Tokyo Wide Pass user guide. Perfect choice for trip to Nikko, Fuji, Gala Yuzawa and Odaiba

Tokyo springRail pass for visitors
2015.11.08
The view of Rainbow Bridge from Odaiba (C) Mike Luk / JNTO
The view of Rainbow Bridge from Odaiba (C) Mike Luk / JNTO

Tokyo Wide Pass is currently sold as Kanto Area Pass. This pass will be remodeled and will be sold as Tokyo Wide Pass on December 1, 2015. It covers Tokyo and surrounding area, such as Mt. Fuji, Izu peninsula, or Nikko. Echigo-Yuzawa will be covered by Tokyo Wide Pass but it is not by Kanto Area Pass.

Tokyo Wide Pass will be sold at the higher price on December 1st, 2015 but the coverage ares will be bigger. I would like to show you about this pass and also I talk about the difference between Tokyo Wide Pass and Kanto Area Pass.

Prices and valid period

Validity periodAdult
12 years and older		Child
6 to 11 years old
3 consecutive
days		10,180 yen5,090 yen

*Child who is 5 years old and younger is free but you have to share the seat with child. If you want to have a seat for child too, you have to purchase child pass for even younger than 5 years old.
*This pass will be available from December 1st, 2015. But you can order this pass online in advance at JR East official site.

Tokyo Wide Pass is sold at 10,000 yen. Previous version of this pass, Kanto Area Pass is sold at 8,300 yen. The validity period is 3 consecutive days that is same as Kanto Area Pass. So the price higher than Kanto Area Pass but the coverage area is a bit bigger and more trains are covered by Tokyo Wide Pass.

Coverage Area

Toshogu is the highlight in Nikko. (C) Yasufumi Nishi / JNTO
Toshogu is the highlight in Nikko. (C) Yasufumi Nishi / JNTO

This pass covers all JR lines in Kanto area, such as Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Yamanashi, Gumma, Ibaragi and Tochigi. And the pass also cover some places in Shizuoka and Nagano prefectures, such as Izu peninsula and Karuizawa. Please check this map to see the details.

Mostly the coverage area is not much different from Kanto Area Pass coverage area. This pass covers the following major spots in the area.

  • Nikko
  • Kawaguchiko (Lake Kawaguchi), Fuji-Q Land
  • Odawara (Gate station to Hakone)
  • Izu peninsula (Atami, Ito, Shimoda)
  • Katsuta (Gate station to Hitachi Seaside Park)
  • Karuizawa
  • Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi (Gate station to Kusatsu)
  • Kamakura
  • Kawagoe
  • Yokohama

And also two more great addition in the coverage of Tokyo Wide Pass.

  • Echigo-Yuzawa, Gala Yuzawa
  • Odaiba, Tokyo Waterfront Area

JR East official site – Tokyo Wide Pass

I will tell you the coverage railways at next chapter.

Valid trains and lines

JR deals covers basically JR trains only. Non JR railway’s train and subway are not covered. But Tokyo Wide Pass covers many “NON JR” railway trains. The following railways are NON JR companies but those are covered by Tokyo Wide Pass.

  • Tokyo Monorail (Haneda-Airport – Hamamatsucho)
  • Izu Kyuko Line (Ito – Izukyu-Shimoda)
  • Fuji Kyuko Railway (Otsuki – Kawaguchiko)
  • Joshin Dentetsu Line (Takasaki – Shimonita)
  • Saitama New Urban Transit Line (Omiya – the Railway Museum)
  • Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit Rinkai Line (Osaki – Shin-Kiba)
  • Limited Express Nikko, Spacia Nikko, Kinugawa, and Spacia Kinugawa (Shinjuku – Tobu-Nikko / Kinugawa-Onsen)
  • Tobu Railway local trains and rapid trains (Shimo-imaichi – Tobu-Nikko/Kinugawa-Onsen)

Those covered trains are huge benefit of this deal. Japan Rail Pass (a.k.a. JR Pass) covers only Tokyo Monorail. JR East Pass covers many railways on this list but JR East Pass does not cover Fujikyu Railway, Joshin Dentetsu Line and Saitama New Urban Transite Line. Especially Fujikyu Railway is a big benefit. You can get Lake Kawaguchi without any extra by this pass.

Fuji Kyuko Railway

Joshin Dentesu is not very well known. But it gives you access to one of World Heritaga Site, Tomioka Silk Mill from Takasaki.
How to access to the newest World Heritage Tomioka Silk Mill

When you go to Nikko, Tokyo Wide Pass covers limited express train to Nikko from Shinjuku directly. JR East Pass covers this train trip but Japan Rail Pass does not. This is one of the benefits of this rail pass too.
How to access to Nikko from Tokyo. There are three ways from Tokyo, Shinjuku and Asakusa.

