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Kokuriku Arch Pass or JR pass for an itinerary of Tokyo-Kyoto-Kanazawa-Takayama-Tokyo

Salsa&Sauerkraut
Salsa&Sauerkraut
11 months ago
4 answers

Hi Daniel-san,

We have planned the following itinerary for end of March - beginning of April, and we will be traveling with luggage:
- 2 days in Tokyo - 6 days in Osaka, Kyoto and surroundings ( day trips, e.g., Nara) - 2 days in Kanazawa, Takayama - 4 days in Tokyo (including day tripcs, e.g., Hakone).

With the JR Pass price increase, we are debating between the JR-Pass or the Osaka-Tokyo Kokuriku Arch Pass.
As I understood, in any case we would have to buy daily tickets to move around the cities.

At first look, the price difference seems significant, and we would opt for the Arch pass because it is cheaper, but are we missing out on anything, e.g. seat reservations, baggage restrictions, less coverage on the local mobility network?

In case we do not get a regional/national pass, is it possible to book round-trips from outside Japan and, if so, which website would you recommend?

Thank you very much,

Isa & Jan

avatar
Daniel-san
18919 posts
11 months ago
Expert

Hi Isa & Jan,

Looking at the trips you plan to make and the cost of the JR Pass, then I must conclude that it does not make sense right now to purchase a pass. The [Osaka-Tokyo Kokuriku Arch Pass] could make sense if you do a return Tokyo - Osaka, but the main difference to understand is the coverage area. You'd also have to be back in Tokyo before it expires.

You could use Eki-Net or Smart Ex (app) to reserve normal tickets.

Kind regards,
Daniel


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