Japan 13D/12N - better take JR pss or others?

Hi everyone,
I am going to japan this week end with my friends, but still not sure of which transportation to choose. JR pass or others (we have tight budget)
PLease need you advice on transportation which will be better to save our cost.

I have set below itinerary :

D1 Osaka : arrival + city tour
D2 Osaka : excursion Nara-HImeji-Asuka
D3 Osaka : excursion Mt Koya
D4 Osaka - Kyoto : central / south Kyoto tour
D5 Kyoto : Eastern Kyoto tour
D6 Kyoto : Northen Kyoto tour
D7 Kyoto - Nagoya : city tour
D8 Nagoya: excursion Takayama
D9 Nagoya - Tokyo (want to try Nozomi) - Fuji Kawaguchiko
D10 Fuji Kawaguchiko
D11 Fuji KAwaguchiko - Tokyo
D12 Tokyo : excursion Kamakura
D13 Tokyo : city tour - departure

I am planing to take :
Kansai Thru pass 3 days, purchase 2 x for 6 days usage (Osaka + Kyoto)
Kyoto - Nagoya by highway bus one way
Nagoya tour taking Meguru loop bus1 day
Nagoya - Takayama return with Nohi bus
Nagoya - Tokyo with Shinkansen Nozomi oneway
Tokyo-Fuji kawaguchiko with Fuji Hakone 3 days pass
Tokyo - kamakura with JR Yokosuka lines return
Tokyo city tour with Sueca + monorail to Haneda airport

however my friend keep suggesting to take JR pass. which I think is much more expensive, we have to take the 14days pass + Shinkansen Nozomi is not included on JR pass.

do you reckon above on my plan is better to save cost or JR Pass is actually better as my friend said.

appreciate your advice/suggestion.

thanks/arya

Hello, Arya!

So glad you're visiting Japan! You're going to absolutely love it!

Regarding your transportation issue, it sounds like your plan is way cheaper and WAY more flexible! The JR Rail Pass is good for very long-distance travel, but all your connections are short, cheap and on private lines not covered by the JR umbrella company. So if your longest connection (Nozomi Shinkansen, Tokaido Line from Nagoya to Tokyo, OW 10,800 yen -give or take a few hundred yen) isn't even covered, then why bother?

I personally have never used the JR Rail Pass. I'm always told by local JTB agents that local passes give the better deals.

Here are the JR Rail-Pass-covered fares I looked up for you:

• All fares ONE WAY for ONE PASSENGER unless otherwise noted.

Tokyo-Kamakura (Yokosuka Line): 890 yen. Round Trip: 1780 yen

Tokyo Stn- Haneda Airport Terminal, via Monorail: 620 yen

Kyoto -Nagoya Highway Bus (2.5 hr trip): 2500 yen

Hope this helps you out! :-) Looks like you're really good at doing your travel homework!

I'm somewhat familiar with Tokyo and Kyoto so if you have any questions about those areas, feel free to ask me anytime.

Good luck and happy travels!

-GenkiLee

Hi Genkilee,
thank you for the feedback. really appreciate it.
I also do comparison on my budget vs with JR + nozomi, my calculation still less expensive.
yes, I love doing this travel work haha