JR PASS v IC Cards

Hi Kya,

Going for the 14 JRPass with the above itinerary is a great choice! You'll be sure to make good use of it.
Some transport methods such as the metro are not included in the JR Pass and require normal tickets and buying an IC card to make this as easy as possible makes sense.

The JR Pass covers local travel in Tokyo and Osaka on the JR Network with is enough to see most of the city, it can also be used for a limited extend around Kyoto but it's better to use buses and the metro to travel around Kyoto and thus an IC card may be of use here.

I hope this helps,
Daniel

That's great to know, thanks very much
K

Hello again,

I am not sure what to do with spending money when I go away.
It doesn't seem safe to bring a wad of cash. Is there a pre paid money card you can reccomend? I don't particularly want to use my English debit card when abroad as I will get charged commission on every transaction.
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated please!

Thanks
K

Hi again,

Japan is a pretty save country and bringing some cash along is not a bad way at all. It is common in Japan to carry a couple of 10,000yen notes around. Alternatively you could look at a prepaid mastercard, such as the one from skrill .com.

Hope this helps!
Daniel

Thanks again Daniel.

It looks like the more I look into metro lines and jr line the more confused I get!
Would you please be able to let me know if I can get to Sangenjaya station from narita airport using the jr pass? A friend suggested taking the narita express then that the subway for two stops..Would you agree? If so, shall I activate my jr pass at the airport when I land or shall I wait? Is it easy enough to activate it once in Tokyo?
Thank you in advance
K

Hi K,

I'd use the Narita Express too and use it to travel directly to Shibuya station, from there you can use the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line to Sangenjaya Station (150yen). The Narita Express is covered by the JR Pass but the Den Den Toshi line requires a ticket.

Depending on your other travel you could activate your JR Pass right away or do so later at most of the major stations within Tokyo.

Hi Daniel,

Hope you are well. Are the jr passes valid at any time of the day or can they only be used at off peak times please?
Thank you so much again

K