Some of you are wondering if you should use JR pass or not for one way trip from Tokyo to Osaka via Hakone and Kyoto. Actually JR pass does not meet this trip. The price of 7-day JR pass is 29100 yen. One way base fare from Tokyo to Kyoto or Shin-Osaka plus Shinkansen surcharge is around 14000 yen. As long as you have one way trip from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka, JR pass is way more expensive than single fare. Even if you use JR pass when you stay in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, it is not realistic to spend another 15000 yen. Base fare in these cities is 200 to 500 yen.
In this post, I show you the sample itinerary and some deals in these cities.
*When you follow this sample itinerary, please check the updated timetable. You can find more information about timetable at the link below:
Guide to plan your trip. How to find Japan Railway’s timetables
Day 1 Narita or Haneda airport to downtown Tokyo
Suggested deals for Narita passengers
There are many deals available. Please refer the following link about Narita deals:
Suggested deals for Haneda passengers
Please refer the following links:
Day 2 Tokyo
Enjoy sightseeing in Tokyo.
You can find the detailed information of train system in downtown Tokyo in the link below. You also can find the information about the deals:
In Tokyo, the single fare is very reasonable because of a short trip. The regular fare may be cheaper if you visit one or two places. You may use IC card, such Suica or Pasmo instead:
Day 3 Tokyo to Hakone
Suggested itinerary
08:53 Shinjuku
Odakyu railway’s limited express “Romancecar” Hakone 9
10:35 Hakone-Yumoto
Leave your baggage at hotel or locker at the station. Enjoy sightseeing Hakone all day.
Odakyu Railway is most convenient to get Hakone and cheaper than JR trains. You can purchase base fare ticket and Hakone Free Pass Odawara departure at Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center at Shinjuku station.
Suggested deals
Base fare ticket (Shinjuku – Odawara) and Hakone Free Pass (Odawara departure 2 days)
You may find more information about Hakone Free Pass and Odakyu Railway in the link below:
Hakone Free Pass official site
Shinjuku departure Hakone Free Pass (5140 yen) is not required for this itinerary. Because it includes round trip to/from Shijuku. But you do not come back to Shinjuku and leave Hakone then go to Kyoto next day. Of course single fare for Shinjuku-Odawara is cheaper than the difference between Shinjuku departure Hakone Free Pass and Odawara departure Hakone Free Pass.
Once you get Hakone, use Hakone Free Pass as much as you can. You can get most of places in Hakone by this pass.
I recommend you to stay in Hakone for at least one night. But if you want to visit Hakone as “luggage free” day trip from Tokyo, Hakone Free Pass Shinjuku departure is the best deal.
I have the post which explains about the access to Hakone and the trip plan in Hakone in the link below:
Day 4 Hakone to Kyoto
Suggested itinerary
09:40 Hakone-Yumoto
Hakone Tozan Railway
09:54 Odawara
10:08 Odawara
Hikari 507
12:13 Kyoto
Odawara station is the nearest JR station to Hakone. You can catch the the Tokaido Shinkansen to get Kyoto. Please find the details about Odawara station at the following:
There are some Shinkansen train, “Hikari” stop at Odawara and takes you to Kyoto without any transfer. I picked 10:08 departure, Hikari 507. Please see the timetable at the link below and find the train what you want to take:
JR Central official site – The Tokaido and the Sanyo Shinkansen timetable
You may find Hikari which stop at Odawara mostly every two hours. Please try to catch this kind of Hikari. This is the fastest and direct way to get Kyoto from Odawara.
There is no deals to cover the trip from Odawara to Kyoto. The base fare ticket and the Shinkansen seat fee ticket are required to take the Tokaido Shinkansen. You can purchase these tickets in advance if you want. The Shinkansen and limited express surcharge tickets can be purchased at most major JR stations that have reservation window, a.k.a. “Midori no Madoguchi”. The base fare ticket also can be purchased with surcharge ticket at same time. If you do so, you can just transfer from Hakone Tozan Railway train to the Shinkansen at Odawara.
If you follow my suggested itinerary, you have half day for sightseeing in Kyoto. I recommend you to visit south part of Kyoto, like Fushimi Inari. It’s just 5 minutes away from Kyoto station by Nara line local train. If you want, you can visit even Nara.
If you need some more information about Kyoto station, please refer the link below:
Day 5 Kyoto
You can enjoy in Kyoto for all day.
Please refer the links below to find the information of train system in Kyoto and deals in Kyoto.
Day 6 Kyoto to Osaka
Suggested itinerary
09:14 Kyoto
Special rapid
09:43 Osaka
I use JR train, Special Rapid which is the fastest way to get Osaka (Umeda). It is a sort of commute train. Only base fare is required to take this train.
