japan rail pass advice please!

hello, I'll soon be taking my first trip to Japan. I plan on going for about a month and staying with a friend who lives near Osaka. During my visit I would like to see the surrounding kansai area (kyoto, kobe, osaka) as well as take a side trip for a few days to Tokyo.

So my question is what would you recommend (and why): a 7 day japan rail pass? 14 day? or just one of the other local passes? Thanks!

If the only long distance journey you will do is the round trip to Tokyo for a few days, then the 7 day pass is all you need. You will also need to use it several times while in Tokyo to start saving some money. If you can fit it in the seven days, you might want to consider using the pass to visit somewhere Hiroshima, Kurashiki or Kanazawa for a day trip or overnight stay. You would need to clock up a lot more mileage to get your money's worth from a 14 day pass.