Guide to plan your trip. Fare Calculation

dentaku calculatorFare table
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This website shows you a lot of the train passes. But some of you plan to buy a regular ticket. Even if you will use the rail pass, you may have to compare the price of the pass and the regular fare to make sure that you can get the worth of it or not.

In this post, I would like to share the information about the fare calculation with you.

Hyperdia

You can get a fare very easily. (click to view larger image)
You can get a fare very easily. (click to view larger image)

This is the easiest way to get the fare and the timetable of most trains in Japan. Please refer the link below to learn more:

Google map

Google map can show you the train and the public bus routes. It also shows you the fare.

JR’s rule on passenger’s ticket

JR companies have the biggest train network in Japan. If you travel between major cities, you will take JR train in most cases.

The fare rule is so difficult to understand for the tourists from overseas. Even some travel agents in Japan do not understand the rule completely.

I wrote about this rule as simple as possible in the post below. You can learn the rule of purchasing and using a regular ticket.

JR company’s official site

Some JR companies have the timetable and fare search engine in their official sites.

JR Hokkaido official website

This website offers you the fare and timetable search of most JR trains.

JR West English website

This website offers you the fare and timetable search of most JR trains.

JR Shikoku English website

This website shows you the fare table of most of JR Shikoku lines.

Comments

  1. Sharon Freitas says:

    Hi Takeshi
    Below is tentative itinerary:
    1) Arrive KIX on June 8th and overnight at Sheraton Miyako Osaka Hotel.
    2) June 9th – Osaka to Kyoto. Stay at Hotel Dormy Inn Kyoto and visit Nijo Castle. Back to Osaka for Dotombori Nite Market.
    3) June 10th: Day – Inari Shrine/Nara Park/Todaiji Great Buddha/Nara Nagomikan. Night: Nishiki Market.
    4) June 11: Day – Arashiyama/Bamboo Grove/Iwatayama Monkey Reserve. Night: Kyoto restaurant.
    5) June 12: Day: Philosopher Walk or Kiyomizudera, then depart Kyoto for Shinagawa Tokyo.
    6) June 13: Day- Hakone (itinerary not set yet). Night: Shibuya/Shinjuku
    7) June 14: Day – Harajuku/Shibuya/Ueno Park Night: Ameyoko
    8) June 15: Tour to Tsukikji Fish Market & Sushi Workshop. Night: Ginza Area
    8) June 16: Last minute shopping/sights and back to Narita to leave.

    Given our itinerary, does it make sense to get 7-day JR Rail Pass and if so, what day would we activate it? Thank you. Sharon

  2. Rubiah says:

    Hi
    We are a family of 4 with 2 children 17 and 16 years
    I am still so confused with all the trains in Japan. Appreciate it you could give me some advice on what type of transportation method I should take?
    I really need your views

    19 Dec Arriving in Haneda
    20 Dec 25 Dec around Tokyo – Planning to stay around Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan
    26 Dec – 29 Dec to Niigata
    30 Dec – Tokyo
    1 Jan Depart home

    Appreciate too some views on sighseeing

    Thank you very much

  3. yuvi says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    I’m travelling to Japan between Feb 14 – 21 and would like to visit Hokkaido, Tokyo and Osaka. Can you please advise me on what type of transportation method I should take? Is it worth to get JR pass

    Here’s my itinerary:
    Feb 14 – Arriving at New Chitose airport at 8:15am, sightseeing in Sapporo
    Feb 15 – Sapporo – Otaru day trip
    Feb 16 – Sapporo to Tokyo by train
    Feb 17 – Arriving at Tokyo
    Feb 18 – Tokyo
    Feb 19 – Tokyo to Osaka by train
    Feb 20 – Osaka – Kyoto day trip
    Feb 21 – leaving Osaka (Kansai International Airport)

    Appreciated your reply! Thanks a lot.

    Cheers,
    Yuvi

    • Hi Yuvi,

      You can use JR Pass 7 days from Feb 15 to the end of your trip. It gives you a huge saving!
      For the first day, just using single ticket is okay.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  4. Cedric Chiu says:

    Hello there,

    I’m travelling to Japan from July 11 – 18. Can you give me some advice on what type of transportation method I should take?

