To visit Tokyo,Osaka,Kyoto-JRpass best?

I want to travel by train from Tokyo to Osaka to Kyoto and back to Tokyo all within 2 weeks. Is the 2-week JR railway pass the best for a mature, budget traveller also looking for convenience?

Single tickets for the round trip Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka-Tokyo will cost about the same as a 7 day Japan Rail Pass.

Needless to say, single tickets are much cheaper than the 14 day Japan Rail Pass. So, if you do the round trip over a time period of 2 weeks, I would go with single tickets rather than the rail pass.

Instead of regular single tickets, you should also consider the "Hikari Hayatoku Kippu", which is about 10-20 percent cheaper than a single ticket, if you book at least one week in advance. You probably arrive too late to buy a Hikari HAyatoku Kippu for the outward journey, but will probably be able to use it for your return journey to Tokyo.

Thanks, but I was thinking in terms of also the local subway and travel within each of these cities during my stay there - about 4 days in each. Sorry that I didn't state that more clearly.
I will arrive in Tokyo, stay a few days then move on to Osaka, stay a few days, move on to Kyoto, stay a few days and return to Tokyo for my flight home.
If I understood the explanation on this site correctly, the JR railpass is also good for local travel within the cities?

I don't think you'll have enough benefit of the JR pass for local travel. In Kyoto, in the core part of the city, buses are the best mode of public transport, and the trains I've used to outlying areas aren't JR. In Tokyo, there are JR lines you can use in the city, but there are also many other lines (the Metro, Keisei, Tobu Tojo, etc.), and even if you took the JR trains every day in Tokyo, I doubt it would make the 14-day possible a good deal. I can't speak for Osaka (haven't been there in 10 years).

Thanks Uji and Chas. Much appreciated.

I can only repeat chas's advice. Citywide travel is almost never a justification for buying a Japan Rail Pass.

The average daily travel expense you could save in Tokyo would probably be only around 500 to 800 Yen, while in Kyoto, JR trains are only good to access a very small number of sights.

You may want to consider city wide day passes, instead:

For Tokyo
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2017.html

For Kyoto
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html

For Osaka
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4006.html

Uji your links are marvelous. They lead me even into areas that I have not yet thought enough to ask about. Thank you so very much. It is really appreciated.

By the way, the JR situation in Osaka is similar to the JR sitiation in Tokyo. It is not bad to get to quite a few attractions, but quite often the subway is better.

Thanks to you two, I am convinced.
I buy single tickets and also buy in advance the kippu ticket for that part of the trip that it will be applicable to.
I do appreciate very mcuh all of your help.
Thank you!

Hi,

I just saw this post by Uji.
"The regular ticket price for Tokyo-Kyoto return is about 26,000 Yen. It is very close to the cost for a 7-day Japan Rail Pass!"

So how much is the 2-week pass?
If I go then also to Osaka and travel for instance to Nikki and a couple of other places around Tokyo, also to and from the airport, and so on how can the single price tickets be less expensive, please?

So how much is the 2-week pass?

45,100 Yen
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361.html

You will need to travel much further than just Tokyo-Kyoto retour and a day trip to Nikko in order to cover a distance worth 45,100.

The round trip to Nikko from Tokyo costs only 3000 Yen by Tobu Railways.

The airport train costs between 1000 and 3000 Yen, depending on which you take.

It just does not add up to 45000 Yen unless you make another big journey.

Thanks again Uji. I have been trying to make sense of the JR site but having a difficult time of it.
You have saved me again!
Thank you so very much.

Sorry I chanced upon this post and would like to seek some advice re. 14-day JR pass.

I'll be travelling to Narita, Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and back to Tokyo Narita to catch my flight. My planned trip is about 13 days and I thought a 14-day pass seems value for money for this trip.
Do you think a 7-day JR West pass will work better for me instead because I will spend about a week in Kansai region? I don't mind taking Hiroshima out of the trip since it is quite out of the way and I get to save some dough! Thanks in advance for your replies!

First off, there is not a 7 day JR West Rail Pass. If you wanted to use a pass to visit Hiroshima via Shinkansen, then you would need the Sanyo Area Pass. This is 20,000 Yen for 4 days and 30,000 Yen for 8 days. But as the unreserved return fare between Shin Osaka and Hiroshima is 18,880 Yen, only the four day Pass would be worthwhile. And you would also still have the cost of the trip to and from Tokyo.

If you can complete your visit to the Kansai region (with a day trip or overnight stay to Hiroshima) within the 7 days, the 7 day JR Rail Pass would be very cost effective.

To save time traveling back to Tokyo for your flight, look in to the possibility of flying into Narita, but leaving via Kansai airport, I have done this several times. The 7 day pass would still save you some money, but not as much as if you were returning to Tokyo.

Yve,
what I have done is spend time in Tokyo at the start and end of my trip then gone away (Kansai in your case) for 7 days using the 7 day JR pass.
you could for example do:
day 1-3= Tokyo (I assume that day 1 is arrival)
day 4 to 10= Kansai (including trips from/to Tokyo)
day 11-13 Tokyo, with departure on day 13
your 7 days in the Kansai:

day 4 Tokyo-Osaka in the morning. visit Osaka afternon
day 5 Kyoto (45 mn by JR train from Osaka)
day 6 Kyoto
day 7 Nara
day 8 Hiroshima & Miyajima island
day 9 Himeji and Kobe
day 10 morning in Osaka
early afternoon back to Tokyo
while in Tokyo you can go to Nikko or ..on day 11
with this itinerary you really get your money worth out of your 7 days JR pass thought I AGREE with another poster that arriving in Tokyo and leaving by KIX is easier, if you can get a good price on an open jaw ticket.

The previous poster has a good point. Though skip Nara and do Hiroshima and Miya Jima seperate days (railpass covers it). When you go back to Tokyo. Then just use the local subways and other transportation. check out this website about traveling to weigh the costs

www.hyperdia.com
click on english to the far left