which tix or pass to buy?

I will be coming from Narita airport into Tokyo (Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku hotel) for 3 nights/days of sightseeing, then going to Hotel Monterey Kyoto for 3 nights/days sightseeing in Kyoto, and then directly to Narita from Kyoto. Which pass would be best?

which tix or pass to buy?

If that all falls within 7 calendar days, then getting a 7 Day Japan Rail Pass is probably your best bet.

which tix or pass to buy?

I hit reply too soon, I wish trip advisor had an edit function.

A 7 Day Japan Rail Pass will cost 28300 yen, which is roughly the same amount it will cost roundtrip from Tokyo to Kyoto within a 7 day period. There is no direct trains from Kyoto to Narita Airport, so one connection is required in Tokyo (eg Shinkansen to Narita Express).

Does the 7 day Japan rail pass cover metropolitan Tokyo, Shinkansen to Kyoto, metropolitan Kyoto, Airport to Tokyo? I am asking for exactly which passes, tickets, etc. I need for each of the legs of the journey stated above. I keep reading about N%26#39;ex/Suica, etc. I am very confused.

If your entire journey from start (Narita to Tokyo) to finish (Kyoto to Narita) fits within 7 days, then you don%26#39;t need the NEX-Suica package since your 7-day JR Pass would cover that trip as well.

Let%26#39;s say you%26#39;re spending 8 days in Japan, then you want to activate your pass on the second day so it lasts until the eighth day when you return to Narita. The reason is on the inbound from Narita to Tokyo, you can use the NEX-Suica pacakage to enjoy a NEX ticket discount (effective cost of 1,500 Yen vs normally, around 3,000 Yen). See link below:

www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/index.html

The JR Pass is good on all JR trains, including metropolitan JR trains, Shinkansen and Narita Express, but except Nozomi Shinkansen (so you will travel on Hikari instead which is about 20 minutes slower between Tokyo and Kyoto). The JR Pass is not valid on subway lines (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto), non-JR trains (Odakyu, Tobu to name a couple) or Kyoto buses.

The Japan Rail Pass will cover all JR trains exept Nozomi Shinkansen to Kyoto (You can take Hikari Shinkansen as an alternative to Kyoto).

So any JR train from narita airport to tokyo, any JR train in the metropolitan area is covered.

';JR'; stands for Japan Railways.

Anything that doesn%26#39;t have ';JR'; written on it, eg, Subways, or other railways are not covered.

That being said, a roundtrip from Tokyo to Kyoto by JR trains already costs just as much as a JR pass so its not bad to get a 7 day JR pass.

Suica %26amp; Nex etc are other rail passes offred by JR for those who might not be getting a full Japan Rail Pass or need something else.

In your case if your entire trip from start to finish is within 7 calendar days then you are fine with just a 7 day JR pass.

For example:

Day 1 Arrive Narita Airport go to Tokyo

Day 2 Tokyo

Day 3 Tokyo

Day 4 Kyoto

Day 5 Kyoto

Day 6 Kyoto

Day 7 Return to Tokyo connect to Narita Airport

Then a 7 day JR pass works just fine by itself for the most part.

If it is:

Day 1 Arrive Narita Airport go to Tokyo

Day 2 Tokyo

Day 3 Tokyo

Day 4 Tokyo

Day 5 Kyoto

Day 6 Kyoto

Day 7 Kyoto

Day 8 Return to TOkyo connect to Narita Airport,

then getting a Suica and NEX or just paying for bus or cheap train form Narita to TOkyo on day 1 makes sense in combination with the 7 Day JR pass which you will start using on Day 2.

For the Kyoto area and transportation within Kyoto itself, the JR pass is not so useful as JR trains don%26#39;t cover Kyoto too well (other then providing access to it), you should still get the JR pass as mentioned it covers the cost already roundtrip from Tokyo +airport.

When you are in Kyoto, Kyoto is best covered by city bus. A city bus pass in Kyoto costs 500yen a day, considering each ride normally on the bus costs 200yen, you just need to ride the bus 3 times for a city bus pass to pay off in Kyoto. Kyoto bus passes can be purchased in kyoto at bus and information stands.

Thanks, everyone. I get it, now.