JR Pass or JR Kansai Wide Area Pass

Hi, I’m thinking of making a trip to Japan this December and not sure if I should get a JR pass at all.

My itinerary is as follows:

Narita Airport – Mt Fuji 5 Lakes (Kawaguchiko) – Kyoto
Day trips from Kyoto to Osaka, Tottori and Nara

According to what I’ve read up, there is a bus Fujikyu that goes directly from Narita Airport to Kawaguchiko without having to go through Tokyo’s train system. However, from Kawaguchiko to Kyoto is a bit complicated and I don’t quite know what the best travelling option is, especially if I don’t get a JR pass.

I read that the JR Kansai Wide Area Pass covers Kyoto, Osaka, Tottori and Nara so I thought this pass would be more worth it to get compared to the JR Pass. According to the Japan Rail Calculator, if I paid for the trips individually, I would be spending about 19, 400 yen on travelling to all these places in total, but that does not include cheaper options by bus, flights or other railway companies.

Will appreciate any kind of advice! Thanks!