Most of trains on this list has been covered by Kanto Area Pass. But at this time, Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit Rinkai Line is added on Tokyo Wide Pass. This line is not JR company but trains run through JR Saikyo line. It connects Kawagoe, Omiya, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo-Teleport (Odaiba) and Shin-Kiba. You can access to Odaiba from Ikebukuro, Shinjuku and Shibuya directly. Shin-Kiba is only two stations away from Maihama that is the gateway station of Tokyo Disney Resort. Please find more information about Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit Rinkai Line at the official site.

Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit Rinkai Line

Both Tokyo Wide Pass does not cover Tokaido Shinkansen. Even if you want to use this Shinkansen in JR East area, like Tokyo to Atami or Odawara, this pass does not cover at all because Tokaido Shinkansen is not operated by JR East but JR Central. When you want to get Odawara (Hakone) or Atami, your choice is rapid train or Limited Express Odoriko. These trains are covered by Tokyo Wide Pass.
No express surcharge! Fast, economical and convenient! Rapid service network in Greater Tokyo
Access to Izu and Atami from Tokyo/Yokohama. Limited Express Odoriko / Super View Odoriko

Compare single fare and Tokyo Wide Pass

When you think about purchasing this deal, you need to know this is paid off in your trip or not. I show you some sample.
*All rates are based on base fare and reserved seat limited express supplement in regular season.

Trip to Nikko or Kinugawa-Onsen from Shinjuku or Ikebukuro by direct limited express train, Nikko or Kinugawa

Total fare is 4,000 yen for one way to either Nikko or Kinugawa-Onsen. You have to use the pass more to get the worth of this deal.

Trip to Nikko from Tokyo by Shinkansen and local train

If you stay at east side of Tokyo, like Shinagawa, Tokyo, Ueno, this route may be faster than direct express from Shinjuku.
Total fare is 5,580 yen for one way. Tokyo Wide Pass is cheaper than only this round trip cost.

Trip to Lake Kawaguchi from Tokyo or Shinjuku by Limited Epxress to Otsuki and Fuji Kyuko railway

Total fares are 4,080 yen from Tokyo and 3,910 yen from Shinjuku for one way. It is not enough to get the worth by only this round trip.

Trip to Gala Yuzawa from Tokyo by Shinkansen

Total fare is 6,870 yen for one way. You can get the worth of this deal easily by only this trip.

Trip to Odawara, Atami or Izukyu-Shimoda from Tokyo by limited express train, Odoriko or Super View Odoriko

Total fare is 2,940 yen to Odawara for one way by Odoriko and 3,190 yen for one way by Super View Odoriko.
Total fare is 3,800 yen to Atami for one way by Odoriko and 4,180 yen for one way by Super View Odoriko.
Total fare is 6,260 yen to Izukyu-Shimoda for one way by Odoriko and 6,640 yen for one way by Super View Odoriko.
If you visit Shimoda, this pass is cheaper.

Trip to Karuizawa from Tokyo by Shinkansen

Total fare is 5,910 yen for one way. You can get the worth of this deal easily by only this trip.

Trip between Narita Airport and Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shinjuku or Yokohama

Total fares are 3,020 yen for Tokyo, 3,190 yen for Shinagawa or Shinjuku, and 4,290 yen for Yokohama.

Trip between Haneda Airport and Hamamatsucho by Tokyo Monorail

Single fare is 490 yen for one way.

Trip to Tokyo-Teleport (Odaiba) from Shinjuku

Single fare is 500 yen for one way.

Fares in downtown Tokyo

You can take any local trains, like Yamanote line, Chuo line, Keiyo line by this pass. But the fares in downtown Tokyo is quite reasonable. If you take a local train from Tokyo to Shinjuku, the fare is 200 yen. When you calculate the fares and compare this pass and single fare, you can ignore the fares in downtown Tokyo. It does not help to get worth very much.

Assessment

This deal will be sold at 10,000 yen that is 1,700 yen higher than previous version, Kanto Area Pass. But it can take you Gala Yuzawa and Odaiba. In my opinion, it is a great addition. It gives you a great deal. I still recommend you this deal. You can use this pass for access to/from airport and visit two places, you can get more than 10,000 yen value easily.

Comments

  1. Connie says:
    December 1, 2019 at 8:39 am

    Dear Takeshi-san,
    Would be great if you could help me with my enquiries. It will be my first visit to Japan and i am bringing a child and 2 eldery(64-70 yrs old). Thus planning a slow trip.

