I am thinking to buy 7-days JR pass for our itinerary for days 4 - 10. I used calculator it looks like pass might be a good option for those days. Air tickets and accommodations are booked, so it’s time to order JR pass. Any advice on the itinerary is most welcome.
day 1 - arrival to Tokyo, Haneda in the evening.
day 2 - Tokyo
day 3 - Tokyo
day 4 - Activate JR-pass. Nikko (1-day trip returning to Tokyo in the evening)
day 5 - moving from Tokyo to Kyoto, Kyoto rest of the day.
day 6 to 10 - Kyoto and around + Osaka, e.g 1-days trip to Nara and 1-day trip to Himeji
day 10 - moving from Kyoto to Odawara for 2 nights in Hakone. Staying 2 nights in Odawara.
day 11 - Hakone, Mnt Fuji
day 12 - Moving from Hakone to Tokyo
day 13 -Tokyo
day 14 - morning departure from Tokyo
We plan to buy 2-days Hakone pass from Odawara.
What is best way from Haneda to Asakusa metro station?
For Haneda to Asakusa, check Google Maps. Some of the Keikyu train lines run through to the Asakusa line subway, so it’d be a straight shot. At most you should have to transfer once.
One more question. I have been exploring Hyperdia and found (in my understanding) that for our 1-day trip to Nikko we actually don’t need JR-pass, as there is direct private line from Asakusa Station (where we stay) to Nikko with cost 2800y one way and it takes shorter time than the rote with shinkansen. Did I understand it correct. It is so confusing to figure all those trains and schedules. Thanks!
Also correct. Tobu Railway has special passes that offer further discounts on express train fares and also on attractions and buses in Nikko itself. The JR route takes longer because you have to transfer at least twice: a subway hop to Ueno and then at Utsunomiya onto the Nikko Line.
The Shinkansen use for the other days (Tokyo-Kyoto, Kyoto-Himeji, Kyoto-Odawara) plus express train hops to Nara and Osaka should still cover the cost of a one-week pass, so the question is whether the time you save traveling to and from Nikko is worth $50-60.
Wow! Thank you for the info on Toby Railway! I feel saving time and having more convenience (less transfers=less confusion) is worth of $50-60. Do you think we should buy one of Nikko passes even if we are going only for 1 day? It says that also gives 20% discount on the Tobu train. We can buy it right at Asakusa staion. Which one would you recommend? Thank you!
Depends on the math and what you want to do while you’re up there. It’s 2670 for the 2-day city-area pass and it gets you ~1000 yen off round-trip train fare, so you’d have to come up with ~1600 yen in free bus rides and admission discounts to break even. The City Area pass free bus zone covers areas where the fee is not likely to exceed 300 yen per ride, so it may only be worth it for the convenience.