my wife and i would be travelling to japan in the end of the year and into january. we would be going to tokyo and osaka. we found that a travel pass for 7days is $350 or so each. would it be actually cheaper to just by 2 separate tickets or a return ticket from tokyo to osaka or would it still be cheaper with the rail pass? also does anyone know what is the cheapest way to train between narita airport back to the city. we planning to stay in shinjuku. i saw in some sites it would cost about 3000yen which is quiet expensive.
Japan Rail Pass
glk2000 on 18/09/2012 - 23:10
Comments
i recently came back travelling japan (we were there in january) with my boyfriend and we both got the rail pass. while its expensive its the best way to travel and is basically lets u use the rail network (excluding the local services) but all the major ones to get u from the main cities and in btween.. for example in tokyo you can travel from tokyo to shinjuku station in under 20min using the rail pass. also being able to use the shinkansen is the best part because its unlimited and you can travel long distances quite fast comfortably..
we used our rail pass to go from tokyo to hiroshima to osaka to kyoto to tokyo and nagano so we went far distances but honestly found it was the best and most convinient way to travel
also dont train it to shinjuku from the airport unless ur good at speaking japanese..
u shud catch a shuttle from narita airport (i think it was 1600 yen) and it takes u to shinjuku station and if ur travelling at night or peak hour its the best way to go especially if ur carrying lots of luggage or big bags.JR pass is a good value if you plan to travel from Tokyo to Osaka. One way ShinKenShen already cost 15000yen per person. And the pass gives you unlimited travel on JR rail. If you plan to stay in Japan for a week or more, it is a must to travel around and will save you a lot.
Travel from Narita to city, my personal opinion, I've never take the bus (road route). As the traffic is real bad on Tokyo highway. Depending on the hours of the day, it may take you 3 hours to go from airport to city, while the train, even not on express, will only take you 1 and half hour and you have a better hand on the time.
While stopping over in Osaka, if have time make sure take a trip down to Kyoto. It is a really nice traditional japanese city.
Visited Japan at the end of last year and got the JR Pass for $600. We visited Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima and found the pass to be extremely good value, especially considering how much some of the one-way tickets between cities were.
You'll probably also find it useful since you're staying in Shinjuku, as the JR Yamanote line (sort of like a city-loop) passes through there.
Contrary to the first comment, we caught the express train from Narita into the city. It took about an hour, maybe slightly over and will drop you at Tokyo Station, Shibuya or Shinjuku.
JR pass is well worth the money. But make sure you plan your trip so that you make the most out of it. We used ours to go to Kobe -> Osaka -> Hiroshima -> Osaka and sightseeing around other places. Great value for money.
1 round trip (Tokyo-> Osaka) will be worth the value in JR pass (approximately). Then any other incidental travel you do will make it worthwhile. If you have your JR pass when you arrive at narita, there is a JR train you can take (just ask the station guys, they speak english). For accommodation, 3000yen a night is fairly good price especially in shinjuku. Most places will be approximately 2000-4000 a night per person (hostels that is). However alot of them are near Ueno making it a 30min trip to reach places like shibuya.
It will be about $100 each way.
Check it out here;
http://japan-shinkansen.blogspot.com.au/2009/04/buying-shink…
The following is a direct quote from another website;
"Shinkansen Services
On the most-travelled Tokaido route is Tokyo Osaka, there are three types of Shinkansen, reflecting the number of stops that the train makes:
Nozomi - the fastest type of Shinkansen. Japan Rail Pass holders cannot travel on these. All reserved seating.
Hikari - the next fastest, still pretty fast.
Kodama - makes more stops, and generally only cover small stretches of the Shinkansen lines."
In my experience, go for the Hikari. Nice and fast compared to the Kodama.
I would still buy a rail pass as it is good for using Japan Rail (JR) services in and around the city (note that most lines are JR but some are private railways) and you don't have to be constantly lining up at vending machines, just waive your pass to the guy on the gate and you're right to go.
Plus it gives you lots of other opportunities like going to Hiroshima or Kyoto, both highly recommended. Even the ferry from Hiroshima to Miyajima Island is JR (well one is, one isn't). Then from Kyoto station take the trip to see Fushimi Inari.
Plus lots of other hey let's just do it without having to think of the ticket cost. The number of times I have gone we probably come out about even on the Rail Pass, but I enjoy having it.
Don't train it from Narita to Shinjuku. Take the Limousine Bus instead. It's nice and relaxing after the flight and the views going into Tokyo are great.
http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/discount_ticket/en/index.html
Yes, it will cost you about 3000 yen but it also gives an unlimited one day metro (non JR) train pass around Tokyo. It is great if you are going down to Disneyland, as it is actually quicker on the metro than on the JR lines. A bit more complicated maybe, but that's half the fun. Stop off one stop before Disneyland and have the best curry you've ever had from a little place where you order from a machine on the outside. Oh, I so want to go again.
Also, as well as Shinjuku, consider Ikebukuro, a great part of town for visitors with shopping and eating abound.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Tokyo/Ikebukuro
The Limousine Bus drops you right off at Sunshine City Prince Hotel, which is nicely priced, but for the real bargain, walk another five minutes and stay at Flexstay Higashiikebukuro Inn;
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g1066460-d1085845…
Super cheap and nicely situated in an area where there are lots of locals, while only being five minutes walk to Sunshine City and all of its attractions or five minutes to Otsuka Station, the road to which is covered in beautiful roses.
If this is your first trip to Japan, prepare to have a blast. If it is a return journey, you know you will.
Edit : Tokyo to Osaka and back is a fair way, so I would recommend spending a night or two in Osaka. Again, stay at a Flexstay, this time;
http://www.wmt-osaka.com/shinsaibashi/
at Shinsaibashi. It is in a brilliant part of town including a huge shopping mall that stretches for about a mile.
Don't worry about having to haul all your bags from Tokyo to Osaka either. Use the "Black Cat" transport service. It is shockingly fast and very cheap. Your suitcases will arrive the next day;
http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/
The two best parts of this is that you can enjoy your train journey much more than if you were hauling everything with you and that it is so easy to organise. The front desk of the hotel will do it all for you.