Guide to plan your trip. Fare Calculation

dentaku calculatorFare table
2010.08.29
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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:

Hyperdia perfect guide, train timetable and route search engine
If you want to build your itinerary by yourself, Hyperdia will help you a lot. This site is transportation search engine. You can search the timetables and routes of all trains, flights and airport shuttle bus. But this site is a bit tricky and too many functions and options to you. This guide will help you to find the way to use this site.
jprail.com
2013.11.26

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.

For non JR pass travellers. Guide to use JR single ticket, basic rules, validity and stopover
The train ticket rule is very complicated in Japan. But you may have to use the regular fare ticket because it is cheaper than the rail pass. This post explains you the basic ticket rule as easy as possible.
jprail.com
2013.07.04

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. Jezreel says:
    April 19, 2020 at 4:48 pm

    Hello, Takeshi. I’m glad to have stumbled upon your website! Thank you for the HyperDia link. I’m trying to figure out what’s the most cost-effective way to get around Japan and would like to have your advice. Below’s a rough draft of my itinerary:

    Day 1: Narita Airport – Kanazawa
    Day 2-3: Kanazawa (only buses to no transportation needed)
    Day 4: Kanazawa – Kyoto
    Day 5: Kyoto – Uji (round-trip)
    Day 6-10: Kyoto (buses and local railways)
    Day 11: Kyoto – Kinosaki
    Day 12: Kinosaki – Osaka
    Day 13: Osaka – Nara (round-trip)
    Day 14: Osaka – Himeji (round-trip)
    Day 15-20: Osaka (buses and local railways)
    Day 21: Osaka – Hyuga
    Day 22: Hyuga (no transportation needed)
    Day 23: Hyuga – Tokyo
    Day 24: Tokyo – Kamakura (round-trip)
    Day 25: Tokyo – Kamakura (round-trip)
    Day 26-29: Tokyo (buses and local railways; mostly JR Line)
    Day 30: Narita Airport-bound

    I’m planning to travel by train from Osaka to Hyuga and would be willing to spend for airfare on my way back to Tokyo, but if it’s too impractical, I’m considering cancelling the trip to Hyuga altogether. I would REALLY want to catch some waves in Hyuga though!! However, should you suggest I cancel, this will probably be the alternative itinerary from Day 21:
    Day 21: Osaka – Kamakura or Enoden (depends on where I’ll stay)
    Day 22-23: Kamakura / Enoden / Hakone
    Day 24: Kamakura or Enoden – Tokyo
    Day 25-29: Tokyo (buses and local railways; mostly JR Line)
    Day 30: airport-bound

    I’ve read about JR Passes, Kansai One Pass, Hakone Kamakura Pass, etc. and I’m not sure which one to go for and it’s been overwhelming! I’d really appreciate the help. I hope to hear from you soon. よろしくお願いします！

    Much thanks,
    Jezreel

  2. Chris says:
    February 9, 2020 at 6:38 pm

    Hi Takeshi,

    I would like to kindly seek your advice on the best possible combination of passes for our itinerary. We are a family of four (kids 5 and 4 yrs), traveling April 13-26.

    Day 1: Narita >> Tokyo (staying at Shinagawa)
    Day 2: Day trip Mt. Fuji (Kawaguchiko)
    Day 3: Tokyo >> Hakone (overnight in Hakone)
    Day 4: Hakone >> Kyoto
    Day 5: Kyoto
    Day 6: Kyoto
    Day 7: Kyoto >> Nara >> Osaka
    Day 8: Osaka
    Day 9: Osaka
    Day 10: Osaka >> Tokyo
    Day 11: DisneySea
    Day 12: Tokyo
    Day 13: Tokyo
    Day 14: Tokyo >> Narita

    Thank you in advance!

    Chris

  3. Emily says:
    February 8, 2020 at 9:18 am

    Hi Takeshi!
    I’d like to get your advice on the possible combination of JR passes. We will be travelling from April 15-22 in the following places.

