JR Pass or a combination?

Hi
Over a 7 night period we will be following this path below.
Looking at the various rail passes, i was thinking it may work out cheaper to get a combination of passes rather than a 7 day JR pass. Trouble is working out which ones. As they have different validity period too, it makes it harder to marry up.
I was hoping someone else has already done the legwork for a similar trip and could share their handy-work.
Narita then straight to Nagoya then to Takayama to Gokayama to Kanazawa to Tateyama (Yuki no Otani) to Nagano, Niigata or Gunma (haven't decided which) then back to Tokyo (1 week with a day trip or 2)

You need to say how long you are spending in each place. The passes are valid for certain number of days; without knowing how long you want to spend in each area we can't tell you what pass/es will be best.

Fair enough, so the plan will be 1 night in each location except Takayama which will be 2 nights.

Hi,

If you take JR Trains from Narita to Nagoya and then from Nagoya to Takayama, you will already have spend 20000Yen on train tickets. This is almost what it costs to get one 7-day JR Pass so I'd say it's more than worth it to get one. It won't cover your return to Tokyo from Nagano/Niigata/Gunma, though but at least it will cover the rest and make things more convenient for you.

Just add it up using Hyperdia. It will take about 10 minutes and you'll have the answer to your question.

Appreciate the responses but I think you miss the point. There are a variety of rail passes like the jr pass but specific to certain regions and with different validity periods. They present very good value and are cheaper than the jr pass, but I would have to get the Kanto, Chubu, Hokuriku passes and maybe 1 other. Hence the complexity and hope that someone had already worked it out.

but I would have to get the Kanto, Chubu, Hokuriku passes and maybe 1 other.

I have no idea about the "Chubu" pass, but I believe you must top up the Shinkansen fare from Tokyo to Nagoya, which is about 11000 yen.

I think you miss our point. Just get the national JR pass and the whole thing is covered. Unless you plan to take local (non-JR) trains and busses, those are not covered.

I don't miss your point. If you look at the cost of those passes they are in the range of 8000, 5000, etc so could potentially save me 10,000 on a 7 day jr pass. so I appreciate your response but it is potentially ill informed

I think you miss my point: work out the fares on Hyperdia in 10 minutes or less, and then compare them with the cost of the various passes that you appear to already have the details of.

As for as i know, besides the Takayama Hokuriku pass no other pass does the Nagoya to Kanazawa and Takayama.

Considering you would have to train from Tokyo to Nagoya by nagoya, i would take the jr pass.

So I took 5 mins to look up the fares on Hyperdia and it comes out to about 30000 yen for JR fares excluding Niigata/Gunma (as they are both big detours that don't really make sense in your itinerary). So based on that the JR pass is a wash unless you make a detour through Niigata/Gunma on your way back to Tokyo.

The only regional pass that makes sense for your itinerary would be the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass, however it looks like doesn't pay off for the sections of your trip that it covers.

Sooooo, I'd say you should consider the nationwide JR pass if you go via Niigata/Gunma, or buy regular tickets and consider the NEX Tokyo Round Trip Ticket to cover your airport transfer.

Even though the JR Pass costs more overall, the other passes do not cover as much individually and even a combination may not cover everything. A combination may also end up costing more than a single JR Pass. It looks expensive, but it will pay off for your trip and it will save you money.

How many more people have to say that you should get the 7-day national JR Pass? Because of your shinkansen trips and limited express trips (from Nagoya and to and from Narita) the pass already pays off. + it covers pretty much everything else you might want to do because of JR's extensive network. I'd say it's clear as day that regional passes will not be cheaper in any way.