Public Transport in Japan

Hi All,

We are a group of 4 travelling to Japan in May for roughly 3 weeks.

Could you please advise on the best method of transportation with the following draft itinerary in mind?

Days 1 - 6 in Tokyo with:
- day trips to Nikko, Kamakura and Yokohama
- overnight trip to Mt Fuji / Hakone

Days 7 - 12 in Kyoto with:
- day trip to Nara

Days 13 - 18 in Osaka with:
- day trip to Himeji

Would it be worth getting the Japan Rail Pass?

Or would it be more cost effective to pay for single tickets? ie. Highway Bus from Tokyo to Kyoto (overnight)?

Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

To find the best mode of transportation to each of the places you mentioned, its very easy if you type in the name of the place into the [search] box or click on the [travel] tab, Japan-guide has great guides on transportation to each of the places you mentioned.

the only JR pass that will save you money is the 7 days JR pass as it is nearly the same price as a Tokyo-kyoto return ticket by Hikari Shinkansen and you can also use the JR pass in Osaka; the JR loop line take you to Kita, Minami, Tennoji, the castle etc.
this will only work if your trip to the Kansai is as follows:
day 1 leave Tokyo for Kyoto in the morning, arrive at noon. afternoon sigtseeing in Kyoto.
day 2 all day in Kyoto
day 3 all day in Kyoto
day 4 all day in Nara
day 5 leave Kyoto for Osaka in the morning (40min.-1 hr by local train)then visit Osaka the rest of the day.
day 6 visit Himeji in the morning. see more of Osaka in the afternoon.
day 7 Osaka in the morning. Osaka-Tokyo in the afternoon (leave around 2 pm. arrive around 6 pm.)
I always stays in one town when visiting the Kansai(Kobe actually,but could be Kyoto or Osaka for you) especially when I have a pass as I love trains and a 40 mn train trip is what I do twice a day at home anyway.
My suggestion shorten your Kyoto trip but it would take you several years to see everything there is to see and seeing too many temples is like eating too much chocolate. friends of mine in their mid-fifties saw 3 of the major temples in one single day alone.
P.S. some people place the convenience of a pass well above the $ value.in that case a 14 days pass would work well with your original plan for the Kansai and also for some of the day trips you planned outside Tokyo.