JR Pass - is it worth it?

[ChisaChi]

Hi all, I'm new here

I'm planning a trip to Japan with a few friends in Feb next year, and am looking at the rail passes. We're planning to go for 16 nights and were going to get a 14 day rail pass for the latter part of the trip, but from what some people have told me we might not actually be travelling enough to get our money's worth. My main question is - to what extent can you use the JR pass around Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and how much would individual train tickets within those cities cost otherwise?

I've looked up the prices of the Shinkansen for our longer journeys, just want to get a basic idea of how much the smaller ones around each city might cost. I've also heard that it's more convenient (or even necessary) to use non JR trains to get around Tokyo - is it the same in Kyoto and Osaka, or do they generally have more JR coverage?

And one final question - I don't have much faith in my ability to pack (or buy) lightly since it'll be winter and all, and my suitcase is quite large. I've seen some people say you really need to send your luggage with a service as there's no room on the train; I've seen others say that there is a bit of room and usually it's fine. Which do you think is the better option? Are the delivery services reasonably reliable in terms of timing and not losing stuff? Is lugging around suitcases through train stations incredibly difficult and not to be attempted?

[jasonbvr]

There is the delivery service Kuro Nekko (Black Cat) which will ship your stuff for a decent price. I've taken my snowboard gear, and will again, on the shinkansen. I just leave it in the area where you board the train then sit near the door. But yeah, there is barely room to stuff a book bag above your seat on the shinkansen. However, there are different models of trains so I have no idea what runs between Tokyo and Osaka. If you are really concerned about luggage and really wanted to do the budget trip, take the night buses.

[ChisaChi]

There's five of us going, probably with a suitcase each - would you say there would be enough room for five suitcases in a train (not even necessarily where we're sitting, as long as its coming with us ^^? Budget is a concern but I think the time saved by taking the Shinkansen will make it more worth it for us than bus, especially if we do get the JR pass.

[samokan]

there is a luggage area in Shinkansen, you cannot put your luggage beside you in the train, cause it will become an obstacle on the way.. its usually located at the end of each car

the last time I used the Shinkansen, my things were shipped ..

one way for shinkansen for tokyo -osaka is around $130 - $150
the one-way ticket for shinkansen is actually the round trip cost if you are using the night bus ..

are you going to be travelling all over japan or just tokyo-osaka-kyoto ???

[jasonbvr]

Yeah, the actual worth of having the JR pass depends on how many long distance trips you are making. So Samokan's question about if you are just going Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo is really important.

Taking the night bus, you don't exactly lose that much time because you are on it at night. If sleeping in a seated position isn't a problem (which is true for like 99% of Japanese), you will be fine. The cheapest night buses are those that go Osaka-Tokyo on the weekdays.

[ChisaChi]

If there's some kind of luggage area that should be okay ^_^ If it ends up too hard we'll have to look into the sending luggage service I guess.

It'll be mostly based around Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, then back up to Tokyo again to fly out from there. We'll also possibly be spending a day and night in Hakone between Tokyo and Kyoto, and maybe doing a day trip from Tokyo up to Nagano and back. Basically we'll be taking our luggage to and from 4 different hotels during the trip, as it stands currently.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by ChisaChi

If there's some kind of luggage area that should be okay ^_^ If it ends up too hard we'll have to look into the sending luggage service I guess.

It'll be mostly based around Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, then back up to Tokyo again to fly out from there. We'll also possibly be spending a day and night in Hakone between Tokyo and Kyoto, and maybe doing a day trip from Tokyo up to Nagano and back. Basically we'll be taking our luggage to and from 4 different hotels during the trip, as it stands currently.

There's enough room on the shinkansen if you each have one normal sized bag.

[ChisaChi]

Could you define a normal sized bag? I have one normal sized suitcase, and I think the rest will have something similar or possibly smaller. It looks like we'll also be travelling on the normal trains to get from wherever the Shinkansen stops to our hotel - do those have some luggage storage area as well?

[samokan]

well actually you dont need to worry about that... its Japan, service is the top priority.. am sure the JR attendants will find a way to store your luggage..

JR PAss can you get you to all places where there is shinkansen, so don't limit yourself to just osaka kyoto and tokyo.. hehehe

anyways.. there are pros and cons, but JR pass is mostly pros , its convenient, its fast, get you to places in just hours .. go for it

my friend used it to visit from Kyushuu - Sendai and in between in 2 weeks.. how cool is that..

[enyafriend]

Having a suitcase on the train isn't much of a problem, as long as you stay clear from the morning and evening rush hour. Otherwise, some people might get annoyed with that. What's more if there's 5 suitcases along the train's walkway!
Besides, depending on how heavy your suitcase might be, the real problem will be lugging them up and down the many staircases around the train stations.
But if you really want to save money, like some have suggested, taking the night train is a good idea. You save on a night's accomodation expenses, and at the same time, arrive at a new destination the next morning.