JR pass or not?

We are visiting our son in Tokyo for 20 days from 10 Sept. Should we buy a JR ticket - very confused by range of travel providers. We shall be in Tokyo a lot, but also want to explore further afield. Sugestions also welcomed for a 3/4 day trip holiday weekend 20th Sept from Tokyo. (We will be visiting Kyoto midweek whils son at work)

Maureen, organise your stay in Tokyo as a block then get the pass for your time travelling. Mixing it up doesn't work very well.

7 day JR Pass cost as same as round travel between Tokyo and Kyoto. So it's reasonable for you to buy it.

Your trip is timed to let you take advantage of a real bargain--a limited-time 3-day JR East flex pass for 10,000 yen. This is an unbelievable price, if you use it strategically. It won't get you to Kyoto, but there are lots of great possibilities for day trips from Tokyo. I would consider it regardless of whether you decided to get a nationwide pass.

It's mentioned on Japan Guide's JR East Pass page: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_02.html

(JR East also has an online pamphlet, although I find it somewhat oddly focused and a little hard to understand.)

A nice thing about JR East passes is that unlike the nationwide pass, you can buy them after you get to Japan (with some limitations). So you can even decide after you get there.