Quote:
Originally Posted by samurai007
I used them all the time in Japan, so I can help you. First, you may not need 3 Juhachi Kippus. The JR Rail pass requires 1 per person and may not be given to others, etc. But the Juhachi Kippu contains 5 all day passes that can be used any way you like... 5 people could each use 1 for 1 day, 1 person for 5 days, etc.
Next, another difference is that the JR rail pass, once activated, runs 7 consecutive days whether you use it or not. If you spend 1 day just looking around Tokyo, it still counts off the Rail Pass. The Juhachi Kippu, though, lets you use a ticket only on the days you actually want to, and feel it's worth it. If you use 1 pass each to get to Kyoto, look around in Kyoto for a couple days, you then each use another day pass to return to Tokyo... no passes were wasted on the days looking around.
Next difference is that the JR Rail pass works for the bullet train and all express trains, while the juhachi kippu does not. This means that instead of a 2 1/2 hour trip on the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto, you're looking at about 12-13 hours by local trains, using up pretty much a whole day each way getting to and from Kyoto.
If you have plenty of time in Japan, and the money is a bigger issue, then the juhachi kippu is the better deal. If your time is more limited than your money, then the JR rail pass (or just buying tickets on the bullet train, which is about $130 per person each way to and from Kyoto) is what you need.
Or you can either stay closer to Tokyo, maybe visit Nikko and other places close by instead, or fly into Kansai International Airport and see the Osaka-Kyoto region instead of Tokyo.
The juhachi kippu is not purchased overseas, you buy it in the train station in Japan. The JR Rail Pass must be bought overseas and redeemed in Japan.
Edit to add: The $475+ savings is plenty of money to not only pay for all your other train rides, it would be enough to let you get food and a hotel room for another 2 nights to make up for the travel time.
|
Ouch. Yeah, 12-13 hours is way too long for us since we'll only actually be IN Japan for 8 days. (2 of our 10 days is spent traveling to and from Japan) Glad you pointed out they aren't good on the shinkansen before we decided that was the way to go! I just reread the info on the pass and it definitely says that... I guess we were just excited and skipped over it.
Welp, back to the drawing board. If (when) we come up with more questions, I'll be sure to ask. Thanks for the info!