JR Pass vs Hokuriku Arch Pass for My Itinerary – Which Makes More Sense?

Hi everyone,

I’ll be traveling to Japan soon and I’m trying to figure out whether the JR Pass or the Hokuriku Arch Pass would be better for my trip.

Here’s my planned route (one-way, no return to Tokyo):

Tokyo → Kanazawa

Kanazawa → Takayama

Takayama → Kyoto

Kyoto → Osaka

I’ve read that the Hokuriku Arch Pass covers most of the route but not the Toyama → Takayama → Nagoya section, which I’d have to pay for separately. The JR Pass would cover everything, but seems more expensive for this kind of itinerary.

From my own calculations, for 2 people:

Individual tickets: ~€363 total

Hokuriku Arch Pass + extra fare to Takayama: ~€362 total

JR Pass (7 days): ~€580 total

Given that the cost difference between single tickets and the Hokuriku Arch Pass is almost zero, I’m wondering:

Am I missing any additional routes or benefits that could tip the scale toward one pass?

Thanks in advance for your advice!