JR rail pass inquiry - mt. fuji / airport / hyperdia / kyoto

Hi JB,

I would recommend buying a JR Pass alone on your planned return Tokyo (Ginza) - Kyoto. This because the 7 Day JR Pass is about the same price, so any additional travel basically is free. For instance to and from the Airport.

You can't use the JR Pass on the Keisei line, instead you can use the Narita Express for free, which is a great way to travel to the heart of Tokyo in style and comfort. It is about 8-15minutes walk from Tokyo station to Ginza and not hard to get to. You could take a taxi for the last part if you are fully packed but I don't think that it will cost more than the initial fee.

Mount Fuji: You can't travel all the way to mount Fuji with the JR Pass, still there are savings to be made here too! What I would recommend is taking the train from Tokyo station to Otsuki with the JRPass, the last part from Otsuki to Mt. Fuji is traveled on the Fujikyu railroad which is privately run and requires a fee of 1,100Yen.

For checking train information and schedules, use Hyperdia. I can see that you are already familiar with it but I am just writing it here for any other travelers that may be reading this too. You can find the mobile app here for iOS. More information on mobile apps to use with your JR Pass can be found here.

Lastly for your day trip to Kyoto. From Ginza simply walk to Tokyo station, which as mentioned above is not too far way. From Tokyo station you can take the bullet train and get to Kyoto in around 160 minutes.

I hope this helps!
Daniel