Tokyo Wide Area Pass

Hi all,

I would like to have some advise in utilizing train passes. My parents and I will be on 10 days trip from 24 Mar - 2 Apr with rough itinerary as follow:
Day 1 : Arrived at Narita, Tokyo Tower or Odaiba
Day 2-6 : Kyoto, Osaka (activating JR Pass)
Day 7-10 : Tokyo side trip (any of Kawaguchiko, Takao, Kawagoe, Kumagaya, Kamakura, Ibaraki)

Plan A is to take Skyliner to our hotel in Ikebukuro. The travel time is 50 mins shorter than NEX (change at Tokyo station as there's no scheduled train to Ikebukuro on our arrival time). Upon returning from Kyoto, the rest of JR Pass will be utilized for Ibaraki and Kawaguchiko. We will use Skyliner to Narita due to high season price on NEX (3000+ yen from Ikebukuro).

Plan B is to activate JR Pass on day 1 and get Tokyo Wide Pass to cover the last 3 days as it covers the Fujikyu line to Kawaguchiko. We will use NEX. Cost saving may not be significant but NEX save the hassle when going to Narita (direct train).

I would like to have some opinion:
1. Which one do you think would be a better plan? I may have missed out few things to consider.

2. Will JR Pass or Tokyo wide pass cover the high season fare of NEX?

3. Can I purchase Tokyo wide pass on day 1 and book NEX for day 10, but set the activation date only on day 8?

Thank you.

[NRT Terminals]

Which terminal(s) of Narita International Airport [NRT] are your flights scheduled to use?
(Currently there is no railroad station in NRT Terminal 3; you can go between NRT Terminals 2 and 3 either on foot or by bus.)

[Route to Ikebukuro hotel]

Have you checked your route from Ikebukuro Station (of JR) to your hotel?
The railroad complex of Ikebukuro Stations is not as complicated as the one in Shinjuku or the one in Shibuya, but it is huge enough, I suppose, to make sometimes a stranger lose his/her ways.
(Subway Higashi-ikebukuro Station might be closer to your Ikebukuro hotel.)

[Choice of JR passes and arrangement of places to visit]

Depending on the spots for you to visit in Kanto Region, a JR TOKYO Wide Pass (issued by JR-East) will not pay off.
Which site(s) in Ibaraki Prefecture do you have in mind?

My parents and I will be on 10 days trip from 24 Mar - 2 Apr

During those ten days in Japan, some popular tourist spots could be crowded due to a spring vacation for many school children, maybe also a cherry blossoms' peak, especially in the weekend, i.e. Days 3 and 4.

If you can shift your accommodations, I suggest you will travel first in and around Kanto Region until Day 4 (= Sunday, 27 March) then visit tourist spots in Kyoto and Osaka during the weekdays from Day 5 (= 28 March) to Day 9 (= 1 April).
In that case, each of you can utilize a 7-day Japan Rail Pass on Days 4 through 10, making it cover the JR fees to travel back to NRT.

If you leave Kyoto or Osaka on Day 6 in the early morning, you can make your Kawaguchiko trip on your way back to Tokyo.
In that case, each of you can utilize a 7-day Japan Rail Pass on Days 2 through 8 for major legs, except Fujikyu(ko) bus section from Gotemba to Kawaguchiko plus Fujikyu(ko) railroad section from Kawaguchiko to Otsuki, which will require 2650 yen in total per adult passenger.
- japan-guide.com: How to travel between the Fuji Five Lakes and Tokyo
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6905.html
- japan-guide.com: How to travel between the Fuji Five Lakes and Osaka
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6905.html?aFROM=2157_6900

If you stay overnight on the lakeside of Kawaguchiko, you can visit Mount Takao on your way back to Tokyo.

A Japan Rail Pass can be valid, for example, on the Shinkansen route from Kyoto Station via Shin-Osaka to Himeji Station, from which you can walk to Himeji Castle.
Please note, however, that a Japan Rail Pass traveler is not allowed to use the Shinkansen Nozomi or Mizuho train service.

[Accesses from and to NRT]

Maybe you have noticed it, but also limousine buses are connecting NRT and Ikebukuro.
http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/bus_services/narita/ikebukuro.html
(These buses are available from or to NRT Terminal 3.)

Will JR Pass or Tokyo Wide Pass cover the high season fare of N'EX?

Yes, each of you can take a Narita Express train by utilizing either a nationwide Japan Rail Pass or a JR TOKYO Wide Pass, with no additional fee required.