There are many other trains running between Kyoto and Osaka. Please see the link below to find the train network in Kansai area:
After arriving in Osaka, you may add the deal as you need.
Day 7 Osaka to Kansai airport
There are some deals available. Please see the link below:
Summary and total costs
If you have one way trip from Tokyo to Osaka, as you read above, the key is how to combine some local deals and the regular fare ticket. In this itinerary, approximate total cost is 23,000 to 26,000 yen. It is cheaper than JR Pass 7-day. And JR Pass does not cover Hakone area, subway and city bus in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. You might feel the total cost is very close to JR Pass 7-day. But actual different is much bigger.
I show you 7 days itinerary but you can extend staying in Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto or Osaka. And also I have another sample itinerary that includes Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka only. Please see the following post to find it.
I hope this post will help you to build your trip plan to Japan!
Comments
Hi Takeshi San,
I’ll be going to Japan from 30 Nov – 9th Dec;
Arriving in Japan on 30th Nov.
May I know if I were to want to travel Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka and back to Tokyo.
What sort of itinerary would you suggest?
And if I should get a 7/14 JR pass for my trips there?
Ideally, I’m hoping that the JR pass would help to take out all inconvenience for the Travelling part from cities to cities.
Thank you.
Hi Olivia san,
You may use 7 days JR pass if you can complete Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka in 7 days. You don’t really need JR pass in Tokyo. Subway pass covers it.
https://jprail.com/destinations/kanto-area/tokyo-kanto-area/guide-to-take-trains-in-tokyo-how-to-choose-the-best-deal-and-the-best-route-by-train-to-get-the-major-spots.html
I think you will stay in Tokyo in the last or/and beginning part of your trip. So try to use JR pass other than Tokyo as much as you can. 14 days pass is too expensive but 7 days pass will work.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi,
My partner and I are going in October and following the same basic trip as yours but with much larger stopovers:
fly into Narita
Tokyo-3 nights
Hakone-2 Nights
Kyoto- 4 Nights
Osaka- 2 Nights
Then fly out of Kansai airport.
Will the base fare from Odawara to Kansai still work even though we will be staying longer in kyoto and osaka?
What pass would you recommend for Kyoto is we wanted to day trips such as Nara or Hiroshima?
Thanks,
Alice
Hi Alice,
First of all, you have to be sure that you visit Hiroshima or not. If you are sure to visit Hiroshima, you can use JR pass 7 days from Odawara to Osaka. You can visit Hiroshima when you are in Osaka or Kyoto. You can use JR pass to visit Nara as well.
You may use Kyoto city deal even if you use JR pass because it does not cover subway and bus.
https://jprail.com/destinations/kansai-area/guide-to-take-trains-in-kyoto-how-to-choose-the-best-route-by-train-to-get-the-major-spots.html
https://jprail.com/destinations/kansai-area/guide-to-take-trains-in-osaka-how-to-choose-the-best-route-by-train-to-get-the-major-spots.html
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-visitors/how-to-choose-discount-railway-ticket-and-pass-in-kansai-area.html#Kyoto_area
https://jprail.com/sample-itineraries/1-day/day-trip-to-hiroshima-and-miyajima-from-osakakyoto.html
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi takehi San, thank you for this info – very useful. However my itinerary is the “flip” of your proposed itinerary – meaning, I will arrive at Kansai airport on 10 Dec 9am.. My plan to base in Kyoto for 10-13 Dec (4 days), with one of the days going to Osaka.
On 14 Dec I will leave Kyoto to Tokyo and base in Tokyo 14-18 Dec (5 days), with 1 day trip to Hakone as I read that to buy the Hakone pass, I need to get it from Shinjuku station, is this correct? Then on 19 Dec I will leave for Narita airport for 11:30am morning flight home.
My questions are:
1. I won’t need the JR 7-Day pass even though I will make day trips to Osaka and Hakone?
2. Can I still get the Hakone free pass if I travel from Kyoto to Hakone and stay overnight for 1 day before traveling into Tokyo (this will mean: 4 days Kyoto/Osaka, 1-2 days Hakone, 4 days Tokyo). We may also make another side trip to Nikko if we can finish what we want to see in Tokyo in 3 days.
Your advice is greatly appreciated! Many thanks In advance!
Hi Weesan,
JR Pass may be suitable for your trip because of trip to Nikko. Roughly total cost (KIX to Kyoto, Kyoto to Osaka return, Kyoto to Tokyo, Tokyo to Nikko return) is almost same as 7 days JR pass value. And also if you stay in Hakone on the way to Tokyo, Shinkansen seat fee is separated, Kyoto to Odawara and Odawara to Tokyo. The cost will be a bit higher than Kyoto to Tokyo direct.
