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I'm thinking about staying in this Horidome hotel because I read it's a good place to get to other places.

I'll buy a Japan Rail Pass, but I didn't understand if I can use it at nearby subway stations such as Ningyocho, Kodenmacho and others. Is it possible?

If not, is it possible to visit typical tourist places in Tokyo using the JR Pass? Or are non-subway railways mainly used to get to other cities, and subways have an extensive network that the tourist can't live without?

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  • Related question about buying a JR pass merely for travel within Tokyo: travel.stackexchange.com/questions/5730/… Oct 28, 2012 at 0:48
  • I've tried editing the English in your question to be more understandable. Let me know if I've made any mistakes. Oct 28, 2012 at 0:58
  • Roberto, I have deleted my answer, I think it is wrong. The link provided by @AndrewGrimm has more accurate information. Oct 28, 2012 at 5:25
  • @AndrewGrimm Thank you, this answer surely has good information for me. But in my case, I'll buy the JR Pass anyway, to go to Kyoto, so I'd like to know if it's enough for inside Tokyo too.
    – Roberto
    Oct 28, 2012 at 5:59

2 Answers 2

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I'll buy a Japan Rail Pass, but I didn't understand if I can use it on nearby subway stations such as Ningyocho, Kodenmacho and others. Is it possible?

No. These are part of the Tokyo Metro, which is not operated by JR, and thus the JR pass is not valid there.

The nearest JR station is Shin-Nihombashi on the Sōbu line, but it's a commuter line that goes only one stop into Tokyo to Toyko main station, where you could change to urban Chūō or Yamanote lines. The Yamanote line itself has the Kanda station a bit further, but that's already a significant walking distance.

is it possible to visit typical tourist places in Tokyo using the JR Pass?

There are some JR lines that are useful within Tokyo, namely the Yamanote and Chūō, and together they cover many of the main tourist attractions, at least if you're prepared to walk a bit. But you'll often take a lot longer than if you were willing to freely use all public transportation via the Suica card.

Another factor is that with the JR pass, you cannot use the normal entry/exit gates - you have to find one where there's a JR employee and show it to them (or climb over the gates and look like a criminal).

So basically, relying only on a JR pass within Tokyo is possible but very inconvenient. Of course you can still use it to save some money when there's a good connection to your target through a JR line, but that would be the case far more often if you chose a hotel near a JR station.

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Depending on how much traveling you do, you may find subway day-passes useful. There are two subway companies (Tokyo Metro with 9 lines and Toei with 4 lines) so be aware that that you can buy a day-pass for just one company, but that might be quite a handicap if the stop you want to go to is on other company's line.

I'd recommend checking out the day-pass that's valid on both companies for ¥1000. It is available at all the ticket vending machines on both companies' lines.

Alternatively, there's a JR + subway combination ticket for ¥1580. Be aware that it works on JR lines in the Tokyo ward only, so it wouldn't be useful if you wanted to do a longer day-trip to Kamakura, for example. It also works on the city buses, but I don't have much experience with those so I can't comment on how useful they'll be.

The Suica card recommended in the other answer is also valid on the subways, but it is just a touchless prepaid electronic farecard, so you'll still pay for individual tickets. It just saves you the trouble of buying one each time you get on public transit. If you ride JR, subway, etc., enough in one day, the day-pass may save you more money. However, be aware that there are other private lines they won't work on (the private suburban lines, yurikamome to Odaiba area, etc.)

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    The passes are actually not a good deal for most visitors: since the subway base fare is only ¥160, you need take over six rides per day for the pass to pay off. Just get a Suica/Pasmo card and pay as you go. Sep 28, 2014 at 11:31
  • Except that for a tourist, the card could run out of credit before you know it, and you get into the hassle of refilling... so I think day-passes do buy ease of mind.
    – Ayyash
    Aug 22, 2015 at 15:07
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    I must say, now that i tried, pasmo or suica is definitely the way to go, passes may give you a headache when u switch metro with jr, besides, with the card, you get the remaining balance when you return it, so it was worth it
    – Ayyash
    Sep 11, 2015 at 5:00

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