Type of JR Pass

Hi,

I'm visiting Japan this october. I'll be arriving at narita airport, staying a few days in tokyo, osaka and hokkaido.
Looking to get the JR pass but unsure of which to select? Or would taking a domestic flight be cheaper?
Thanks!

Dunno about cheaper. But a flight to Hokkaido is so much quicker than the trains.

A 7 day rail pass will only just pay itself off on a return trip From Tokyo to Kyoto and back, with other usage on the other 5-7 days.

You really need to know your itinerary and have read the information pages on the rail passes before making any attempt to decide if the rail passes will provide a savings or not.

thanks for your input!
i'll be there for 18 days, probably spending first 2-3 days in tokyo, 3 days in osaka, next 6-7 days in hokkaido and back to tokyo.

Don't mind taking the flight but if i can I'm thinking if I should get the pass that allows me to travel everywhere (so perhaps i can change my itinerary to spend lesser time in tokyo and visit one more place) or the selected region pass. confusingg. my main visit priority would still be tokyo, osaka and hokkaido though.

The flexibility to suddenly change your itinerary that a rail pass offers is attractive on paper, but in fact it's not that easy to suddenly decide you are going to go somewhere you hadn't planned before.

First there is the obvious problem of having to cancel any previously booked accomodation, and book a new one: canceling at the last minute may incur some fees, and booking a new one may mean you have a more restricted choice. Then you have to research the details of the new place: things to do, transportation, etc.

The Tokyo to Hokkaido leg of the journey kicker in your situation. Especially if it is in the middle of your itinerary.

Sapporo for example is 7-8 hours by train away from Tokyo. Add another 3 hours if coming from Osaka. Yes a pass will cover this, but you spend 2 days on a train doing nothing if your itinerary stay the same as listed.

If you are planning on visiting locations and staying between Tokyo and Hokkaido, then a pass may work.

If you want flexibility in your schedule, then going to a place far away from your other locations will make that difficult. I'm not a huge fan of Hokkaido, and I always struggle with the reasons why many devote so much time to it.

So I'd ask you the same. Why so much time in Hokkaido. Is is worth the travel time and inflexibility to visit there? Ask yourself the same questions.

Maybe rearrange your itinerary to allow for some flexibility. But it you choose to fly to Hokkaido, that part will have to be set in stone.

Hokkaido is perfectly justifiable for 6-7 days. It's a beautiful island with plenty to see. What are you wishing to see there? Whilst some think it's impractical to catch the train there it's only 5 hours from Tokyo to Hakodate now because of the shinkansen extension. You could catch the train from Hakodate on the way to Tokyo and catch the plane from Osaka if you didn't want to go by train from there. Can your flight be into Osaka instead of Tokyo?

i'll be there for 18 days, probably spending first 2-3 days in tokyo, 3 days in osaka, next 6-7 days in hokkaido and back to tokyo.

Unless you will be doing several daytrips from Tokyo/Osaka to the outlying countryside, a rail pass isn't going to be that great a deal for this itinerary. You're probably better off buying regular train tickets between Tokyo and Osaka and use flight to go from Osaka to Hokkaido and then from Hokkaido back to Tokyo.

Alternatively, do Hokkaido during the beginning/end of your journey, and use a 7 day railpass to visit Osaka from Tokyo.

I'm not a huge fan of Hokkaido, and I always struggle with the reasons why many devote so much time to it.

Hokkaido is visited for it's nature and expansive landscapes, and the fact that it is so big and slow to travel across means that visitors need to allot relatively more time for a visit. Of course this makes it quite popular with South East Asians, especially Singaporeans, since it is so different compared to where they come from. Australians such as yourself probably won't share the same novel feelings, but that's understandable considering the similarities to home.

Failed to miss the point of my post when concentrating on one sentence alone. By including the sentences around the quoted one. That sentence paints a different story.

If you'd like it in simple terms. Hokkaido requires a large chunk of time to get to and time to do properly. I was referencing my attitude towards people plans on how they struggle to fit Hokkaido in and miss out on other locations on there trip.

I think 'if' you are gonna do a location, make sure you aren't rushing it so you can do it properly. Those who try to do 3 days Hokkaido and 3 days Kyoto and 3 days Tokyo aren't doing themselves any favours. Got nothing to do with my home country.

PS- I love Kyushu. I'm sure there is many on here that say Kyushu is boring as hell also.

Failed to miss the point of my post when concentrating on one sentence alone. By including the sentences around the quoted one. That sentence paints a different story.

Why is Hokkaido popular is a common question on this forum, so I addressed that in general terms. Don't take it personally, it wasn't about you.

But yes, I agree that you should spend the necessary time visiting an area and Hokkaido needs lots of time. On tight itineraries you'll definitely need to prioritise as you obviously can't see everything on one trip. And 9 days is cutting it tight for 3 regions regardless of where they are in Japan.

PS- I love Kyushu. I'm sure there is many on here that say Kyushu is boring as hell also.

Kyushu is awesome. I think most people here have nothing but love for Kyushu, but if they feel otherwise then I'd think they must have done something wrong. The food alone is worth the trip!

The 7 day pass is for 7 consecutive days. One cannot pick and choose which 7 days of the 18 you wish to use the pass, therefore, careful planning needs to be done to ensure that all long-distance travel is done within the 7 calendar days the pass will be in effect.

Yes. Planning beforehand is required, either way.

In addition to that, you want to stay for a week in Hokkaido alone. A 7-day national pass isn't going to cut it.

Your time in Japan is limited. First and foremost, fly to Hokkaido and back. Look into the Hokkaido Rail Pass instead, you'll have much more flexibility.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_01.html