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. Yvonne says:
    April 19, 2013 at 6:32 pm

    Hi! Should i get a JR pass?
    My plan is:-

    Singapore – Osaka 6/21/2013
    Osaka – Kyoto 6/22/2013
    Kyoto 6/23/2013
    Kyoto 6/24/2013
    Kyoto-Osaka – Kobe 6/25/2013
    Osaka 6/26/2013
    Osaka-Nara 6/27/2013
    Osaka 6/28/2013
    Osaka 6/29/2013
    Osaka-Kanazawa 6/30/2013
    Kanazawa – Shirakawa-go 7/1/2013
    Shiragawa-go – takayama 7/2/2013
    Tateyama- Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route 7/3/2013
    Tateyama- Osaka 7/4/2013
    Osaka – Singapore 7/5/2013

  2. Jill says:
    April 11, 2013 at 12:12 pm

    Hi Takeshi / JP Rail

    We (dad, mom, sister) are going to Tokyo by the end of this month and will stay for a week. We are staying along nearby tokyo station hotel. We are planning to go to mt. Fuji for a day, Gotemba outlet for another day, then at Sanrio puroland on the 3rd day. The rest will just go around tokyo, Ginza, shibuya, Skytree. Now my question is – would it be advisable and cheaper if we will buy jr pass to use it for a week with that itinerary- as well from narita airport to hotel then back to airport? Thanks!

  3. Cheryl says:
    April 11, 2013 at 9:42 am

    Dear Takeshi,
    Traveling to Japan for the first time. Please recommend what kind of rail ticket is best for the following itinerary.
    Day 1- Arrive Tokyo – travel to Shinjuku for hotel. – which train
    Day 2 Disney Sea
    Day 3 Mt Fuji (guided tour)
    Day 4 & 5 – tour around Tokyo – fish market, ginza, tokyo tower, meiji shrine, shibuya, shop,eat
    Day 6 move to Osaka via train – which train?
    Day 7 Universal
    Day 8 day trip to Kyoto by train – which train?
    Day 9 explore Osaka
    Day 10 Home!
    Hope to hear from you soon! Arigato!

  4. Louise says:
    March 25, 2013 at 4:33 pm

    Hi,

    I am wonderig if it’s better to buy a 7 or 14 day pass:

    11th April – Arrive at Narita in the evening. Bullet train to Shinjuku.

    5 nights in Tokyo including day trips to Hakone and either Fukushima or Sendai.

    16th and 17th – 2 nights in Kyoto

    18th and 19th – 2 nights in Fuji Five Lakes

    20th – 1 night in Tokyo then train back to Narita the following evening.

    Due to the day trip up to either Fukushima or Sendai (depending on cherry blommoms) I am unsure if it’s better to buy a 7 or 14 day pass. Your advice would be appreciated.

    Thank you

  5. Susan says:
    March 9, 2013 at 10:07 pm

    Dear Takeshi,

    Please help to advise whether i should get a 14 days JR pass or not based on my itenerary.

    Arriving KIX – Shinsaibashi
    3 Nights in Osaka
    1 Night in Hiroshima (Am only planning to use the JR pass from this day onwards to Hiroshima)
    4 Nights in Kyoto
    1 Night Nagoya
    Will follow a tour to Tateyama and break off from there to take a train to Takayama
    2 Nights Takayama
    1 Night Gero
    1 Night Nagoya
    6 Nights Shinjuku
    1 Night Narita

    Appreciate your help as i am very confused with the train system. (I have been checking the websites for few days but still do not get it)

    Do we still need to pay for the seat even if it is unreserved?

    Can you recommend what train (JR Pass cover) to take for my case?

    Thank you very much for your help.

  6. Eugene says:
    March 7, 2013 at 12:51 am

    Hi JP Rail,

    I will be travelling to:

    Osaka via Kansai on 5th Apr 2013
    Possibly a 2 day trip to Mount Koya on the 8th Apr
    Moving over to Kyoto on 9th Apr
    And finally to Tokyo on the 11th Apr via Shinkansen Bullet Train (One-Way)
    Flying off from Narita on the 16th.

    Please advise whether I should get the JR Rail Pass at all
    Thanks a lot!

  7. Pia says:
    March 4, 2013 at 3:16 am

    Hello, Takeshi

    My family and I will be travelling to Japan (Osaka) this April. We planned to buy JR pass for 7 days and start using on the third day. The question is my daughter cannot buy JR pass because she holds student visa. Can she buy Shinkansen ticket in Japan? Do they have any discount? What’s your suggestion? Our plans are

    Day 1-2: Osaka-Nara-Kobe

    Day 3: Kyoto

    Day 4-5: Mt.Fuji (Kawaguchiko station) <– How to get there?