    Met w some difficulties along the way. Gala Yuzawa Station seems to operate only on sat & sun. Does it open on winter weekdays on 21 & 23 Jan 2020? Most importantly, Tokyo Wide Pass covered Joetsu Shinkasen Toki trains but does it cover JR Shonan Shinjuku Takasaki & Zushi trains too? Based on my below itinerary, should i put my luggage in station lockers n just bring few days of clothes? Is big luggage not recommended on the trains for Hakone n Yuzawa trip?
    Apologies for the long msg.

    Day 1: Narita airport @7.30am-> Hakone Romancar + H Free Pass for 3 days
    Day 2: Hakone
    Day 3: Yuzawa
    Day 4: Yuzawa
    Day 5-6: Shinjuku / Shibuya (temple/ market visit)
    Day 7: Disneyland
    Day 8: Haneda

  2. LC says:
    November 19, 2019 at 11:03 pm

    I will be in Tokyo for 5 days. Not counting the day of arrival and departure, effectively I will have 3 days to plan for activities. Tentatively, I am looking at
    Day 1: Arrival Tokyo
    Day 2: Asakusa, Nikko and Ashikaga Flower Park
    Day 3: Tsukiji Outer Market, Kawagoe, Team planet labs tokyo
    Day 4: Mount Fuji
    Day 5: Depart Tokyo

    Does Tokyo Wide Pass allow me to travel to these places? Any additional fee?

    Would be good if there’s some advice.

    Thanks.

  3. Cherrie says:
    November 9, 2019 at 5:52 am

    Hi Takeshi,
    I will be arriving in tokyo on the 22nd of November and my current plan will be travelling to kansai at 23rd Nov and return to Tokyo on 27th Nov. I also thinking to take day trip from Tokyo to karuizawa and kawaguchiko or mount takao.
    My question is can I use tokyo wide pass for the last 3 days of my trip after using my Jr Pass. Also can I use tokyo wide pass for my last day to go to Narita Airport? What do u suggest?

    Cherrie

  4. Farhana says:
    November 6, 2019 at 7:41 am

    Hi Takeshi-san,

    I’m planning to go to Tokyo – Kyoto – Osaka during the Sakura season.
    Itinerary is roughly;
    Day 1 – Arrive at Narita airport, Tokyo sight-seeing (Asakusa, Tokyo Skytree, Odaiba, Akihabara, Harajuku, Shibuya, Imperial Palace)
    Day 2- Mt. Fuji
    Day 3 – Ichihara Tour
    Day 4 – Depart to Kyoto
    *4days in Kyoto
    Day 8 – Depart to Osaka
    *4 days in Osaka
    Day 12 – Depart from Kansai Airport

    Is it a good idea if I purchase both JR Pass & the Tokyo Wide Pass?

  5. Keerthana says:
    November 5, 2019 at 11:22 pm

    Hi Takeshi-san,

    I’m planning to travel to Tokyo this year December. Here’s my travel plan.
    Day 1: Visit places in Tokyo city
    Day 2: Day trip to Disneyland
    Day 3: Day trip to Kamakura-Enoshima-Izu OR Day trip to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park
    Day 4: Day trip to Nikko
    Day 5: Visit to Yokohama and cities nearby

    Can you please suggest which would be a more economical travel option: 1. to get individual train tickets for each destination, or 2. to get one of the rail passes ?

    Thanks in advance.

  6. Eleanor says:
    October 27, 2019 at 12:08 am

    Hi Takeshi,
    We are going to Tokyo on February 2020. We are planning to get jr tokyo wide pass to use for day 1 to 3 and 72 hrs subway metro for day 4 to 6.
    Is the JR Tokyo wide pass good for us?
    Day 1: arrival at NRT, go and leave luggage at hotel and go to Yokohama day trip, return to tokyo at night (are we able to use tokyo wide pass from narita airport to hotel?)
    Day 2: tokyo to lake kawaguchi/ mt fuji and back
    Day 3: tokyo to gala yuzawa and back
    Day 4 to 7: akihabara, asakusa, shibuya, shinjuku, maybe disney sea for 1 whole day.
    We also want to go to miyagi zao fox village near shiroishi zao, but not suee whether to include it as it seems super out of the way, unless there’s a good jr pass that will include fox village as well?
    Pls help. Thank you!
    Thanks!

  7. Gonzalo says:
    October 16, 2019 at 9:46 am

    Takeshi-san.
    Your site is very useful. I am looking for the timetable from Tokyo to Gala-Yuzawa station, but I cannot find it on the JR East site. Do you know where I can find it?
    Thank you in advance.