So if you are sure that you visit Nikko in the first 7 days of your trip, JR pass is recommended. It’s much easier to use even though it does not give you a big saving. You may purchase Hakone Free Pass at Odawara if you stay in Hakone on the way to Tokyo.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi san,
I appreciate this post so much as I’ve been having trouble figuring out whether to buy a JR Rail Pass for our 10-day trip to Japan this fall. Our itinerary is:
Days 1-4: Tokyo (arrival Narita, staying in Shibuya)
Day 5: Tokyo – Hakone
Day 6: Hakone – Kyoto
Days 7-8: Kyoto
Day 9: Kyoto – Tokyo (Shinjuku)
Day 10: Shinjuku to Narita
This looks very much like your itinerary but without Osaka and a few extra days and flying out of Narita. We are 4 people including our 2 children who will be 12 at the time.
I appreciate any additional advice you have! We are so excited!
Thank you,
Genevieve
Hi Genevieve san,
You may use 7 days JR Pass for the last 7 days of your trip. It covers until you get Narita.
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-visitors/japan-rail-pass-user-guide-how-to-use-jr-pass-to-its-maximum.html
You can take Shinkansen from Shinagawa to Odawara instead of Odakyu railway. Because you have JR pass and it covers Shinkansen to Odawara. You don’t need to use single ticket after day 4.
JR Pass covers JR local lines. But there are some places where you can get by JR in Tokyo and Kyoto. Please see the link below to find the coverage.
https://jprail.com/destinations/kanto-area/tokyo-kanto-area/guide-to-take-trains-in-tokyo-how-to-choose-the-best-deal-and-the-best-route-by-train-to-get-the-major-spots.html
https://jprail.com/destinations/kansai-area/guide-to-take-trains-in-kyoto-how-to-choose-the-best-route-by-train-to-get-the-major-spots.html
There are some deals available for Narita to Tokyo.
https://jprail.com/sample-itineraries/airport-access/narita/the-list-of-deals-for-access-to-downtown-tokyo-from-narita-airport.html
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi San,
My partner and I would like to arrive in Hakone before 10am from Tokyo. Can you tell me what our options would be?
Many thanks,
Breton
Hi Breton san,
You can take Odakyu Railway limited express train “Romancecar” to get Hakone by 10:00. Please find the timetable in the link below:
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/romancecar/timetable/a01.html
Cheers,
Takeshi / JRRail.com
Hi Takeshi san,
I am planning a trip to Japan on 1st and 2nd week of December 2016.
My plan is to travel direct from Narita airport to Hakone overnite 1nite and the 2nd day focuses on visit Hakone before leaving on the same day to Kyoto.
Will stay at Kyoto for 4nites/4days -2days plan sightseeing at Kyoto. On the 3rd day at we will do a day trip to Nara and Osaka and back to Kyoto in the evening. We also plan to squeeze a day out from the 4nites at Kyoto to visit Hiroshima maybe?
After Kyoto the plan is to go to Takayama. Will overnite at 1nite at Takayama and plan to visit Shiragawa-go.
After that we will heading back to Tokyo from Takayama. Will stay at Tokyo for 3nites/4days before depart home via Narita.
I need some input on my plan and also need advise from you which JR Pass to purchase- from what I read JR pass now split to different type? May know which one suitable to my plan?
Thanks.
Regards,
Kloon
Hi Kloon san,
As I took a look your itinerary, you will be back to Tokyo on 7th day of your trip. If I’m right, you can use 7 days JR pass.
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-visitors/japan-rail-pass-user-guide-how-to-use-jr-pass-to-its-maximum.html
Subway pass is okay for Tokyo.
https://jprail.com/destinations/kanto-area/tokyo-kanto-area/guide-to-take-trains-in-tokyo-how-to-choose-the-best-deal-and-the-best-route-by-train-to-get-the-major-spots.html
For trip to Narita, only single ticket is your choice. You may find some budget bus in the link below. This is most affordable way.
https://jprail.com/sample-itineraries/airport-access/narita/the-list-of-deals-for-access-to-downtown-tokyo-from-narita-airport.html#The_Access_Narita
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Takeshi,
I was planning to purchase train tickets from Odawara to Kyoto via Shinkansen Hikari 503…..can these train tickets be purchased online and in advance? Also I am then going from Kyoto to Osaka (specifically the Namba area of Osaka)….you had mentioned taking JR Kyoto Special local train….can you also purchase these train tickets on line and in advance, also should I transfer to Midosuji Line via Shin-Osaka or Osaka-Uemeda stattion…
Hi SK,
Unfortunately online is not available in English. Only Japanese site, Eki-Net and Odekake net offer online and phone service. Basically you have to book and purchase after you arrive in Japan. But usually it’s not hard even if you book it after you arrive in Japan.