    Day 6-7-8: Tokyo-Nikko

    Day 9: Osaka

    Day 10: Kansai International Airport

    Thank you

  8. Gary says:
    February 13, 2013 at 6:26 pm

    What a great comment board!
    We will puchase a JR Pass, but it is confusing to figure what the private rail surcharges are on some routes.

    For example on the Fukuchiama-Toyooka segmant (English timetable No 30) there si a csurcharge. On Hyperdia, the regular fares are shown plus also seat charges. With a JR Pass, do we have to pay those fares and also the seat charges?

    When are the surcharges paid/ At the originating station or on the train?

    Many thanks

  9. will says:
    February 12, 2013 at 7:42 pm

    Hello, I am travelling to Japan in spring. It seems cheaper to buy individual tickets rather than a JR Pass as the only long trip we are doing is Tokyo to Kyoto, the rest are just a few day trips. Any suggestions would be helpful. Our itinerary is as follows:

    Days 1-2: Tokyo
    Day 3: Kamakura (day trip)
    Days 4-5: Tokyo
    Day 6: Kyoto
    Day 7: Osaka (day trip)
    Day 8: Nara (day trip)
    Days 9-10: Kyoto
    Day 11: Osaka Airport

    Thanks in advance

  10. Pochi says:
    February 5, 2013 at 8:42 pm

    Hello!

    I am going to Japan in a few months for 14 days from May 12 to 26th. I am flying into Kansai. I have done research on the various passes and other transportation options to make the transportation cost effective and maximizing the passes. I am open to ideas on how to make the most of the passes and if needed, to rearrange the itinerary however Kansai portion (May 16-22) is fixed.

    Here is my itinerary:

    May 12 (two nights in Osaka)
    May 15 day trip to Hiroshima then arriving to Kyoto in the evening.
    May 16-22 Kansai region (Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Nishinomiya, Himeiji)
    May 23 (3 nights in Tokyo)

    I see the 14 day JR Rail Pass is costs 45,100¥, I’ve been doing cost comparisons against the various other passes.

    If I am to follow the itinerary, I am thinking about doing the following:

    Get two 4 day JR Kansai passes which costs 6,000¥ each. (or should I get one 4 day JR Kansai pass and one 4 day Kansai Wide pass which costs 7,000¥?) I see there’s also a pricier option of purchasing an 8 day JR Sanyo pass for 30,000¥.

    After Osaka, I plan on going to Hiroshima for the day then go to Kyoto. What is the best cost effective option to go about this?

    I plan on taking the overnight Willer bus from Kyoto to Tokyo on the night of the 22nd. The overnight bus costs 6,400¥. Then use a 3 day JR Kanto Area pass (May 23-25) which costs 8,000¥.

    On the 26th, I won’t be using a pass; I fly back to Kansai from Narita using JetStar for 4,690¥.

    The total of two JR Kansai passes + Willer bus + Kanto Area pass + JetStar = 31,090¥. The total excludes the cost for the Hiroshima fare.

    Any feedback, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks!!

    • JPRail says:
      February 5, 2013 at 11:15 pm

      Hi Pochi,

      You’ve done a great job! 🙂
      I suggest a few things.

      1. Hiroshima
      As you guess, there is no pass for return trip to Hiroshima. If you use Wide Area Pass, it covers Osaka-Okayama part. In this case, you have to complete other spots, Nara, Kobe, Himeji, Nara in next 3 days. But Nara is the closest from Kyoto. You can use Kintetsu to Nara.
      https://jprail.com/destinations/kansai-area/how-to-access-to-nara-by-japan-rail-pass-if-you-dont-use-jr-pass-kintetsu-railway-is-more-convenient.html
      And you may be able to combine Himeji, Kobe and Nishinomiya in one day. I don’t now what you will do in Osaka. But Nishinomiya is very close to Osaka. You said you fixed itinerary in Kansai. But all places except Nara are closer to Osaka than Kyoto.

      2. Wide Area Pass vs Kansai Area Pass
      As I mentioned above, Wide Area Pass is one of the solution to Hiroshima. If you really need 4 days pass when you stay in Kyoto, Kansai Area Pass is considerable. But Nara can be accessed by Kintetsu and Kintetsu is more convenient to Nara. So in my opinion, Wide Area Pass is better. If you use Wide Area Pass, think about other areas outside of Kansai urban area, like Kinosaki Onsen. It is a nice place even if you go there as day trip.

      Day 1 Hiroshima
      Day 2 Kinosaki
      Day 3 Himeji
      Day 4 Kobe+Nishinomiya or Nara

      If I were you, I use the pass like that.

      3. Kanto Area Pass
      Where are going to visit when you stay in Tokyo? If you go to Nikko or Kawaguchiko or Kusatsu onsen, this pass gives you a great deal. But if you stay in Tokyo, you don’t need this pass.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

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