JR Pass, yes or no for my trip

Hey Guys, 31.3-6.5 is my second trip to Japan. Will spend the first week in Tokyo, meeting some friends, afterwards i dont know, but i need to be in Takayama 13.4, so i can go to the Festival the following days, then i will head to Kanazawa from 16 to 18.4, then to Kyoto/Osaka possibly being there till 5.5 and head back to Tokyo.
My Question is there a time period where i can effectively use a JR pass.
31.3-7.4 Tokyo
8.4-13.4 around Hakone maybe, but still clueless or earlier to Takayama
13.4-16.4 Takayama
16.4-18.4 Kanazawa
18.4-5.5 Kyoto/Osaka or maybe earlier to Tokyo
6.5 back
My Idea was to use a 7 day pass at the end of Tokyo and travel with that somewhere far away and back to Takayama in those days.
Maybe you guys can give me some suggestions for new things to do in Japan!

Look up the price of a JR Pass. Compare that to the price of regular tickets using Hyperdia (hyperdia.com/en). Work out if it is cheaper to buy a pass or regular tickets.

Usually a 7-day JR Pass will pay off with a round trip between Tokyo and the Kansai area.

Yes, worth it.
Convenience alone is a major factor.
Your expense is set/fixed on your JR pass.
You can flip and change your itinerary on a whim because you can take the JR anywhere you want.
You get seat reservations for free!

I say Y.E.S.

Yes, yes, and yes (hai, hai, hai)
There is a new shinkansen line up to Kanazawa for one thing...you need the 7 or 14-day JR standard pass to ride it and all shinkansen fares are pricey. If your travels take you extensively around Kansai including Himeji, you can buy 1, 2, 3, or 4-day Kansai area passes. I recently used one to good purpose except that I had to avoid shinkansen between Himeji, Kobe, Kyoyo for the days of my 4-day pass. Be careful where you buy your JR passes, don't get struck with the European brokers who add a bunch to your order and take six weeks to ship your voucher. Just as you have no doubt arranged your air and hotels through your travel agent, let them get yo your JR Pass vouchers too.

Thanks for the replies and the help you are offering!!
Can you please be a bit more specific and tell me, when its worth, because i cant see a time period were it costs less than the train tickets on Hyperdia.
Thanks again for your help

Look at a map. Plan out your route and type in the start station and destination station using Hyperdia.
http://www.hyperdia.com
Add up the total for each section of your trip. You can drop the reserved seat choice if you don't want to pay for that to reduce the fare (it's free with the pass).

If that total is less than the cost of the 7-day JR Pass, you don't need the pass. If that total is greater than or equal to the cost of a JR Pass, get the pass.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361.html
http://www.japanrailpass.net/en/about_jrp.html

You might want to use hyperdia or jorudan.co.jp anyway just to check the train schedules.

Are you looking for alternatives??

How about this?

Tokyo (Shinjuku) to Takayama by Nihi Bus: 6690 yen.
http://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/tokyo.html

Takayama to Kanazawa to Kyoto using the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Pass: 13,500 yen.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_takayama_hokuriku.html

Fly back to Tokyo using a Peach Air or Jetstar discount ticket: 3690 yen.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2364.html

This is less than a 7 day JR Pass, and it covers the bus transportation between Takayama and Kanazawa.

Is this what you're looking for? Good luck with your travel planning.

If you don't get a jr pass now, you may not get it in the future. It will be more expensive going forward to 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Calculate your trip with seat reservation. It is nice to have a good seat instead of having to stand if no seats are available.

I just calculated my trip and it is worth more than the pass. At first glance, I thought it wouldn't be because my flight arrival and departure are in different cities. But it worked out for the best.

Hyperdia.

Good luck!