Japan Rail Pass: any use in Kyoto or Nara?

Hi,

I am planning my first trip to Japan with my partner. My itinerary is as follows:

- 3days in Nagoya
- 3 days in Kyoto
- 3 days in Nara
- 5 days in Tokyo

I was looking at the 7-day JR Pass for the connections between Nagoya <>Kyoto, Kyoto <> Nara and finally Nara <> Japan. However, buying the tickets individually seems cheaper than using a JR Pass. I was therefore wondering if the pass has any use in Kyoto or Nara in order to make the pass worth buying?

Hi Eric,

You can use a JR Pass to go to the Arahiyama area in Kyoto (assuming you are staying near Kyoto Station otherwise it might no longer becomes the most expedient way to get there) and you can certainly use it for JR Nara station, but unless you have a lot of longer distance travel not in your above itinerary, a JR Pass is likely not to be worth it. Nagoya to Kyoto is ~5910 yen with reserved seat. Kyoto to Tokyo is ~14170 yen for a reserved seat for a total of ~20,080 yen. Traveling from Kyoto to Nara on JR and using JR to go to Arashiyama (if you were even planning to go there) is not going to be even close to the ~9000 yen break even point.

It makes sense to just get regular tickets, then you can also use the faster and more frequent Nozomi service between Nagoya and Kyoto and Kyoto and Tokyo as well. From Kyoto to Nara you can use JR or the private Kintetsu line (which is closer to most tourist sights) and if you are going to Arashiyama, either pay out of pocket or use a non JR method like Hankyuu or the Keifuku.

Good luck and Happy Holiday season!

No use within Nara.

Little use within Kyoto. It can get you to a few locations. But subway and private railways are much better within Kyoto.

Hi Rkold,

Thank you for your answer! :)

Are the prices for these trains "fixed" or is it recommended to buy them in advance for cheaper prices? I found the website "West Japan Rail" which seems to let me buy tickets in advance (by 2 months). Do you perhaps know if that would be the best website to use?

Since I am travelling during the cherry blossom season, I was wondering if I should be extra cautious about anything. For example, should I definitely reserve seats on all my trains? Do I need to arrive well in advance at the train station? I heard it can get very crowded very quickly.

Hi Hakata, thanks to you too for your answer!

Hi Eric!

I'm 99% sure JR West doesn't start until Shin-Osaka Station so Kyoto is not part of JR West. It's why if you buy a JR West pass you can't take the shinkansen from Kyoto station you need to start in Hiroshima.

Nozomi trains run once every 10 minutes. If you're not a group, you could probably even find a non-reserved seat without too much difficulty and shave a bit off the price above. the JR trains between Kyoto and the Arashiyama area and Kyoto and Nara are regular trains and have no reserved seats. They're also every 20 or so minutes. I think Kintetsu has a Limited Express with reserved seats, but you should be able to book it when you are in Japan or just take an ordinary train for less money and a 20 minute or so longer ride.

Trains cost the same but the prices for reserved seats vary depending on time of year. It's not a huge variation, I think like 500 yen vs. 800 yen?

Anyone with a rail pass can not use a Nozomi train, which is a lot of tourists. If you want to go back and forth to Osaka, since those are cheap ordinary trains, those might be crowded, but I think a lot of Japanese have work or school the first week of April, so Nozomi are less likely to be more crowded than usual.

Good luck!

Ooops I meant Shin-Osaka not Hiroshima. JR West shinkansen start at Shin-Osaka.

Don't buy a national rail pass, you are not travelling far enough to make it pay off. Basically you need to do 1000km before the 7-day version gives any savings. You are well short of that.
Tickets only go on sale a month before use and are set prices. You can save a little travelling non=-reserved on the shinkansen, but not really that much.
For some trains there are occasional specials (best I have seen was a 1/2 price deal - hard to get and very specific), but there are some advance purchase ticket products available via the SmartEx booking website that I buy sometimes. Not applicable for your trip.