Short Holiday Travelling between Tokyo and Kansai. Is the JR Pass worth it?

Hi there!

Yes, the 4 day JR East or West passes only cover their respective JR zones I'm afraid. For full coverage you'll need to use the Japan Rail Pass or tickets.

The return from Tokyo to Osaka is basically the same price as a 7 day Japan Rail Pass (¥27900 for tickets vs ¥28300 for a 7 day rail pass), so unless you are absolutely not going to do any more travel aside from the Tokyo<>Osaka trip, I recommend you to use a rail pass. You will be able to use the remaining days of the rail pass for day trips from Tokyo and Osaka to Hiroshima and Nikko for example, and will be able to use the JR lines within Tokyo freely. You can also use the Japan Rail Pass for travel on the Narita Express train between Narita Airport and Central Tokyo (approx ¥3000 each way).

Hope this helps!