First Time in Japan

Hi there,

Yes I would recommend a 7 day JR Pass for your itinerary. The 7 Day JR Pass is about the same price as a normal return ticket Tokyo - Kyoto, only now you get 7 days of travel for the same price. For instance you can also use to JR Pass for access to Nara or travel to the Airport.

I know the Seishun 18 Kippu and have used it myself. It's a pretty interesting ticket but I would not recommend it for your travel. The ticket allows for unlimited travel on local trains only, (the JR pass includes all kinds of trains, including the Shinkansen). Where a one way Tokyo - Kyoto with the Shinkansen takes you directly in 140-160minutes from one side to the other, local trains takes 516 Minutes / 6 transfers. Since your time is limited in Japan, I would not recommend this option as it takes up 2 days for traveling alone.

Hope this helps!
Daniel

Thank you so much Daniel! This definitely makes me feel better about getting the JR pass.