What Pass is value for money?

HI,
I will be travelling to Japan next month. Based on my itinerary below, would appreciate your advice on which pass is worth buying.

Day 1
Arrive Osaka in the morning.
Leave luggage with hotel, will explore Osaka Castle, Festival Gate and Osaka Bay area.

Day 2
Will take a train to Nara in the morning. Explore Todaiji Temple and around Nara Park. Then travel to Kyoto. Explore Kinkakuji Temple and Rjoanji Temple.

Day 3
Travel to Himeji. Explore Himeji Castle. Then back to further explore Kyoto. Intend to visit Ginkakuji Temple, Heian Jingu Shrine and kIyomizu Temple.

Day 4
Explore Nishikikoji Market, Nijo Castle and Sanjusangendo Hall.
Travel to Tokyo via Hikari Train.

Day 5
Spend a day in Hakone. Would like to go to the 5th Station of Mt Fuji, Hakone Open Air Museum, Owakudani "Great Boiling Valley". Out of the Five Lake, which one is worth going? Where else can I go if I still time?
Kindly advice what is the best mode of travel to Hakone if I am staying in Shinjuku area.

Day 6
Travel to Kamakura. Explore Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Zeniarai-Benten Shrine, Kotokuin Temple and Hase Kanno Temple. Then travel to Yokohama. Spend the rest of the day there before heading back to Tokyo.

Day 7
Explore Tokyo.

Day 8
Flight back home.

Should I buy a 7 day Japan Rail Pass or a 3 days JR West Kansai Area Pass then get a one way ticket for Kyoto to Tokyo. As for Tokyo, should I buy a NEX and Suica pass or is there a better pass to use for travelling around Tokyo as well as allow me to use it for my departure to the airport?

Thank you and awaiting for your advice.

Can someone pls help.

Thank you

without doing the math, i would expect the one week pass to be the cheapest way to go. travelling around osaka though, there are a lot of private lines where you can't use your pass.

I'm not an osaka/kyto expert but:

As for Tokyo, should I buy a NEX and Suica pass or is there a better pass to use for travelling around Tokyo as well as allow me to use it for my departure to the airport?

The Suica & NEX Package is only sold FROM the airport TO the Tokyo Metro Area, it is not sold FROM Tokyo TO Narita.

Also looking at your itinerary its nothing but shrines, temples, and even more temples, for example day 2: Travel to Nara temples, then back to Kyoto for more temples. Then off to Kamakura day 6 for even more @_@. Many people get "templed/shrined out" I'm not saying you shouldn't, as it is your trip and you're free to plan it whichever way you want, but maybe some more varity of things to see and do?

7-day Japan Rail Pass costs about the same as a RETURN trip on Shinkansen (including the limited express charge) between Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto. Seeing that the only long-distance travel you make is one way from Kyoto to Tokyo, I think the 7-day JRP might not be the best option for you.

Thank you guys for your reply.

John,
Thanks for yourinform especially on The Suica & NEX Package. So do you I should get the 7 days Japan Rail Pass considering I only have one long haul -- Kyoto to Tokyo. Otherwise, what pass should I get that is more worth it.

I am not the museum and shopping type so beside temple/shine what else can you suggest.

Any suggestion on my Hakone's trip? By the way is Osaka Castle worth the visit considering I will be going to Himeji castle?

Kindly advice. Tks

You might want to consider the 3 day Kansai Thru Pass that covers virtually all transportation in the Kansai area except JR:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357_005.html

And then a regular single ticket to Tokyo. For Kamakura, get the Kamakura Enoshima Free Kippu:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_004.html

Finally, for Hakone, the Hakone Free Pass:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_004.html

Osaka Castle is a modern reconstruction but probably still worth a visit.

RobBeer, thank you very much. The website you gave was very helpful too.

I noticed that for Hakone Free Pass is for 2 days usage, is there a 1 day pass with the same mode of transportation coz I only want to spend a day trip there?

By the way, is there a one Pass that allows me to travell within Tokyo, Kamakura and Yokohama?? (to get a pass for different places can be very costly, trying to minimise the budget.

Please advice.

I noticed that for Hakone Free Pass is for 2 days usage, is there a 1 day pass with the same mode of transportation coz I only want to spend a day trip there?

Even for a 1 day trip if you were to pay for each trip individually for 1 day (if you make the classic type Hakone trip, it is still cheaper for the Hakone Free Pass (2day version or not). Its the best you can get.


By the way, is there a one Pass that allows me to travell within Tokyo, Kamakura and Yokohama?? (to get a pass for different places can be very costly, trying to minimise the budget.

Please advice.

There are, but I can tell you, it would be highly highly uneconomical.

In fact it is cheaper to either pay for regular tickets for rides in Yokohama. If you're going to the main tourist spots in Yokohama you don't need a pass at all.
Tokyo (depends in Tokyo if you need a pass or not, sometimes you do, sometimes you don't it just depends on one's schedule for the day).
Kamakura has two different passes, one is cheaper but slower, one is more expensive and a little faster.
In the end it is still cheaper to go at each place individually then a pass that just covers everything.

Pei Fen: I am not a shopping person in the sense that I hardly buy anything, except a few magazines about Japanese houses, however I love to walk around big Japanese department stores because they all have amazing food floors, in the basement, with foodstuff from Japan of course but also other countries. They also have a floor with formal kimonos that must be seen. Big electronic stores, like Yodobashi cameras, are also very interesting; not just for cameras and computers but also for refrigerators with 3 to 5 compartments and lots of small appliances we don't have in North America where I live. I also love to walk down their shopping streets (with a roof!) that are for pedestrians only.

Thanks and appreciate all the advices given by all of you. I now have a better picture in planning my coming trip.