Hello! I have a trip to Japan coming up with the following itinerary:
April 13: Arrive at Tokyo Narita airport April 14: Take a rest in Tokyo. April 15: Go to Kanazawa April 17: Go to Sendai. April 22: Go to Tokyo Narita
I am not sure whether I should buy a ppass. If yes, should I buy a 7 or 14 day pass? Can I use the JR East Special pass for the above itinerary?
Thank you very much for your help.
-Sharon
Hi Sharon!
I made a little list with normal ticket prices to see if a JR Pass would suit your plans.
Narita Airport --> Tokyo ¥ 2,940
Tokyo --> Kanazawa ¥ 12,710
Kanazawa --> Sendai ¥ 20,370
Sendai --> Narita Airport ¥ 13,300
This adds up to ¥ 49,320, with the 14-day JR Pass (¥ 45,100) you would be able to save ¥ 4,220. The best thing is that you can also use the train at any time during your trip. So you could make a day trip from Kanazawa to Kaga-onsen or Fukui for instance.
Hope this helps,
Daniel
Hi Daniel-San: Thank you very much for the information. I might consider to buy a 7-day pass and use it between April 15 and April 22. Then buy a separate ticket from Narita to Tokyo. Is there any package deals that cover Narita Express and transportation within Tokyo? Thanks you for your time!
-Sharon
Hi Again!
Yes a great deal is the Suica + N'EX. It gives you a nice discount on the Narita Express and a limited edition Suica card that you can use to pay for local transport in Tokyo.
Alternatively you can use a local train to travel to Narita from Tokyo (or visa versa), it takes about 100-120 minutes and starts at around 1,200 Yen.
Enjoy Japan!
-Daniel
Hi Daniel-San: I have another quick question. What are other differences between a JR East pass and a JR pass (besides that a JR pass can be used on JR West routes)? Thanks. -Sharon
Hi Daniel-San: Sorry that I have one more question. For a 7-day pass, if I start using it on April 15th, can I still use it on April 22nd? Is one day counted as 24 hours? Thanks. -Sharon
Hi Sharon - the key difference is that the JR Pass can be used on all JR zones (East, Central, West, Shikoku, Kyushu and Hokkaido) wheras the JR-East pass can only be used in the JR-East zone. Crucially the JR Pass is the only pass that lets you travel between Tokyo and Kyoto as this trip cover JR-East, Central and West in 1 trip.
The JR Pass validity period is measured in days rather than hours, so if you activate your rail pass on the 15th, it will expire at 23:59 on the 21st.
I hope this helps clear things up!
Hi Daniel-San! Thanks a lot for your very help tips! Have a great weekend. -Sharon
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