JR scenic train routes

Hi,

Do you have any recommendations for scenic train routes within proximity of the Tokyo/Chiba area? Thanks

Yurikamome and Tokyo Monorail in central Tokyo for interesting cityscapes.

From Tokyo Station you can get a train that takes you all the way to Kurihama on the west side of the bay. You then take the ferry to Kaneya on the east side, check out the large Buddha at Nihon-ji and get a great view of the surrounding area, then head north up the east side of Tokyo Bay to Chiba and Tokyo.

Is that entire route you just mentioned covered by the JR pass? Like the ferry for example?

I always liked to ride into the mountains by taking the Red Arrow Express from Ikebukuro to Chichibu. I then explored different areas around Chichibu NP, Nagatoro, and Arakawa areas before returning to Tokyo. I was too poor at the time to stay anywhere outside my dorm so it was a good day trip.

The ferry across the bay to Kanaya is extra as well as any bus or taxi you take to get to the ferry from the Kurihama station. The cable car to the top of the mountain in Kanaya is also extra. The ferry is Y600 one way for a passenger. All the trains are JR and the 8:32 out of Tokyo on the Yokosuka line is direct to Kurihama. You'll probably have to make at least one transfer coming back through Chiba, usually in Soga, from the JR Uchibo Line to the JR Keiyo Line.