Our rough route is Tokyo, then Kyoto, with Osaka as either a day trip or one final night. I keep seeing rail passes in old itineraries, but I do not want to buy one just because it sounds like part of the Japan checklist.
My instinct is to price the actual long-distance trips we know we will take and compare that with whatever pass options are current when we travel. Local transport would be separate anyway.
Is there any reason not to approach it that way? I am trying to avoid building extra train rides into the trip just to 'get value' from a pass.
4 replies
Yes, that’s the right approach. For that route I’d compare the actual long-distance fares first and treat passes as optional, not automatic.
Yes, that’s the right approach. For that route I’d compare the actual long-distance fares first and treat passes as optional, not automatic.
Agreed. If your plan is simple, the pass should earn its keep on the route you actually have, not the route a brochure wishes you had.
The only extra thing I’d check is whether your date changes. If you’re still flexible, pricing the exact legs is the cleanest way to do it.
That’s reassuring. I keep seeing people build whole side trips just to justify the pass, which seems backwards to me.