JR Pass vs separate tickets

Hi MaluSan,

Welcome to the forum, that looks like a really fun trip! I love the Shikoku visit!

As for the JR Pass, you are travelling a lot and a JR Pass would certainly help you make savings compared to buying railway tickets. The challenge is finding the best match! The high costs route you'd want to cover are travel to Kyoto, Hiroshima and trains around Shikoku. For the best result, I would use a 7-day JR Pass from day 9 to day 15. You could then make further savings by using the train from Hiroshima to Shikoku without having to use a ferry, adding to your savings.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Dear Daniel,
Thanks for your quick reply and for your welcome. This Forum and the website is really great!
Your advice is very much appreciated! Btw, I thought that the ferry from Hiroshima to Matsuyama is covered by the JR Pass. We may not be traveling a lot by train while walking in Shikoku; most likely with the local bus back to Tokushima. It also looks like the train from Kyoto to Hiroshima is only with the Nozomi Express which is not covered by JR Pass?!
I did my research using hyerdia.com but it calculating the fare it gives also the seat reservation costs. I understand that JR Pass covers that already, right?
In case you have another link/website where can I find the fare of the long-distance trains would be a great help so I can look for the best match and the combination of JR pass and highway bus.

Thanks very much for your help,
MaluSan