Japan Rail pass/travel

[Bayum]

I'm looking at pricing a be consistent costing a rip to Japan,specifically Tokyo. I've costed flights, and it seems as if it's cheaper and more frequent flights into Narita are the safest bet. We've looked at Osaka, then high speed into Tokyo by train, but we're not losing or gaining time so it seems pointless.

I've had a look at the NEX tickets and site, and I've just got a few questions. The apartment we have spied to rent is right outside Tamagachi station - a NE journey and then a single change for a single stop. The NEX price is costing about £20. The NEX is also included with the JRP. What travel options are available for train travel in Japan? We're going for 12 days, two of which we will be recuperating, but this still leave USB with three or four days of travel. The 14 day pass is very expensive, but worth the cost I understand, and would cover our whole journey and time there. The 7 day pass is cheaper.

Are there any intermediate tickets that cover a middle ground?? What options do we have for travel and where we can buy the JRP??

 

[Shinkansenfan]

I'm looking at pricing a be consistent costing a rip to Japan,specifically Tokyo. I've costed flights, and it seems as if it's cheaper and more frequent flights into Narita are the safest bet. We've looked at Osaka, then high speed into Tokyo by train, but we're not losing or gaining time so it seems pointless.

I've had a look at the NEX tickets and site, and I've just got a few questions. The apartment we have spied to rent is right outside Tamagachi station - a NE journey and then a single change for a single stop. The NEX price is costing about £20. The NEX is also included with the JRP. What travel options are available for train travel in Japan? We're going for 12 days, two of which we will be recuperating, but this still leave USB with three or four days of travel. The 14 day pass is very expensive, but worth the cost I understand, and would cover our whole journey and time there. The 7 day pass is cheaper.

Are there any intermediate tickets that cover a middle ground?? What options do we have for travel and where we can buy the JRP??

Last question first. Typically one purchases the JR Pass before leaving home, but they seem to be selling those in Japan now at major stations likely to be visited by tourist. Since I live in the US I'm not familiar with UK JR Pass sales outlets. A simple Google search should bring up UK sales outlets.

If you're presumably recovering after a long flight upon arrival, it may not make sense to waste days on a JR pass while you're resting. Sometimes there are good local deals for NEX or Keisei Railway available upon arrival in Narita, such as a bundled NEX and Suica Card discount.

There are regional variants of the JR Pass, such as for East JR.

Keep in mind that the Japan Rail Pass is not valid on the Nozomi services on Shinkansen; Nozomi is the fastest of the three types of Tokaido Shinkansen services. So, you'll be limited to the Hikari or the all stops Kodama.

Another couple of ideas:

1. Fly open jaw, such as into Narita and out of Osaka, and buy a single Shinkansen ticket.

2. Consider domestic "air pass" type tickets which are available in conjunction with overseas flight tickets. These can be cheaper on a per segment basis than the Shinkansen.

Of course riding the Shinkansen is not to be missed if never ridden before. It is precision railroading at its finest!

 

[WideRanger]

I can't find a record of a Tamagachi station - are you sure you have that right?

The really important question is where in Japan you are intending to visit. Your post suggests that you are focussing in on the Tokyo area. Is that the case, or are you intending to go elsewhere? In any case, if you are spending any reasonable time in Tokyo, you are not going to need anything more than a 7-day JR rail pass. If you are staying in and around Tokyo, don't get a pass - it would be much cheaper to buy individual tickets as you travel.

The Shinkansen is great. My preference is for the local trains that are a bit less clinical and give more time to soak up the atmosphere. If you are travelling around Japan, the ways you can do it (in broad order of cost):
- Local Trains, if you are travelling during a Seishun-18 ticket period. It works out at less than £20 per day per person, and is great fun, although it can be slow.
- Highway Buses. Multiple operators, but Willer Express is normally the best for the main routes, and with a website in English
- Low Cost Carriers, including Jetstar, Peach, Solaseed. As long as you book in advance, will always be cheaper than Shinkansen, and the service is nowhere near as bad as European LCCs.
- Full price airlines on discount tickets
- Shinkansen
- Full price airlines on full price tickets.

I'm not a fan of the Narita Express. It costs four times the price of the cheapest service from the airport (The Keisei Limited Express to Nippori and Ueno), and is not that much quicker (in some cases, it is slower). Of couse, if you will have a JR rail pass in operation on arrival, then go ahead and take it (although even then, it's not always the best way).

Shinkansenfan's suggestion of getting an open-jaw ticket is good - sometimes these are as cheap as a standard return, and will save you time and money. I find the Chinese and SE Asian airlines good for those kinds of deals.

 

[Zerothebrake!]

Howdy,

You could fly to Japan via China and take advantage of their visa free scheme whereby you can have a 72 hour transit in Beijing or Chengdu, Guangzhou in both directions (- it's a whopping 144 hours in Shanghai)..and they have a dedicated lane for these in the Imigration hall.You just need to advise them when you check in and they'll add a note to your booking.

All you need is proof of an onward flight and your accomodation then the transit time starts from midnight of the day that you arrive.

I flew Air China from London to Sapporo and back from Osaka with a transit in Beijing both ways in April and it worked fine - just remember the gate closes 50 minutes before departure for international flights in China.

Enjoy the experience if you go.

 

[TravelDream]

I'm looking at pricing a be consistent costing a rip to Japan,specifically Tokyo. I've costed flights, and it seems as if it's cheaper and more frequent flights into Narita are the safest bet. We've looked at Osaka, then high speed into Tokyo by train, but we're not losing or gaining time so it seems pointless.

