Has anyone gone to Japan and have any accomodation recommends or advice on the JR rail pass? Im going May 2-16 and visiting Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Arashiyama, Hiroshima for sure

P Message me - just got back from two weeks in Japan

Hi Melissa Can I jump into your conversation for any advice you have? I'm going for 2 weeks in March with 3 adults and 2 grandkids. We are hoping for accommodation recommendations and if you had a iteanrry b4 you left.

It's great if you are doing long haul distances and worth it. For example, it's approx. $180 for a 1 way Ticket from Osaka to Tokyo. If you are just staying in one city, I suggest just getting the local metro card.

Im doing tokyo, kyoto, himeji, arashiyama, nara, hiroshima & osaka

Yes get the JR then

And while in tokyo you can buy 3 day metro pass at the airport

JR doesn't cover all the lines within tokyo

Definitely get the "tourist" JR pass ( the one that you can only buy outside of Japan). It's around $350 and you can buy it from Nippon travel downtown.

We got an icoca card to use in Osaka (it worked in Tokyo too) and used the JR pass to travel to Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nara and Tokyo

Also, in Kyoto you can get a city pass (day pass) for approx $5 at the JR station. They give you a map with all the main tourist sites and which bus will get you there

Depending on how long you plan to spend the time in each town, I recommend using Kyoto or Osaka as the hub for the cities in Kansai if you get the JR pass.

look for hostels - they are reasonably priced, and from experience they are quite nice in Japan comparatively. the JR rail pass is a must if you are travelling outside Tokyo. Osaka and Nara are very close to Kyoto. Nara can easily be done as a day trip from Osaka or Kyoto.

Tokyo - Hostel - Nui. on Kuramae station near Asakusa & sensoji!
Kyoto - K House Backpackers Hostel, just down the street from Kyoto station, perfect location. (We used these 2 as our "base" locations and travelled to Hiroshima - 3 hours - & Osaka - 45 mins - from Kyoto.)
Arashiyama & Nara are basically in Kyoto

We did 10 days. Flew to Tokyo & instantly got on the train to Kyoto. Did Kyoto and Hiroshima and Osaka over the next week and then had 2.5 days in Tokyo. We had a 7 day JR pass and it was more than worth it!!

Get the JR pass in Canada IF you want to travel long distances other wise day passes in each city are good...decide on regular or green pass.. not much difference in train cars but price is higher for the green card so you get fewer people in the cars but that isn't a problem unless you travel on the JR lines at rush hour in the cities. Both allow you to book /reserve a seat for free at the ticket offices in the train stations....Hotels...business hotel Tokyu Hotels and Inns have a loyalty card that gives you huge discounts...the rooms are small, but clean and usually near the train stations. Their fees can include a hearty breakfast. They are found throughout Japan and are great as they also have connections to the luggage services that will transport you big bags from city to city or hotel to airport storage and allow you to just do carry on...I think that fee is around 40 dollars...

Also, highly recommend the "Japan trains" app. It gives you the schedule for the JR and local trains, which track you need to be on, transfer points, etc.

www.hyperdia.com - routes, times and prices. And they have an app too that is free to use for 30 days.
Google Translate app

K house gets my vote except it is a little bit of walking...

Get the JR pass. We got ours online, and did airbnb for accommodations.

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I was in Japan for 3 weeks. The JR rail pass is only useful if you do multiple cities. We did a 1 week JR pass and went from Tokyo to Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe, and then back to Tokyo, you can also use the JR pass in Tokyo on the JR line, but if you are only in Tokyo then just buy tickets or a metro pass.

Also airbnb in Japan is awesome. Highly recommend.

It's actually still useful even if you just decide to do Tokyo-Kyoto return because a 7 day JR pass is cheaper than a roundtrip shinkansen ticket for Tokyo-Kyoto.

Another one for airbnb, loads of them in Japan and they are awesome. JR Pass if you're visiting multiple cities but if you're sticking around Tokyo there is no need. Highly recommend Hiroshima and Miyajima if you have time.

JR pass is worth it, but only if you plan on travelling via bullet train to different cities in Japan. I recommend you say at Rapha-Ya in Meguro, Tokyo. It is run by some great folks I met on airbnb and is a really authentic Japanese experience.

We stayed in airbnb around Shinjuku station.

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Be careful re air bnb in Japan as the government is changing some regulations. Join the Japan travel, friendly discussion group on facebook for awesome info.

I just got back. The JR passes were life savors and kept transit easy. We also stayed in an air bnb in Tokyo as well as Osaka and had no issues.

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Went a good number of years ago, if nothing has changed getting your Pass here is cheaper then waiting & purchasing upon your arrival!

You can't buy the JR pass in Japan... has to be here.

I wrote a blog post about JR Pass and why it's a good idea to get one. Hope this helps? http://jusztravel.com/.../06/20/decided-get-japan-rail-pass/
JUSZTRAVEL.COM
Why we decided to get a Japan Rail Pass and why you should, too! - Jusz Travel

i also just published a budget guide to japan for six days, maybe you'd be interested in taking a look? http://jusztravel.com/.../budget-breakdown-six-day-trip.../
JUSZTRAVEL.COM
Budget Breakdown for My Six-Day Trip to Japan - Jusz Travel

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Just came back from Japan.. did Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Kobe.... I had the green JR Pass and I thought it was convenient. You have to stop by the JR office at Narita to exchange the voucher and make reservations for the Narita Express to get to Tokyo... we stayed at the Washington Shinjuku hotel which was very convenient and close to train station. In Kyoto we stayed at the Kyoto tower hotel which was again right by the train station so central to everything. You cannot use the JR Rail pass for the Nozomi trains but the JR pass lets you on the Hikari?? Service which is the same bullet train but stops at a couple more locations along the way. Get the green JR pass... much nicer for only $120 more..

Get a Japan Rail Pass. The one way trip alone from Tokyo to Kyoto is $185 cnd 1 way. Download the JR rail app & the metro app so you can look at routes and get free WiFi while in train/metro stations.
Make sure to order it online at least 1.5 weeks in advance if it's busy season and that the spell your name correctly. If there are any mistakes on it they will NOT honor it when you get to Japan.
Also when you get to Japan be prepared for a 1 to 1.5 hour wait at the airport to trade in your pass that you got in Canada to your official pass for Japan. If you can, wait and get it at the Tokyo rail station first thing in the AM as its less busy.
Purchase a metro card as well, load about 4000¥ on it and that'll help last you about 2 weeks (or learn the JR routes - Osaka Ring Rail is free with Jr rail card)