    This is my planned itinerary:
    July 12 – arrive at Chubu Airport, NGO (Nagoya)
    July 12 – Takayama
    July 13 – Shiragawa-go
    July 14 – Nagoya
    July 15 – Nagoya
    July 16 – Nagoya
    July 17 – Day trip to Shizuoka (Want to experience scenic view of Mount Fuji)
    July 18 – Nagoya to Chubu Airport, NGO (Leaving Japan)

    Much appreciated and thanks in advance

  5. Nicole says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    I’m travelling to Japan between Oct 17 – 24 and would like to visit Ogimachi Village, Nara(Deer Park). Can you please advise me on what type of transportation method I should take? Is it worth to get JR pass

    Here’s my itinerary:
    Oct 17 – Arriving at Osaka airport at 7:15am, straightaway travel to Takayama
    Oct 18 – Takayama, day trip to Ogimachi Village
    Oct 19 – Kyoto
    Oct 20 – Kyoto, Day trip to Nara
    Oct 22 – Osaka
    Oct 23 – Osaka
    Oct 24 – Osaka airport

    Appreciated your reply! Thanks a lot.

    Cheers,
    Nicole

  6. Sabine says:

    Hello,

    we are a family with two kids (19 and14) and we will arrive at Narita on July 7th. On July 10th we want to travel to Takayama. From Takayama we travel to Osaka to visit Kyoto, Nara. From Osaka we will make a trip to Shikoku, where we want to travel around by train and bus. The last days we will stay at Hiroshima. On July 30th we will fly back from Hiroshima airport to Amsterdam.
    Could you please give me some information about the train connections? Especially from Tokyo to Takayama? We have to go to Shinhodakaonsenguchi bus stop where our hotel is. We will buy JR passes for the four of us, which as I found out, is the cheapest way of traveling, isn’t it?
    Thanks for your information and help.
    With kind regards,

    Sabine von Behr

  7. Sherman says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    My 13 friends and I will travel to Japan on 2/6-8/6 (2/6-5/6 osaka+Kyoto , 6/6-8/6 Tokyo), we will live near the oebashi station during the days in osaka and akabane station during the days in Tokyo, which kind of JR pass etc. will you recommend?

    Thanks a lot!!

    Cheers,
    Sherman

  8. Rachael says:

    Hi there,

    Your website is super informative.. but I’m still so confused :(! I’m travelling to Japan from June 17 – 24. Can you give me some advice on what type of transportation method I should take?

    This is my planned itinerary:
    June 17 – arrive at Narita airport
    June 18 – Tokyo –
    June 19 – Tokyo
    June 20 – Tokyo
    June 21 – Tokyo to Kyoto – what is the travel time?
    June 22 – Kyoto to Osaka
    June 23 – Osaka – Day trip to Hiroshima
    June 24 – Osaka to Narita airport, leaving in the evening

    Much appreciated in advance!

  9. Chris says:

    Hi Takeshi

    this is a very last minute plan and I would appreciate any help possible. I have 13 days in Japan end of May and I was wondering if it’s better to buy the 7 or 14 days JR pass and which day should I start activating the pass.

    Appreciate your help! Thanks

    Our itinerary is as follow:-

    Day 1-Arrive Narita airport Tokyo in the morning 8am. Limousine shuttle bus to hotel/ tokyo tower

    Day 2-Tokyo – tsujiki fish market / imperial palace/ ordaiba/

    Day 3- Tokyo- Gina/ akibara

    Day 4 -Tokyo- shinjuku/ Shiyuan/ harajuku

    Day 5- travel from Tokyo to Hakone by Shinkansen. Take tozan bus line to ryokan fujimien. / lake ashi/ hakone machi / hakone shrine

    Day 6- Hakone- mt Fuji / hakone tozan cableway /

    Day 7- Hakone travel to Kyoto via JR

    Day8- Kyoto

    Day 9- Kyoto

    Day10-Kyoto to Tokyo

    Day 11- Nikko day trip ( optional)

    Day 12- Tokyo

    Day 13- Flight depart Narita Tokyo

  10. Aotian says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    Thanks for your sharing. I would like to seek for your advice.
    I will be in Japan from 7 – 20 June.
    Which tickets/passes would you suggest me to buy?
    7 DAYS JR PASS / 14 Days JR Pass or others?

    Day 1: Arrival Haneda airport. stay overnight in Tokyo.
    Day 2 to Day 4: travel to Osaka from Tokyo. Explore Osaka and travel to Kyoto on Day 4.
    Day 5 to Day 8: Explore Kyoto and travel to Tokyo on Day 8.
    Day 9 to Day 14: Explore Tokyo and Mt Fuji. Day 14 11am departure from Haneda airport.

    Many thanks in advance.

    Best regards!

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