JR train from Narita to Kyoto

i will be traveling to Japan for the first time. Need help as much as possible....

Do I need to purchase JR pass in advance through online ?

Does JR pass valid to travel from Narita airport to Kyoto?

Is there a need to transfer to another train at different station to go to Kyoto from Narita?

Do I need to book train in advance or it has to be done when I arrive at Narita?

Where is the convenient location to stay in Kyoto?

Oh I just answered your question tagged ont someone else's :)

- Whether buying any JR Pass depends on your itinerary, so please post your tentative plans here for better answers.
But if you decide to get a JR (nationwide) Pass, you will need to purchase the voucher while in your country.

- Yes it is, using JR Narita Express then JR (Tokaido) Shinkansen.

- You need to change once at either Tokyo or in Shinagawa.

- YOu can book when you arrive, as you never know if your plane arrives on time.

I highly suggest taking the train from Narita to Shinagawa Station, then to Kyoto.

Tokyo station is a VERY overwhelming station and quite easy to get lost in. It can be quite stressful!

Shinagawa Station, on the other hand, is a small station and the platform for the Kyoto bound train is just a few platforms away from the NEX (Narita Express) platform.

Hope this helps...

Thank you for all the responses....

I will spend 12 days visiting Japan. Arrive in Narita and go straight to Kyoto. Leaving Japan on day 12th via Narita.
Following is my plan itinerary:
4 days Kyoto then travel to Hiroshima for 3 days
then travel back to Tokyo.

Spend the remaining 4 days in Tokyo then fly out on day 12th from Narita.

Appreciate any suggestions.

Well it really depends on what you wish to do.

But based on the 4 days in Kyoto
You could spend each day at a different part of Kyoto
Day 1 Arashiyama and the area around Kinkakuji
Day 2 Higashiyama District, philosopher path, Heian Shrine and Kamo Shrine
Day 3 Central Kyoto and Fushimi Inari
Day 4 Morning in Nara or Uji, night in Osaka for the domtombori area

Then 3 days in Hiroshima
Day 1 Visit Osaka castle
Visit Himeji Castle
Reach Hiroshima, late afternoon
Sightseeing
Eat Okonomiyaki!
Day 2 Visit Miyajima. Have to see the floating Tori in the day and night, low and high tide
Remember to eat the snacks! Ice cream and oysters
Day 3
I seriously have no idea what to do on day 3
If you haven't done so on day 1, then Atomic Bomb museum
Visiting the garden at Okayama or the bridge at Iwakuni?

Onto Tokyo
Shop? Sitesee?
Day trip to Fuji area or Nikko?

day 3 in Hiroshima:
Go to the Mazda factory & museum.
See if the baseball is on - the Carps have entertaining games - the yakitori was great.

Thank you.

Question about JR pass... Should I buy 14 day JR pass for the 11 days visit in Japan for which the last 5 days of my stay will be in Tokyo before flying out of the country via Narita airport.

My entry to the country is also Narita. I will go straight to Kyoto , Hiroshima and spend 6 days and travel to Tokyo and spend remaining 5 days in Tokyo and surroung areas.

While in Tokyo, do I need to buy Tokyo city pass for travelling on subway, buses, museums, etc?

Whether or not a 14-day JR Pass would pay off depends on the additional trips you plan to make. For a Tokyo-Hiroshima round-trip, it comes about 10,000 yen short.

By the way, if it turns out that the JR pass is not advantageous for you, you might want to consider rearranging your trip to Narita-Tokyo-Kyoto-Hiroshima-Narita, there are low cost flights (Spring Japan) from Hiroshima to Narita.