From Tokyo to Osaka and back...

Hello there,

I would advise a 7 day JR Pass for this trip. It can give you good savings over normal tickets, even though you won't use it every day.

A normal return ticket Narita Airport - Osaka is 32,600 yen (or half for a one way ticket), the price of a 7 day JR Pass is 29,110 yen. Add in that the JR Pass is also valid for most other travel while you are in Japan and it makes for a great deal.

Hope this helps you,
Daniel

Thank you so much Daniel. Sorry for the late "thank you". Plans have changed and am now heading to Kyoto instead of Osaka. Do you know if I can catch the train from Narita airport direct through to Kyoto on the Shinkansen train or do I have to go into Tokyo and catch it at the Shinjuku station? Either way I will definitely buy the 7 day pass, thanks for that too. Much appreciated, Helen

oops meant to ask....Can I use the 7 day pass on the Nozomi train? I would like to experience the bullet train....thanks....

Hi there,

The route to Kyoto is almost the same as Osaka, just one stop earlier :) From Narita Airport, take the Narita Express to Tokyo station and the Shinkansen from there to Kyoto. The JR Pass does not cover the Nozomi service but you can take the Hikari service instead. These days this is exactly the same train but it just stops at a couple more stations.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Thank you so much Daniel, A huge help..Helen

Hi Daniel, sorry to bother you again but you seem to have all the answers and a very big thank you for helping out .... When you mentioned in the previous post that I can take the Narita Express to Tokyo station I was a bit confused....Is Shinjuku considered a Tokyo station as this is where I had planned to get the train to Kyoto from....

Also am I right in thinking that I can only purchase the JR Rail pass OUTSIDE of Japan? If so, do I pick up the ticket at say Shinjuku station or can I print it out at home? My small problem is that I probably won't be able to purchase the ticket until 1-2 days before I leave so I will be cutting it short...

Just out of curiosity, if you can only purchase the JR rail pass outside of Japan, how do the locals use the train or do they have a different ticketing system?

Again thanks so much Daniel and I think JR Rail should give you a medal for being so helpful...Helen

Hi Heln,

Shinjuku is a different station from Tokyo but you may use the Narita Express to travel there directly from Narita Airport.

The JR Pass can indeed only be purchased outside of Japan. You can please an order HERE, we will then ship the JR Pass voucher to your home address. You turn in the voucher for the actual pass once you arrive in Japan. Please allow enough time for shipping!

For local trains, just show your JR Pass to the ticket gate attendant and board the train. No further tickets are required.

Hope this helps,
Daniel