Japan Rail Pass or Passnet

[Tioneb]

Let me put this question in context :
I'm going to Japan from September 16th to October 7th (3 week)
Sept 16th to 25 I'll be in Tokyo
25 to 28 I'll be close to Mount Fuji
28 to Oct 7th I'll be living in Osaka with a Japanese friend but travelling alot around the Kansai (mainly going to Nara, Kyoto. I'll go see Himeji Castle too)

What is my best option ?

1) Buy a Japan Rail Pass for the whole 3 week ? Is travelling around Tokyo only in train possible ?
2)
- Buy a Passnet for Tokyo's Subway for when I'm in Tokyo
- Buy a 2 week Japan Rail pass and start using it when I leave for Mount Fuji
3)
- Buy a Passnet for Tokyo's Subway
- Buy a ticket from Tokyo to Mount Fuji and a ticket from Fuji-san to Osaka
- Buy a one week Japan Rail Pass and start using in Osaka

[Bueller_007]

Let me put this question in context :
I'm going to Japan from September 16th to October 7th (3 week)
Sept 16th to 25 I'll be in Tokyo
25 to 28 I'll be close to Mount Fuji
28 to Oct 7th I'll be living in Osaka with a Japanese friend but travelling alot around the Kansai (mainly going to Nara, Kyoto. I'll go see Himeji Castle too)

What is my best option ?

Try japan-guide for all of the info about different rail passes, and do the math:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357.html

Is travelling around Tokyo only in train possible ?

Hahahaha. You've obviously never been there. The rail system in Tokyo is SCREWED. It's UNREAL. At just about every station you stop at, the announcement says "Welcome to such-and-such station, please change here for the [insert 20 different train line names here]". Definitely get yourself a subway map. There's almost certainly a free one online somewhere. You can go anywhere and everywhere on the subway. There are some more out-of-the-way destinations you might need a bus for (for example, if you're staying in a budget hotel far away from a train station), but all of the major attractions in Tokyo are located near a station.

I'm not sure that the JR pass covers ALL local subways though. It might just cover the JR ones (i.e. the JR Loop Line, etc.) You'll have to check on this.

2)
- Buy a Passnet for Tokyo's Subway for when I'm in Tokyo
- Buy a 2 week Japan Rail pass and start using it when I leave for Mount Fuji

Of the options you've listed, I'd say this is likely the most cost-effective, but again, check the japan-guide website and do the math for yourself. Also, ask your friend what train line he lives on. If he lives on the Hankyu line, it might be cheaper to just take the Hankyu line to Kyoto and back. It's only like ¥400 Osaka-Kyoto one-way on Hankyu. Your friend will likely know the cheapest way to get around Kansai from his place.


After you figure out exactly where you want to go (i.e the train station names), try this website:
http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/

Or this one:
http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi

They'll give you prices and timetables accurate to the minute, and tell you every single detail about getting from point A to point B, including where on the train you should stand in order to minimize your train transfer time. There's a Java version of Jorudan you can download and put on your cell phone too.


Incidentally, nine days is FAR too much time to spend in Tokyo. Unless you're there on business, with proper planning, you can see everything and get in and out of there in three days, tops. Spend some time in Nikko and Kamakura. If you're going down near Fuji anyway, you might want to spend some time in Hakone, which is supposed to be beautiful.

[Alan]

I'm not sure that the JR pass covers ALL local subways though. It might just cover the JR ones (i.e. the JR Loop Line, etc.) You'll have to check on this.

The Yamanote line (the central loop) is JR and the JR pass works fine. Most of the rest are privately owned & you have to pay separately. I'd be tempted to look into underground passes for the first week & get a JR pass for the subsequent two weeks. I haven't costed it out, but generally speaking the JR pass pays for itself if you make at least one long return trip. There's also the convenience factor.

Getting a 3 week JR pass might be worth it if you intend to do several day-trips out of Tokyo during your week there, e.g. Hakone or Nikko (at a push). Although I believe that the direct route to Nikko is not JR, so probably not worth getting a pass specifically for that.

[Bueller_007]

Getting a 3 week JR pass might be worth it if you intend to do several day-trips out of Tokyo during your week there, e.g. Hakone or Nikko (at a push). Although I believe that the direct route to Nikko is not JR, so probably not worth getting a pass specifically for that.

