do we need to buy 7-day JR pass?

Our family of 4 (2 adults 2 kids) are planning a 2 weeks vacation to Japan in Dec. Not sure whether we should buy the 7-day JR pass.
Itinerary as follows :-

12/6 - 12/7 Hakone (my aunt will drive us there)
12/8 Kyoto (stay in Kyoto)
12/9 Kyoto/Nara
12/10 Osaka
12/11 Nagoya
12/12 Yokohama/Kamakura
12/13-12/15 Hokkaido (local tour)
12/16-12/19 Tokyo

Appreciate some advise.

thanks

A round trip between the Tokyo and Kyoto regions costs about the same as regular tickets for a round trip by shinkansen.

As for Hokkaido, I assume you will fly there and back. Taking the train there and back would consume 2 of your 3 days allocated to Hokkaido.

You don't say which area/airport you're starting your trip from - Narita or Kansai? but anyway, since a roundtrip on Shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka costs about the same as a 7-day Japan Rail Pass, if you are not making that kind of long-distance trip within a 7-day period, it does not pay off. And.. seeing from the itinerary, I suppose you are not. You'll be better off with buying individual tickets then. And yes, as Uji-san suggests, going to Hokkaido better be by air :)

From my experience, it is worth to have JR rail pass. It is very flexible for catching a train. You can jump in any train you like as non-reserve without worrying about booking and right on time. If you take wrong one, you can take another without any cost. Also, for the peak period, it will save your time queing buying tickets.

Cheers,

thanks for the response.

We will be arriving in Tokyo Narita airport. The local tour package includes the air-tickets to Hokkaido.

Based on the response, looks like it is still worth to get the 7-day JR pass.

Few more questions, is it worth visiting the Universal Studio in Osaka? Any recommendations on the 'must visit' in Osaka, Kyoto and Nagoya?

thanks..

As you pick out Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama, I guess you are more interested in modern attractions or large cities rather than historical monuments.

In that case, the must-see/must-do is to visit the downtowns of each cities and enjoy shopping or theme parks.

If you think you have more balanced interest, please check this.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400_tokyo_10.html

For family with kids, I would suggest the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum, 20 min. train from Osaka. We are no kids, but my wife fully enjoyed the visit, playing alongside all those Japanese kids and making her own cup of instant noodle to take home as a souvenir.
http://www.nissin-noodles.com/english.htm
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/sit/osaka/t015.html

In Yokohama, there is the Anpanman Children's Museum. We'd just come back from there and again my wife had a great time taking tons of photos with all those lovely cartoon characters
http://www.yokohama-anpanman.jp

But seeing your initial itinerary, you only get one day for both Yokohama and Kamakura. It looks pretty tight to me.