Tokyo subway pass or Pasmo card or both?

We will be in Tokyo - arrive 3/18/19 at 8:40pm NRT staying until 3/22/19 when we will depart for Kyoto. I'm confused about which to purchase or will we need both?
Staying near Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo, will visit:
Shinjuku Gyoen - park - cherry blossoms
Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi Park
Shibuya's Famed Pedestrian Crossing
Harajuku - shoppping
Harajuku - shopping area
Roppongi Hills neighborhood
Hie Jinja Shrine
Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Imperial Palace
Ueno Park
Senso-ji, Buddhist temple
Tokyo Sky Tree resturant - Senso-ji

Purchase & use of 72 hour passes on 3/18/19 begin 9:00pm will run out 3/21/19 at 9:00pm. Or does the subway pass work from NRT into Tokyo?

Thanks for this great forum!!
Mike

You cannot use subway pass to get in from NRT as the subway does not run nearly that far. If you are staying near Shinjuku, I'd say you probably want to ride the N'EX, but you'll have to transfer to the subway or Taxi to get to your airport near Shinjuku Gyoen. Personally, I'd recommend Taxi as Shinjuku can be daunting even for repeat travelers and it's even worse with luggage.

The subway pass would work for everywhere you want to go, but may not always be the most convenient. It does not work on the Kesei SkyTree line or the Yamanote. I think you will end up spending about the same either way, so I'd say just use a Pasmo (or Suica) and then you can ride whichever is most convenient. Plus you'd have to get both a 24 and a 72 hour pass to cover you full time in Tokyo (will need to ride subway to Tokyo or Shinagawa on morning of 22 to catch train to Kyoto). So again, just get one of the prepaid IC cards. You can also use it for buses and subway in Kyoto.

All places mentioned are served by subway, so a metro 72-hr pass is very useful for your itinerary. You may still need to buy individual tickets for other non-subway train trips, depending on where you decide to go. For that and also for potential use in Kyoto, an IC cash card may be useful. One place the subway does not serve is the airport, so you will have to use some other means. You will be in Tokyo for more than 72 hours, so you have to decide when to start using the pass, and pay separately for rides outside of those 72 hr.

You may be a little too early for cherry blossoms in Tokyo, or you might be able to catch the start of it.

Wow - great information.

We will have a JR Rail pass, thus the N'ex would be the best, however checking the N'Ex schedule, looks like the last train to SHINJUKU is at 3:15 PM. AND the final N'Ex leaves at 8:44 PM. We arrive at 8:40 PM, so no way we can make that.

Besides a taxi, what are our other options?

You may try checking out the limousine buses from the airport to Shinjuku . As for the trains, getting a Pasmo or Suica usually helps so you don't have to buy tickets each time.

I found a 21:44 NRT going to Shinjuku using Hyperdia. I am trying to see if there are any NRTs later. While not covered by the JR Pass, the Keisi Skyliner has its last express at 22:30 and you could take that to Nippori and change there.

Personally, if you're already going to have an active JR pass when you arrive in Tokyo, I probably would not get a subway pass but would get a Suica/Pasmo. The reason being, you can take JR as much as possible to get places and only use the metro when you have no other choice. I also find March is usually a pleasant time to get in some walking.

If you do decide to get the subway pass, just do the math and make sure you are really spending 500 yen a day with a 3 day pass on the subway. Hyperdia is useful for this. If you get a two day, make sure you are spending 600 yen a day and if a 1 day, 800 yen. I know I find it hard to spend 1500 yen on transport within Tokyo over 3 days. I tend to spend a lot less unless I am going to Odaiba in which case the subway pass isn't valid any way. I love my Suica though. I use it all the time.

BTW if you have a valid pass and want to see some flowers, since it is not as likely to be sakura time yet, mid-March is known as prime ume viewing time and the ume in Kairakuen in Mito are spectacular. Kairakuen is one of the 3 big gardens, and it's OK out of season, but when the ume are in bloom it's very lovely. It is much nicer in person than the pictures on this site. I've not been in close to 10 years, but when I went, it was not as heavily touristed as other destinations.

