1 week Japan Rail Pass

Hello, I'm planing to stay in japan for 10 days March 22 - april 2, my first 3 days will be in Tokyo, then Kyoto 3 days and Osaka 2 days then back to Tokyo. I'm wondering should I buy the 1 week pass.

No.

Use HyperDia.

Firstly, just stay in Kyoto. There's no need to change hotels to Osaka - just day trip from Kyoto if necessary.

Tokyo to Kyoto is yen 13,850 each way (so yen 27,700 roundtrip). A 7 day JR Pass is yen 29,650. Thus, the Pass is worthwhile only if you do some other trips within the validity period, such as day trips to Himeji or Hiroshima or use it get back to the airport in Tokyo. You can use it for local JR trains around Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka but those trips are relatively cheap so don't add a lot of value to the Pass. As already suggested, use the website at Hyperdia to work out how much the trips you intend to take will cost and whether the JR Pass is worthwhile. Here's a sample link - adjust the date and time to suit. Note that with a JR Pass, you cannot take a Nozomi Shinkansen or Private Railway trains, so leave those boxes unticked. [If the link below looks ugly, just copy and paste the whole thing into your browser.]

http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/search.html?dep_node=TOKYO&arv_node=KYO...

You can also use the Rail Pass Calculator to get a rough idea of whether a JR Pass is worthwhile.

https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/

Do not shift to Osaka, an unnecessary move and also the city isn't that great after Tokyo. Spend more time in Kyoto.
As to the rail pass, you might save a tiny amount, but also waste some time with the exchange and restrictions on use. If you are counting pennies/yen, then there are cheaper options and I would do the round-trip for around 22,000 yen on the shinkansen - there are some discount options. The full price 7-day pass can be expensive.

Itfs all very well saying there are ediscount options for yen 22,000f but unless you explain what they are / how to get them, the advice is not much use to anybody. I assume youfre referring to something other than the discounted Japanican tickets, which were discontinued November 28, 2019?

Hi

I believe Tokai offers a similar discounted round trip as JapanICan previously did. I am on my cell phone but will post the link later, its not the Platt Kodama offer though, it's new.

I guess you could also fly from Haneda to Itami.

Good luck

Here you are:
https://smart-ex.jp/en/product/hayatoku/ex_21/
Discount tickets - easy to get.

To "Japancustomtours" Why are you telling people not to go to Osaka as if it's just "not as good as Tokyo"? That's very subjective and there are things that every city offers. Tokyo is super over-crowded and expensive, so what makes Tokyo "better" compared to "Osaka" or any other city? Seems very biased and ignorant to say so. Have you ever lived in Osaka or any other city compared to Tokyo? Being a visitor in a country and not living and working and two different things.

As for the train pass question, unless you plan to travel a lot in Japan, it probably wouldn't be worth it to get that 7 day pass.

And here is a link to the Tokai offer:
https://www.jrtours.co.jp/en/

That looks to be the same as the old Japanican offer. I've noticed Japanican has lost some of its tours and they've found new homes with other tour companies.

To "Japancustomtours" Why are you telling people not to go to Osaka as if it's just "not as good as Tokyo"? That's very subjective and there are things that every city offers. Tokyo is super over-crowded and expensive, so what makes Tokyo "better" compared to "Osaka" or any other city? Seems very biased and ignorant to say so. Have you ever lived in Osaka or any other city compared to Tokyo? Being a visitor in a country and not living and working and two different things.

I tend to agree with JapanCustomTours. Osaka is great if you have something specific you're planning on doing there (USJ, maybe a special restaurant, anything), but for a general big city experience if one is already spending ample time in Tokyo I think it's a waste of time that could be spend on Kyoto, Nara, or something else. Just my view. For general sightseeing, shopping, nightlife, the range of accommodation on offer, the public transport network. Personally I find Tokyo to be a better experience than Osaka in almost every regard.

+1 to the above comment and I fully agree with JapanCustomTours. Itfs always been a complete mystery to me why people go to Osaka. Itfs primarily a commercial city, a bit like a mini-Tokyo but without Tokyofs attractions. Except for Dotonbori, which is worth an evening visit, I wouldnft bother.

People who have lived there keep claiming how great it is but they never explain why or what it is we should all be doing in Osaka. Similarly, when you ask people why they are going to Osaka, you rarely get a response. For some of us, USJ and the aquarium are of no interest and Osaka Castle is a mid-to-late 20th century concrete re-construction - much better to go to Himeji Castle.

There's also Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka, for the shrine geeks. It's a bit out of town, but worth a visit if you like that kind of thing.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4007.html

My perspective regarding Tokyo and Osaka is based on feedback from hundreds of guests visiting the country (not people living in one city versus another). A huge number of people do not go to a country to see just another big city, but something different and unique. On that basis, my trips have less emphasis on Tokyo and more on places like Kyoto. If someone wants to do a holiday staying in modern industrial cities, they can do that anywhere in the world, and most people already live in large cities.
As for Tokyo, I do not find it expensive or necessarily crowded. Depends where you go.

Hi there,

As some other users said, check out Hyperdia to see if the JR Pass is what you really need. 
Hyperdia offers timetables, trip duration and exact distance, which will help you to organize your trips in Japan. It's really easy to use and understand. Transportation in Japan is so punctual that you basically never have to worry about being late.

Source: https://www.jrailpass.com/hyperdia  ;

Note that the link in the post above (a) doesnft work and (b) is nothing more than a thinly-disguised advertisement designed to send you to a Spanish website selling JR Passes.

There are a lot of websites that have gJRh, gRailh, gPassh, JR Railh, gRailPassh, gJRPassh etc., in various permutations and combinations in their name. None of them is an official JR website as JR does not (currently) sell JR Passes directly (except in person in Japan).

If you need a JR Pass, start here at this JR site by finding an agent in your country and preferably in your city. Buy your JR Pass from them, preferably in person if you can.

https://japanrailpass.net/en/purchase.html

The current (official) prices in yen for JR Passes can be found here -

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361.html

Agents are free to set their own prices in local (or other) currency and their own delivery and other fees. Check that the price being charged is reasonable compared with the yen price translated at current exchange rates. Depending on the agent, you may be able to pick up the Pass (i.e., the exchange voucher for the Pass) in person or have it sent to you at no charge.

JR plans to start selling JR Passes directly outside Japan but that will not happen for another few months at least -

https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/press/2019/pdf/2019122602.pdf

As for checking the price of individual train tickets (and for train times etc.) use the website at Hyperdia. Herefs a sample link that should work. Adjust the date, time, origin and destination etc. to suit your trips. [If the link looks ugly, just copy and paste the whole thing in to your browser.]

http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/search.html?dep_node=TOKYO&arv_node=KYO...