    Day 1 Narita -> Akita
    Day 2 Akita
    Day 3 Akita -> Kawaguchiko
    Day 4 Fuji 5 lakes region
    Day 5 Fuji 5 lakes region -> Hakone -> Tokyo
    Day 6 Tokyo -> Tochigi -> Ibaraki -> Tokyo
    Day 7 Tokyo
    Day 8 Tokyo -> Narita

    Thank you for your help in advance.
    Emily

  4. Michaela says:
    February 2, 2020 at 6:57 am

    Dear Takeshi,
    I would like to kindly ask you for your advice on the possible combination of passes. We will be travelling in the period of May 1st and May 23rd.

    Day 1 Haneda -> Tokyo
    Day 2 Tokyo
    Day 3 Tokyo -> Nikko -> Tokyo
    Day 4 Tokyo
    Day 5 Tokyo -> Shimoyoshida
    Day 6 Fuji 5 lakes region
    Day 7 Shimoyoshida->Magome
    Day 8 Tsunamo ->Takayama
    Day 9 Takayama
    Day 10 Takayama -> Shirakawago->Kanawaza->Kyoto
    Day 11-13 Kyoto
    Day 14 Kyoto ->Hiroshima + Himeji and back
    Day 15 Kyoto-Nara and back
    Day 16-Day 17 Kyoto – Koyasan an back
    Day 18 Kyoto -> Jomo-Kogen
    Day 20 Jomo-Kogen ->Chichibu
    Day 22 Chichibu->Tokyo
    Day 23 Tokyo-> Haneda

    Thank you for your help in advance.
    Michaela

  5. Ray says:
    September 28, 2019 at 9:30 am

    Hi Takeshi,

    I would like to seek your advise on the jr pass stopover and estimate fare.
    29th Oct (Tue) – Osaka to Wakayamma
    30th Oct (Wed) – Wakayama to Kyoto
    2nd Nov (Sun) – Kyoto to Kanazawa
    4th Nov (Mon) – Kanazawa to Tokyo

    Appreciate if you can advise if it is possible for me to use a stopover ticket or which is the best option available. Thank you

  6. Sandra Finch says:
    August 19, 2019 at 7:46 am

    Hi Takeshi,
    We are 6 adults travelling to Japan for the first time and need advise on your train network.
    We arrive in Osaka Kansai airport 17th October 2019, what is the best way to get into Osaka as we are staying at Hotel Monterey Le Frere we will be in Osaka for 9 days. We are planning to visit universal studios, Kobe, Nara, Kyoto. If time allows then maybe Hiroshima.
    We then wish to travel by bullet train to Tokyo 27th October. In Tokyo we are staying at the b Tokyo Asakusa we have 9 days here and wish to visit Mount Fuji, Disneyland,Yokohama, the horse racing. We then depart 6th November from Narita Airport terminal 1.
    Any assistance you can give would be very helpful.
    Kind Regards
    Sandra V Finch

  7. Aaron says:
    July 23, 2019 at 10:50 am

    Hi Takeshi
    I find the guide you have given really comes in handy and useful. still will be great if can get some advice from you.
    I will be traveling from 27 Oct – 6 Nov
    This will be my first trip to Japan and im wondering if I should be getting the 7day jrailpass or should I stick to single fare is much more cost saving as I will be starting the trip at Haneda Airport and ending at Kansai Airport. (With an additional day trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima).
    I dont have an exact plan yet but this is roughly what I come out with.

    Day 1 – Arrival in the morning, Tokyo
    Day 2 – Tokyo
    Day 3 – Disneysea
    Day 4 – Tokyo to Hakone, night in Hakone
    Day 5 – Hakone to Kyoto, night in Kyoto
    Day 6 – Kyoto (Nara)
    Day 7 – Kyoto to Osaka, night in Osaka
    Day 8 – Osaka
    Day 9 – Day trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima (either day 9 or day 10)
    Day 10 – Osaka
    Day 11 – Afternoon flight at kansai Airport

    Im still not sure if I should either add one more day in tokyo and one less day in Osaka or either way round or maybe for kyoto too. Hope you can advise if I should use the 7days pass or just single trip fare. Thank you so much in advance! 🙂

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