy as you go.
-Narita airport to Asakusa st (Express from airport to Tokyo or Ueno then local on keihin tohoku or yamanoto line south to akihabara then east one to asakusa bashi)
-one trip to Disneyland while in Tokyo (From Tokyo get the Keiyo line, you'll know when your at Disneyland )
-Ueno st - Fujii / Hakone area (Chuou line to Ogetsu?大月 then Fuji-kyukou to get you closer, then a bus to get you up there)
-Fujii / Hakone area - Kyoto / Osaka (Your only option - back to tokyo and get a Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka or Kyoto - only 30mins apart)
-Osaka - Narita airport (Bad idea, see about leaving from Kansai Airport, its not worth 4 1/2 hours and a pile of money to go all the way back)

I could work for JR, I know the system better than some natives

 

[Emilie]

But it seems I need to use JR lines all the time... At least according to this site: http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/ .
How expensive it the Ueno st - Fujii / Hakone area solution you came up with?

 

[Cedric]

Dear Emilie, it's simple for me. Take the JR-pass for 7 days, you can validate it on the 10th when you move to Kyoto and it will be valid until 16th. This for a simple reason, the JR-pass for 7 days costs 28'300 yen and you can travel all over Japan on all trains (except Nozomi-shinkansen).
Now when you buy train tickets in Japan, just the Tokyo-Kyoto costs 13'500 yen. You can see easily the advantage of the JR Pass, even if you only travel Tokyo-Kyoto-Tokyo it worst to use it.
(japanrailpass : JAPAN RAIL PASS | ジャパン・レール・パス and if you want to compare with normal fare here http://www.jreast.co.jp/e_charge/index.asp)

And information about all kind of passes in Japan : http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358.html

 

[Ewok85]

Its up to you if you want to use JR all the time or not. I went a year using nothing but, while some of my friends used the subway system most of the year. If you buy a JR rail pass you will save headaches because you wont be constantly having to buy tickets and then pay the difference at the arriving station, probably something good if you cant read kanji

 

[Cedric]

I agree with Ewok85, if you stay only in Tokyo, you dont need the JR pass. But as the JR pass is exclusively given for tourist in Japan, not for people residing in Japan, it is meaningless to speak about the JR pass for a long period of stay.

Emilie, look, easy to calculate :

Tokyo - Kyoto 13500
Kyoto - Nara 2x690
Kyoto - Koya-san 2x 1740
Osaka - Narita about 16000

total 34360 yen and the JR pass is cheaper, and with this pass you can change your reservation without any fees if you miss a train for example, which is not the case with regular ticket.
I am living in Japan for a while, and I cannot get this pass because I'm not here with a tourist visa, but I assure you that I can give anything to have one of this pass, it a real opportunity, free travel for such a price.

 

[Ewok85]

No joke, I'd have one hell of a holiday run if I got my hands on a pass....

 

[Cedric]

yes me either, imagine, you can travel to Kyushu , and after take a train to Hokkaido . You can always reserve for a seat, change at the last minute if you want another train... perfect

For people staying in Japan, the best option to travel cheap, is during the official school holidays with the seishun 18 kippu.

Validity :
1st March - 10 April
20 July - 10 September
10 December 20 January.

You have to buy five ticket for 11500, and with one ticket you can travel on all JR lines in Japan (execpt shinkansen, ltd-express, express) for 1 day.

And to help you plan your travel : http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperd01.cgi

 

[Emilie]

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions! I've bought a JR railpass for the last week when I go to the Kansai area. I'm leaving in 24 hours, and I'm so excited!