Transport in Japan can get overwhelming, but here's a mini guide to help you manage intercity and local travel through the main cities!
If you are traveling to Tokyo, Mt Fuji, Osaka, Kyoto (and Nara) like we did, then you’ll be saving ~$300 by buying these passes/tickets below rather than the JR Pass. Plus they are cheaper to book online and in advance in most cases (if not the same) so you'll be saving time and money too.
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Putting it simply, you need these 3 passes and a prepaid card (Pasmo or Suica) for transport in Japan. If you have an Apple phone you can download Suica directly (iPhone>Apple Wallet> "add a transit card"> Suica). Or you can purchase a physical card at the airport on arrival (cash payment only). You can also use these prepaid cards at various shops and convenience stores.
Now let's get into each of the passes!
We recommend buying the Narita Skyliner + Subway Pass - which covers travel from Narita airport to Tokyo city and unlimited travel on the Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway lines. We took the return Skyliner and 72 hour one for our trip. You can mostly avoid the JR lines and pay one-off from your Suica card or purchase from the ticket machines when it's not practical to skip them - we used it a couple times (~$4/ day).
Alternatively, you can take the airport bus which could be slightly cheaper and booked at the airport counter as well but takes ~20mins longer to Tokyo city, either way we highly recommend the Subway Pass for your local Tokyo travel which covers the above lines.
The Kansai THRU PASS was our favorite value for money pass! You could ride on subways, private railways and buses throughout the Kansai district including Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, Wakayama and Koyasan!
They have since changed this to a Kansai Railway pass however, there is still incredible value if you use it properly and you can use individual bus passes for Kyoto and Osaka or just pay via Suica as you use the bus. We got the 3 day pass and the best thing was that it does not have to be 3 consecutive days (so the day we went to Universal Studios we didn't activate it at all) and used it the day we went to Nara and from Osaka to Kyoto instead.
We took P2P tickets - (just enter your route) for trips from Tokyo to Osaka and Kyoto to Mt Fuji. Super fast and super convenient! You can pick these up at the main train station you're leaving from via ticket machines with a QR scanner. Just ensure you go a bit in advance so you have time to print these tickets.
See this article if you're unsure about how to pick up your tickets via the QR code.
We hope this guide helped you with your first steps to experiencing seamless travel in Japan!
Go check out my guide for the best free things to do as well as itineraries and travel tips to make your trip unforgettable.