Special rapid train from Kyoto to Osaka is commute train. You cannot purchase it online anyway. You can purchase it at the vending machine in Kyoto station just before taking train. You cannot purchase subway ticket either in advance.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Dear Takeshi,
Thank you for the information. I have an itinerary that I would like to get some help from you.
Day 1: Arrive at NRT at 1:30 PM and tour Tokyo
Day 2: Tour Tokyo and go to Hakone in the late afternoon (staying at Hyatt Regency)
Day 3: Tour Hakone (staying at Hayatt Regency)
Day 4: Leave Hakone for Kyoto in the morning (staying at Hyatt Regency) and tour Kyoto
Day 5. Tour Kyoto
Day 6: Leave Kyoto for KIX to catch the plane at 4:40 PM for Vancouver
Hi Alex,
Your itinerary is almost same as my sample itinerary above. You can remove the portion of Osaka from my sample. But in this case, you can use one base fare ticket from Odawara to Kyoto only. You can use one base fare ticket from Odawara to KIX but you can get better deal for Kyoto to KIX that is Haruka discount ticket.
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-visitors/icoca-and-haruka-ticket-very-flexible-and-good-deal-for-tourist-who-stay-in-kansai.html
This includes base fare and express seat fee for Kyoto to KIX. This is better way to get KIX from Kyoto. You can use simply a single ticket for Odawara to Kyoto.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi-san,
I will travel to Tokyo-Osaka next year (28 April – 8 May 2017) and this will be my very 1st trip to Japan. I just noticed that my flight booking exactly falling on the Golden Week in Japan.
What is your suggestion? Should I change my flight tickets? If I proceed this trip, any advise from you on how to make my holiday enjoyable and free from any unwanted matter.
For your info, I will fly with my wife and kid from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo and return from Osaka to Kuala Lumpur.
Please advise. Thanks.
Tarmizi, Malaysia
Hi Tarmizi san,
If you can change it, it’s better. Mid May is much slower. I think hotel rate is much higher too in Golden Week.
If you have to keep this schedule, you have to avoid the busiest day and busier direction. The following link shows you how to travel during the busy period in 2016.
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/basic-informations/timetable-and-reservation/2016-busiest-period-to-travel-by-train-tips-to-book-your-seat-in-even-busy-period.html
In 2017, I expect that transportation on April 29 (Sat) and May 3 (Wed) from Tokyo will be busiest. Especially May 3 will be busy.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi-san,
Thanks for your reply. It really help me to understand Japan better. I will try to reschedule my dream trip to Japan.
Thank you.
Tarmizi
No problem Tarmizi san.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi-san,
thanks for your detailled tips that surely will be helpful for my first trip to Japan in September. May I ask you for some advice for this 12 days trip, especially with regards to whether and when to purchase which JR Pass (maybe a regional e.g. JR west is a better deal), So my itenarary so far is as follows:
– Fri: late afternoon: arr at Narita & check-in at Hotel in Shinjuku
– Sat: sightseeing in Tokyo
– Sun: 1day trip to Nikko
– Mon: Bus Shinjuku – Kawaguchi by Kelo bus, visit area around Kawaguchi Lake
– Tue: Kawaguchi – Hakone , visit Hakone area (So I would purchase a Fuji Hakone Pass, right?
– Wed early morning: Odawara-Kyoto
– Thu: Sightseeing in Kyoto
– Fri: Kyoto – Nara, Sightseeing Nara
– Sat: Nara – Osaka
– Sun: Osaka sighseeing
– Mon: Himeji, 1 day trip
– Tue: dep from KIX in the morning
Could you help me find the most economic way to travel? Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Awo san,
If you can make a trip to Himeji on Saturday between Nara and Osaka, you can use 7 days JR pass from Sunday (trip to Nikko) to Saturday (Nara-Himeji-Osaka). This is only way to use JR pass, otherwise you cannot get the worth of JR pass. I think you have enough time to get Himeji on Saturday. And if you use JR pass, you can get Himeji by Shinkansen. This is the great benefit. If you use regional pass, you have to take special rapid or other commute train. Shinkansen is much faster.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Dear Takehi san,
thanks for your quick reply. What do you suggest then for the last days in and around Osaka? Get a Kansai Thru Pass?
Thanks again!
Hi Awo san,
There are some deals available. Please refer the link below:
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-visitors/how-to-choose-discount-railway-ticket-and-pass-in-kansai-area.html#Osaka_area
Kansai thru pass is too much for just visiting the place in Osaka.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com