  8. Jully says:
    October 10, 2019 at 9:18 am

    Hi Takeshi,
    1. May I know what’s the difference between jr pass and jr Tokyo wide pass?
    2. I am planning to buy TWP to cover my itenery planned as below:
    Day 1 – yuzawa gala ski resort
    Day 2 – from yuzawa to kayabaco
    Day 3 – hakone one day trip
    Is my three days trip cover by TWP?
    3. With TWP to hakone, do I need to buy hakone free pass?
    4. If I plan two days sightseeing around Tokyo city and Disneyland, do I need to buy any pass or just buying separate ticket will do?
    Thanks for your patience and respond. Really appreciate it

  9. Vani says:
    October 9, 2019 at 5:01 am

    Hi takeshi-san,

    I have confused about my itinerary and the pass i shoud use because i am solo travelling.

    Day 1 arrived at narita airport @7.25am – ueno – odaiba (subway pass 48 hour for day 1 and 2)
    Day 2 shibuya, shinjuku, harajuku, akibahara
    Day 3 disney sea
    Day 4 hakone (TWP + Hakone pass)
    Day 5 hitachi seaside park (TWP)
    Day 6 Kawaguchiko and Gotemba (TWP)
    Day 7 dep narita airport

    Can you help me to answer some question about :
    1. My hostel near to oshiage station, can you help me to tell the transport to the hostel from narita?
    2. For the first day, is it effective if i am using subway pass or i shoul buy tokunai pass?
    3. Can you help me the way and the transport to go the disneysea? And is there any pass to go there?
    4. For day 4-6 will be effective using TWP or is there any pass i can use?

    Thanks for the response.

    Regards,

    • Takeshi (JPRail.com administrator) says:
      October 9, 2019 at 12:36 pm

      Hi Vani san,

      1. You can take Keisei Railway Access Express. Please see the link below:
      http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/traffic/express.php

      2. You may use 48 hours pass from day 1. You will start using this probably around noon on day 1. So it will be valid until noon on day 3.
      You cannot get Odaiba by subway. But you can get either Shiodome or Shin-Kiba by subway pass. You can get Odaiba by Rinkai line from Shin-Kiba and Yurikamome from Shiodome. The trip time is varied by the train connections. Please use subway route map and hyperdia to find the route:
      https://www.tokyometro.jp/en/subwaymap/index.html
      https://jprail.com/travel-informations/basic-informations/timetable-and-reservation/hyperdia-perfect-guide-train-timetable-and-route-search-engine.html

      3. So you still can use subway pass in the morning on day 3. You can get Shin-Kiba by subway. You will finish using subway pass at this point. You will take JR Keiyo line train to get Maihama. It’s a few stations away from Shin-Kiba.

      4. Tokyo Wide Pass is okay. You may get Gotemba on day 4. Because Hakone Free Pass covers Gotemba. You can get Lake Kawaguchi by Tokyo Wide Pass but the bus to Gotemba from Lake Kawaguchi is not covered.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

      • Vani says:
        October 9, 2019 at 4:39 pm

        Hi Takeshi-san,

        Thanks for the fast response.

        Please help me again, actually my questions is not related to your topic here but related to your answer before.
        1. Honestly i have read some blog from another traveller the way to go to the Odaiba but there is different stop to the station. Can you help me to tell the nearest station to go there (daiba station, tokyo teleport)?

        2. Hakone pass is for 2days, how about if I used it for the first day then back to tokyo, is it can be use again to the Gotemba for second day?
        Because i have appointment to go the gotemba and lake kawaguchi in day 6 with my friend. So i can’t change it to day 4. But if in the second day i can use again the hakone pass maybe i can put Hakone in day 5.

        3. How about if i used pasmo for the train from narita airport to oshiage station using keisei oshiage liner? Or i should buy the skyliner ticket?

        Thanks again Takeshi-san for answering my question.

        Best regards.

        • Takeshi (JPRail.com administrator) says:
          October 9, 2019 at 6:00 pm

          Hi Vani san,

          1. There are a few station. If you take Yurikamome, you can get off at Odaiba-Kaihinkoen or Daiba. If you take Rinkai line, you can get off at Tokyo Teleport. These stations are closed each other. Please see the link below:
          https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3008.html

          2. Even if you put Hakone on day 5, you still have to pay for the bus from Lake Kawaguchi to Gotemba. As long as you visit Lake Kawaguchi and Gotemba same time, you cannot save the cost. The reason why I recommend you to visit Hakone and Gotemba same time, you can get Gotemba by Hakone Free Pass from Hakone side. Unfortunately it doesn’t work in your case. Just keep your trip plan and pay the bus fare for Lake Kawaguchi to Gotemba.

          3. You can use Pasmo. Skyliner ticket is not required. You don’t take Skyliner.

          Cheers,

          Takeshi / JPRail.com

  10. rommel says:
    September 2, 2019 at 6:28 am

    hello takeshi-san.

    is JR Ishioka station included in the Wide Pass?

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