RK - thanks for checking that - I also found the later train - hopefully we can make it.

We'll be in Tokyo 3/18 - 3/22 then south for about 30 days. Hopefully we'll get to view some trees in full bloom.
I have checked the times we will use the subway and it appears the subway card will be worth buying.
We'll use the JR Rail pass throughout Japan and get a Pasmo card for convenience.

Thanks again!!

Last N'EX to Shinjuku leaves at 21:44 and arrives at 23:04

http://www.eki-net.com/pc/jreast-shinkansen-reservation/english/wb/com...

If your plane arrives at 20:40, You have a small chance of making it if the lines for immigration and customs are short. I think it only took about an hour for us last time, but we were in no rush. Probably want to have a Plan B.

As was mentioned, there is also the Skyliner, and you can ride it to Nippori station and transfer to the Yamanote line that makes a loop around Tokyo and hits Shinjuku stations

There is also the Shuttle bus (also called Limousine bus) that runs late. Last bus is 23:00 and arrives after midnight in Shinjuku. https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/areas/bus_stop/nrt/shinjuku/dep/212/...


If you have JR pass and are also going to Tokyo, make sure not to activate it too early and burn your days before you need it for an expensive travel leg (like to Kyoto). What is the rest of your itinerary after Tokyo?

We'll be in Tokyo 3/18 - 3/22 then south for about 30 days.....
We'll use the JR Rail pass throughout Japan and get a Pasmo card for convenience.

You will not be able to cover your entire Japan days with a single Japan Rail Pass (21 days pass is the longest). Of course you can buy multiple Japan Rail Passes but you may better consider the combination of Japan Rail Pass and other tickets. Your first 4 day is Narita and Tokyo therefore Keisei Skyliner & Tokyo Subway Ticket

http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/value_ticket/subway...

might be useful. As previous poster wrote, you can take the Keisei Skyliner to Nippori and then take JR line to Shinjuku. Depending on your actual destination (the first hotel that is), you might better take some subway lines after you arrive at Keisei Ueno.

It does not work on the Kesei SkyTree line

Here "Kesei SkyTree line" may refer to Keisei Narita SKY ACCESS Line.
(Skytree Line is operated by Tobu, not Keisei.)

will need to ride subway to Tokyo or Shinagawa

Subway does not lead to Shinagawa Station (of JR or of Keikyu).

I found a 21:44 NRT going to Shinjuku using Hyperdia.

JR companies may revise train timetables (for major sections)
on the 9th or the 16th (Saturday) of March 2019.
Train time for March 2019 by route finding tools such as HyperDia
may be currently unreliable.

mactoolsix:
Staying near Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo

Which side of Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is your accommodation?
Is that a hotel?

Arriving into NRT late at night,
you may not catch a JR Narita Express [NEX] train.

To Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station (M-10),
which is north next to Shinjuku Gyoen,
you can take the following route.  

One possible demerit of choosing this station is
that you have to use at least one staircase to go out to the ground.

Narita Airport (Terminal 3 / 2 / 1) bus stop
: Departing by 22:05 / 22:15 / 22:20
http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/#timetable-title-3386
| The Access Narita Bus
| : 1000 yen, 1 and a half to 2 hours
Ginza Station bus stop
| Short walking
https://www.tokyometro.jp/station/yardmap_img/_station_%E9%8A%80%E5%BA...
Entrance (equipped with elevator) between C5 and C7:
Ginza Station (M-16)
: Track 3
| Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line
| : 165 yen (paid with Suica or PASMO)
http://www.tokyometro.jp/station/yardmap_img/figure_yardmap_shinjuku-g...
Track 1:
(M-10) Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station.

Wow the information from this site is AMAZING!!

We have paired down our trip to 25 days and will need the JR Rail pass for exactly 21 of those days.

In Tokyo we are staying at the Shinjuku Prince Hotel. I think I have the walking route from the station figured out.

Thanks for all the options from Narita - I have noted each one - Plan A, B & C.