In a case where you won't utilize a transportation pass for any of your two rides on Narita Express trains, N'EX TOKYO Round Trip Ticket package may be a good choice.
This package includes two one-day one-way tickets to be utilized on the way from any of the two JR stations in NRT and the way back, which can be valid for 14 calendar days; with each of these two tickets, the holder can take one or plural trains running in that direction (including one Narita Express train) inside the usage area, until he/she passes through an exit gate of a station.
- japan-guide.com: NEX Tokyo Round Trip Ticket
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_nex.html

change at Tokyo Station as there's no scheduled train to Ikebukuro on our arrival time

Shinagawa Station (of JR) is much simpler than Tokyo Station (of JR), therefore does sound much better for changing between a JR Narita Express train and a JR train which runs via Ikebukuro.

Narita Express trains which connect Narita Airport and Ikebukuro Stations take the route via Shinjuku; every Narita Express train on this Shinjuku route skips Shinagawa Station.
There are also Narita Express trains which take the route via Yokohama; every Narita Express train on this Yokohama route makes a stop at Shinagawa Station.
Most Narita Express trains leaving NRT are double-destination trains, each of which is divided into two trains in Tokyo Station to take these two different routes.

If the earliest Narita Express train which you can catch in NRT is not bound for Ikebukuro and it takes the Yokohama route / has two destination stations,
you can embark on that train / the Yokohama-bound part of that train and disembark at Shinagawa Station.

A JR train departing at Track 2 of Shinagawa Station (for Shibuya and Shinjuku) on the Yamanote Line's outer loop can bring you to Ikebukuro Station in about 30 minutes.
- JE-East: Shinagawa Station
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e788.html

In Tokyo Station (of JR), Narita Express trains use Sobu Underground tracks on the 5th basement of one of its two annexes, while Rapid and Special Rapid trains on the Chuo Line (pronounced like chew-all-line) / Local trains on the Yamanote Line use the tracks above / on the ground in its main building; you might need 10 minutes or more to make a transfer between the two platforms, carrying pieces of luggage.
- JE-East: Tokyo Station
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e1039.html

In a case where you will take a Keisei Skyliner train to Nippori Station on your way to Ikebukuro, depending on the spots to visit in Tokyo, Keisei Skyliner & Tokyo Subway Ticket package may be a good choice.
- Keisei Electric Railway: Keisei Skyliner & Tokyo Subway Ticket
http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/value_ticket/subway...

There is a JR-Keisei transfer gate at the boundary between Nippori Stations of JR and Keisei.
A JR train departing at Track 11 of Nippori Station (for Ikebukuro and Shinjuku) on the Yamanote Line's inner loop can bring you to Ikebukuro Station in 15 minutes or so.
- JR-East: Nippori Station
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e1184.html

[JR passes and seat reservations]

Can I purchase Tokyo Wide Pass on Day 1 and book N'EX for Day 10, but set the activation date only on Day 8?

Well, JR TOKYO Wide Passes are available not only in the JR stations in NRT but also
in Ikebukuro Station (at a Center in its West Exit, which is open from 10:00)
and in Shinjuku Station (at a Center near its New South Gate, which is open from 08:00).
So, I suppose you will not need to purchase the passes in advance of Day 8.
(It is not clear whether this pass can be purchased before the activation date.)
- JR-East: JR TOKYO Wide Pass
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/tokyowidepass/index.html
: Check the list of the sales locations.

A JR reserved-seat ticket goes on sale from 10:00 (Japan Standard time) on the day one month before the boarding date.
You can try to reserve seats on JR Narita Express and Shinkansen trains at any JR EAST Travel Service Center or JR Ticket Office.
- JR-East: JR EAST Travel Service Center (Narita)
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/customer_support/service_center.html

If one adult among you holds a valid credit card of a certain major brand, he/she may be able to use JR-EAST Train Reservation website for your ride on a N'EX train (back to NRT) on Day 10.
However, this reservation system cannot work for your N'EX train ride (from NRT) on Day 1, because it requires its user to pick up the tickets by 21:00 (Japan Standard Time) on the day before the boarding date.
(Shinkansen train seats for a ride on Tokyo -- Kyoto -- Shin-Osaka or on Shin-Osaka -- Himeji cannot be reserved via this JR-EAST website, because the Shinkansen section is operated by another JR company.)

Anyway, it is too early now to decide which Narita Express train you will take on Day 1; you cannot predict accurately when you will become free to travel in Japan, because your flight might be delayed much and/or you might have to wait in a long queue at your immigration.

And, I guess you can reserve your seats on JR trains after coming to Japan.
(Compared to Golden Week season and New Year season, generally JR long-distance trains are less likely to be packed during days around the beginning of April.)

So, I suggest you will try to make your JR seat reservations just after completing your immigration procedures on Day 1.

[JR timetables]

JR companies will revise timetables on 26 March 2016, which may slightly affect your itinerary.
I recommend you would leave some extra time concerning your rides on JR trains.