Are there any intermediate tickets that cover a middle ground?? What options do we have for travel and where we can buy the JRP??

Where are you planning on going?
If you're staying in the Tokyo region, then don't buy a JR pass. It works out far cheaper to buy individual tickets.
Remember also that most lines in Tokyo are not run by JR, but by the two Tokyo metro companies.

If you are planning on going to Kyoto or Osaka (I'd recommend Kyoto), then buy the 7 day pass and make sure it covers this section of the trip. (TYO to Osaka costs £90 each way if you want to compare ticket prices).


Where is Tamagachi? I've been to Tokyo a few times now and I've never heard of it and neither has Google.
District wise, Tokyo is a massive city. Going across the city centre can take 45 minutes. And, yes, I mean just the centre.
There are plenty of options, but I'd recommend staying near the Yamanote line. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamanote_Line
Shinjuku or Shibuya will give the 'real' Tokyo experience. But northern stations like Ueno or Nippori have cheaper accommodation. I prefer it less, but I have friends who prefer the east side and like to stay by Tokyo station or Ginza.

 

[Three-Nine]

Hi, been meaning to reply to this and kept forgetting.

As far as the pass goes, I'm going to echo everyone else - it depends on what you're doing. If you're largely travelling around the immediate Tokyo area then its probably not worth it. If you're planning day trips further afield, it may well be. Kyoto has a new railway museum in the vicinity...

In Tokyo, depending on where you are, you can sometimes walk from one area to another. Ueno to Akihabara for example can be walked in less than 30 minutes. Its not a particularly interesting walk but you could save enough money for a vending machine drink.

Its not unusual to have to queue at the airport to exchange the voucher for the pass, which can take a while. If you're arriving in the morning, consider stumping up for one of the services from Narita to Tokyo and then exchanging the pass at one of the main stations, like Ueno, if you don't need to use it immediately. Note that if connecting to a Yamanote line train these can be very busy at certain times of day and it can sometimes be a little bit of a struggle getting on with large luggage.

One advantage of the JR Rail Pass is convenience. You generally don't have to worry about getting on a JR train (obviously, not all trains in Japan are run by the JR companies but thats usually not a major factor) and it means you can always nip into a JR station to use the facilities, grab something to eat or indulge in some spotting if you're so inclined.

I've often stayed in Ueno and whilst it can feel a little seedy (homeless people can tend to gather around the main station area) I've found it does make a pretty good base; you have the main Ueno station (not the same station as Keisei Ueno which is the one for the private Keisei-line trains to/from Narita airport) for good transport links and Ueno park is nearby with several museums (Ueno zoo is not particularly attractive as a zoo but is almost worth it just to ride on the worlds most ridiculous monorail). As others have said, a place to stay near the Yamanote line is an advantage, which is another plus for Ueno.

One cautionary note about renting an apartment - me and a friend tried this a few years ago and were let down by the renting agency when we turned up there; we were given a flat "No" despite, to the best of my knowledge, having arranged things in advance and had to scramble to find alternative accommodation afterwards. Unless my friend who made the arrangements messed up somehow, the only reason for the refusal we could think of is that it was because we weren't Japanese. Please note that this is the only time I've encountered possible discrimination in Japan and things are probably different now with airbnb and the like but you may wish to have a back-up accomodation plan just in case.

Regards the mystery station, is it perhaps this one?:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamachi_Station_(Tokyo)

 

[johnnychips]

The zoo was closed for refurbishment in April.

You don't really need two days to recover from jet lag if you take measures:

http://www.jetlagrooster.com

Works every time for me.

I did find transport in Japan expensive. In Tokyo the Pasmo/Suica cards are very convenient but don't have a daily cap like the Oyster, and in the sticks the buses and non-JR railways were certainly not cheap. On the other hand, stuff in the many small supermarkets is reasonable: food, beer, wine and fags especially so.

 

[dutchflyer]

ALL bigcity/touristy regions of JPN have their own more limited railpasses-for just 1 day till x in a week or so. Mostly limited to local trains only. DO note however, that trains are completely separate from metro/urban transit and require also separate tickets.
As all have echooed: it all depends on what you intend to see/travel and do. Yes, do consider an open jaw- (use advanced multi-stop booking methods-most airlines offer this).
In short: a 7day pass is about same price as full fare SKS return TYO-Osaka, so if you decide to return from TYO also-just adapt the length of stay. And yes, you can go into town from TYO/Narita with that other local trains for less as 10€. Sytart suing the pass later on, ut do not forget to first validate it in any main station.
IF intend to buy in JPN-DO read the rules very carefully-its also a little more expens. then.
If I remember well, there were at least 2 similar Qs in thos forum this year-just scroll down for more hints.

 

[Three-Nine]

johnnychips, thanks for the update about Ueno Zoo, did not know it had closed for renovation. Bayum, one other thing about travel in Tokyo - Tokyo also has a subway system (I think IIRC, two subway systems) which are separate from JR and the Japan Rail Pass does not cover travel on them. The subway is usually referred to as "Metro", and the station entrances marked with a slightly stylised "M" logo. Again, on occasion you may find a Metro station is closer to a particular location and it can be handy in times of service disruption (yes, it does happen, usually because of what the Japanese refer to as "a human incident" - suicide) as an alternative.

Another tip which might have been mentioned in other posts on this subject - guidebooks will occasionally refer to "Marui" stores as landmarks which you can use for navigation. But you're wandering around and you can never see any "Marui" stores, just stores with a "OIOI" logo. These are the "Marui" stores, the logo is a wordplay in Japanese.