Is 7 Day pass best option for me? 1st class?

Hi there!

In general a 7 day pass starts making economic sense if you do a return trip to Kyoto from Tokyo with it. As you'll be doing more travel than this, I 'm sure a 7 day pass willl be worth it. To make sure lets check your JR ticket costs from the 26th-2nd will be more economical than individual tickets:

1. Tokyo > Nikko: ¥5,630 (121mins, 150km)
2. Nikko > Tokyo: ¥5,630 (117mins, 150km)
3. Tokyo > Kyoto: ¥13,420 (164mins, 513km)
4. Kyoto > Nara: ¥690 (44mins, 41km)
5. Nara > Kyoto: ¥690 (44mins, 41km)
6. Kyoto > Naganoharakusatsuguchi: ¥18,830 (305mins, 682km)
7. Naganoharakusatsuguchi > Narita airport terminal 1: ¥8,480 (248mins, 247km)

JR ticket cost: ¥53,370 for 7 legs

• 7 day Japan Rail Pass (¥28,300) saving: ¥25,070

As you can see you'll make a good saving on your JR travel with a JR Pass. Please note that the bus journey's you list will not be covered by the JR Pass.

You can look up precise train timetables and costs at the Hyperdia travel planning website and learn how to use Hyperdia for JR Pass holders through our video blog.

The Green Car/1st class very much depends on the style in which you want to travel :). It is very spacious and certainly something to enjoy, however I'm sure you'd find standard class acceptable and also on the Tokyo>Kyoto route there are not many Hikari bullets that offer a green car service which you can use. Given your itinerary, I think a standard class rail pass will be fine (and spend the savings on a great meal/ryokan!).

Hope this helps!

Thanks so much! Very helpful to know that the pass won't work for our buses.