I am unclear which cities are served by JR lines and which by non-JR lines.
I will be traveling in Japan from October 2 through November 20. I fly to Narita and plan to spend my first 2 nights in Tokyo, then travel first to Sapporo to explore Hokkaido. Then I want to make my way slowly southward, to visit northern Honshu, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Beppu, and lots of other places in between. I particularly like to explore small towns and open countryside.
I am thinking of getting two 21-day JR rail passes to travel between major cities or to get to a hub location in each region, then rent a car or a bicycle to explore around that region. Does this sound like a good way to go? Will the JR rail pass get me to locations in all major regions of the country?
Thanks for your help making a $1500 decision.