JR pass - or more?

Hi,

I'm going to Tokyo in January/February for just under 2 weeks. In that time Im going to travel to Osaka and also Mount Fuji.

I was thinking of getting a 7 day jr pass to cover those journeys or is it worth getting the two week one to cover journeys from the airport and public transport in Tokyo too? I know the jr pass doesn't cover all of the public transport (including the stop nearest to my hotel) so would I need a Pasmo card too?

Also, how does it work if you are covered by jr pass for part of your journey but not after changing, do you have to tap out and tap in again? Im used to London public transport and have never been so all very new to me!

Also, for Mount Fuji - do you have any recommendations for the best places to go for viewing?

Thanks!

A one week pass may pay off if you also use is while in Osaka alot. Pass is not good for Fuji 5 Lakes.

Personally would just used regional passes or IC card for city trips. And pay for shinkansen to and from Osaka.

@h I would take the opposite approach & get the 7 day pass for convenience sake

@Emilymin The JR Pass is a physical thing that you show at the gate rather than tapping in or out. There are Fare adjustment machines where you can pay for the non covered part of your journey before you reach the gates.

@Stan Norrell,

I'm pretty sure that is the old JR Passes you showed (and possibly still some of the regional ones) I believe the new JR Pass is just like a ticket so that you can now enter any gates rather than just manned ones. Supposedly this means you can also use it to make ticket reservations from the machines now.

To Original Poster,

It honestly depends on how you plan you itinerary, what sort of day trips you plan to do from Tokyo, and what your priorities are.

My next trip is NOT optimized for train travel, it's optimized based on going to specific places on specific days, so I got a 2 week pass. I also couldn't easily do an open jaw in Japan, because I am already doing an open jaw with my return destination.

If by day trips from Tokyo you mean places like Nikko, Kamakura, or Hakone, having a rail pass is really not necessary. Nikko and Hakone can be reached by private lines that don't add a lot of time (and involve skipping a transfer) and Kamakura is just not that expensive to reach. If you are thinking of doing day trips from Tokyo to someplace like Matsushima, that changes things.

If your plan is to do: Tokyo to Osaka to Mishima and then bus to Fuji Five Lakes and then back to Tokyo, a 1 week pass will not pay off unless you are planning some farther flung day trips from Osaka (like at least as far as Okayama)

If you want to pay more to have the potential to do longer pay trips, as long as it is within your budget, sure. But be aware of paying for potential. There is nothing wrong with doing so, i've done it, just be aware of it.

Good luck!

@Rkold I did wonder if this were the case as I saw some posts suggesting it. Happy to be corrected :)

I like the freedom the pass gives me to go on a longer day trip if the mood takes.

@Stan Norrell,

That's at least everything I've read. I'll let you know 100% for sure when I go to Japan in ~ 3 weeks and start using my 2 week pass. :D

I know I've personally bought a pass for the potential of it offered, but I think it's just important for people to understand its not de rigeur. It is an amazing money saver if you are doing the right sort of travel and it is great if you want potential. But there are also definitely people out there who just assume you need one or are on a tighter budget and might save money without one and don't need that potential.

In the too personal information, my brother and his family are planning a trip to Japan and didn't talk to me about it first and bought rail passes for the entire family. They might want to have potential (but I sort of doubt it), but their only definite one long train trip is Osaka to Tokyo. They just assumed since you were going from Osaka to Tokyo you needed a pass. And even with the comparative strength of the dollar it just seems a complete waste.

But again, I get potential. As I said, my next trip is not optimized for budget, but for other specific plans.

I hope you make it back to Japan soon! :D

Yes, the new JR Pass is just like a ticket. Much more convenient than the old booklet, but you do need to look after it.
For the OP, a 7-day pass will save you some money (not necessarily very much), but will add time to your journeys and be a bit less convenient if you make detours on JR lines when there are better non-JR options.
For fare adjustments, there are a variety of scenarios including paying on the train in cash/SUICA or fare adjustment at the terminal station - depends on the company.

Besides looking after the new JR Pass / ticket, just don�ft loose it.


Read this
https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/z63zw6/dont_lose_your_ja...

Seems like common sense not to loose your JR pass. Weirdest advice for the week.

@h
Did you read the reddit post?

@h , yes the post may seem weird to you. But in reality, there have been situations whereby people do loose their pass. That�fs life.
The new size JR pass is even more vulnerable - ppl rush thru the turnstile and forget to collect it.
At least with the old format, it�fs large & you don�ft put it into the machine.
A zap on ticket would have been better.

Yes i read the reddit post. Not a new scenrio. As many have lost passes in the past. Not new info.

My friend once witnessed a deer on Miyajima snatch away and consume a tourist's Japan Rail Pass.

@Uji, clearly deer was fed up with being on a small island and wanted to go travel through Japan. Maybe meet family in Nara and long lost relatives in Hokkaido.

@Uji, I could 100% believe that!

While a lot less serious, I saw a deer stick its muzzle into a Jr High or High School (unsure of grade) girl's blazer and pull out her napkin to eat it. The girl was incredibly shocked to have a deer reaching into her clothes.

I also saw some tourists play tug of war with a deer trying to eat their tourist map.

They seemed a lot more subdued on my last visit since people aren't supposed to feed them anymore. The deer in Nara are still very aggressive.

I saw someone drop their rail pass between the train and the platform.

I'm already trying to think about where I am going to keep my rail pass to make sure I don't lose it!

It's up to you. With the trip to Mt Fuji (where you can use the JR Pass, up to Otsuki Stn) and the Tokyo-Kansai round trip, plus some local travel, you could break even. But the alternative is just get regular fare tickets for Kansai, and with that you can take the Nozomi trains, which will get you there about 30 minutes sooner. For Mt Fuji, you can take a highway bus from Shinjuku, which is simpler and no need to worry about trains at all.
http://bus-en.fujikyu.co.jp

Perhaps a lanyard with ID holder to keep the JRPass?
I wonder if someone could post the actual size of the ticket / pass? Otherwise just guesstimate.
Positive thing is , it�fs small enough to tuck under the coat, jacket compared to the old pass.

Just slightly bigger than a credit card. 85 x 58 mm.
As for losing a pass - people lose all sorts of stuff, so keep it with the things you don't lose. I certainly wouldn't have it on a lanyard.

@JapanCustomTours, I know this is getting very off topic, but are they about the same size as the seat reservation tickets you get? I admit, I've been assuming they're about that size since I know those can go through the machine and be read from when I've bought tickets out of pocket.

@rkold - identical size.