Buy JR pass even if more expensive?

We will be travelling from Kuyshu over Kyoto to Tokyo in a 14-day timeframe. I looked up the train costs on hyperdia, and it seems we'll save about 8000 yen if we just buy regular tickets, instead of the famous and applauded JR pass.

Would you still recommend just getting the pass out of convenience, i.e. not having to buy a ticket each time?

Thanks a lot for your advice and all the great tips on this forum.

I would say get the JR pass. As you have noted, it is highly convenient, but it also offers flexibility, so if you change your plans you won't blow the budget, and it'll also be useful for many day trips. It's good for many local and raid trains as well as the shinkansen.

I vote the JR pass!

R.

From my calculation using Shinkansen Hikari, the cost for Kyshu (say Hakata) to Kyoto then Tokyo round trip by regular ticket will cost 54820yen. This is already cost about 10000yen more than buying the 14day JR Pass (45100yen). If you are considering a more budget tour, you can buy a 7 day JR (28300yen) to travel to Kyoto and Tokyo within those 7 days to largely reduce the cost. With the pass, you can freely travel to places without consider the cost during those days. I think it is good to have the Pass whether 7 days or 14 days is up to the person's budget/choice.

If you are only going one way from Kyushu - Kyoto - Tokyo (maybe arriging in Fukuoka, then flying out of Narita?) within a 14-day period, then no, I do not recommend it.

If you are making the roundtrip, yes, I do recommend it.

I've just come back from Japan. Before I went I agonised about whether to get a JR pass as it seemed I could save money just buying tickets. It turned out that we made so many side trips that we saved lots of money, but even if we hadn't it was worth buying just for the convenience.

Even if going from Kyshu to Tokyo (stop by Kyoto) one way, the cost for Hikari is 27410yen. So why not get a 28300yen 7 Day JR Pass in case you are considering some side trips along the way like going Hemiji/Hiroshima/Osaka/Kobe/Wakayama etc. And there is a circular line within Osaka that JR Pass can be used. Just open the pass on the date you are travelling to Kyoto. Besides, you can also use the night train (sunrise seto) from Osaka to Tokyo free and that is one night accommodation saved. It is a great experience to ride on the sunrise seto train and I always use those night trains back and forth Osaka and Tokyo,not to mention that they are free. In fact, I just got back last week to view the sakura. To ride on those trians is a must do for me each trip.

Thanks so much for your kind answers.

We will only be travelling one way from Beppu to Tokyo, several stops and (short) day trips included, over 14 days. The itinerary is fixed - ther aren't many loose ends pending... Calculated cost is lower for normal tickets... Flexibility also seems higher for normal tickets, since JR does not allow nozomi (and I would like to be able to take it if it happens to be the first train available). I also prefer to buy a green ticket for some trips only (i.e. when carrying luggage)...

Therefore normal tickets still seem the better option. This is assuming that I will be able to express myself with my (very) limited Japanese...

Thanks again!

a few comments: JR staff speak enough English to allow you to buy tickets and ask for directions. Green cars aren't hugely wider and there isn't that much more space for luggages. We travel with a 26" bag plus a small backpack and have no problem in the regular cars.