Yes, as I recall, Nikko is on the Tobu (東武) line, so I don't think that the JR pass is any good for that. There may be a pain-in-the-ass shinkansen workaround for it though. I think my relatives took that when they came to visit on the JR pass. There are other better rail & bus passes available specifically for commuting to, from, and around, Nikko, however.

[patchmonkey]

To answer the outstanding questions:

JR and Tobu now share the Nikko line, so your Rail Pass will work at least half-way there, however, you may need to pay a certain portion of the trip. (Speaking of which, does anyone know if the old station next to Tobu Nikko station is an abandoned JR station, or something?)

As for getting passes within Tokyo, if you end up riding the Metro (only) at least 5 times in one day, the "all day pass" (￥710) is worth it. If you end up riding the Metro and the Toei Subway all day, at least 7 times, they have a ￥1000 yen pass that's worth it. If you end up riding the JR, Metro, and Toei - I think there's a ￥1500 all day pass. The Metro one is the only one that's really really worth it, unless you wanna go hang out in Hamammatsu-cho a lot.

As for Tokyo, I've been here for 8 months, and I have things that I still haven't seen - so I'd say it's entirely possible to spend 3 weeks here, with short trips out. Tokyo changes quickly enough that it doesn't get too boring.

[lucasburns]

As for Tokyo, I've been here for 8 months, and I have things that I still haven't seen - so I'd say it's entirely possible to spend 3 weeks here, with short trips out. Tokyo changes quickly enough that it doesn't get too boring.

Yeah - but are those things that are new and interesting the same as, or as good as ones that you will see in other places?

For example there are heaps of shrines/temples/museums/theatres in Osaka that I haven't seen, but when I go to Kyoto I see temples that I know are much better than any I will see in Osaka (the ones here are mostly modernish, and are generally the equivalent of your local church at home). You could spend three weeks in Tokyo, seeing everything about Japan that you wanted to see, but miss out on the places that have them better. Likewise in Osaka - I am not being anti-Tokyo

As for travel passes, well my parents visited me in May, and bought an 8 day sanyo pass. They came out ahead, as they travelled to Himeji, Okayama, Hiroshima and Hakata on shinkansen. They would have broken even jsut going to to Himeji and Hirashima only. (mind you, Himeji only costs 1450 each way and is only just over an hour away by local train).

personally, I would rather go to Hiroshima than Nara. I ahve yet to discover why many people love Nara. I was bored. I need to go again to hopefully hange my mind, and discover something new. Perhaps going with your Japanese friend will be better though!
Hiroshima (while only wanting to ever go there once - but have been twice), is a real homage to the victims of WWII. I think the memorials, although repetitive in their displays, are awesome, and that everyone should try and get there some time in their lives.

[Bueller_007]

personally, I would rather go to Hiroshima than Nara. I ahve yet to discover why many people love Nara. I was bored. I need to go again to hopefully hange my mind, and discover something new. Perhaps going with your Japanese friend will be better though!

This is why people like Nara:
*BROKEN URL REMOVED*

Seriously... Nara is a BILLION times better than Kyoto. There's so much there that's unchanged. Kyoto is completely modern. So you walk along and it's new, new, new, 1000 year old temple, new, new, new, Japan's tallest pagoda. The temples are great, but there's no atmosphere. The Kyoto Tower and the new Kyoto station should be burned to the ground.

Not only does Nara have Todai-ji (world's largest wooden building):
*BROKEN URL REMOVED*

It also has the world's oldest wooden buildings in Horyu-ji. Which very, very few foreign tourists go out to see, despite the fact that it's one of the nicest temples in Japan:
*BROKEN URL REMOVED*

There are also some great hikes in the Nara area, including one called 山辺の道 (yamanobe no michi) that takes you out to a bunch of old imperial 古墳 (kofun: imperial burial tomb), some of which are actually bigger (by volume) than the pyramids of Egypt. And that hike starts at 天理 (tenri) which is just about the strangest place on earth. The whole town is owned by the 天理教 (tenrikyo) religion, and this massive temple just TOWERS over everything. All the people in the cult come out to the train station dressed in black robes whenever the train comes in, to escort people to the temple (and try to convert non-believers.) Some Hawaiian monk took me on a free tour of the temple, and told me all about the religion... That's some weird stuff there.