JR Pass is it worth it for my trip?

I plan on traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto to Osaka to Hiroshima to Nagasaki then back to Osaka. Is the JR Pass I purchased worth it or should I cash it in before using it.

I was in Japan just two months after 3/11. I traveled from Tokyo to Kyoto and back (with several stops in between). The railpass is absolutely essential. Looking at your travel plans, you will save a lot of money. I didn't travel nearly as much as you are planning, and it worked out great for me. It also covers the subway, many local trains, and buses...

The question would be all that travel under how many days, and which pass (14 day, 21 day) you have.

Go to the travel site www.hyperdia.com and enter your routes. If the total w/o reserved seats and non-Nozomi Shinkansen rides comes out the same as your rail pass, then get the rail pass.

I find the convenience worth it if only breaking even plus a lot of the local JR rides are included without having to stop at a ticket machine. The pass also gets you reserved seats for no extra cost, which you would have to pay if you purchased tickets 1 at a time.

The JR Pass doesn't include the Nozomi and one of the new Kyushu Shinkansen trains which cuts back a little on your options, but it usually doesn't matter that much unless you're doing the Tokyo-Hakata route all at once, which now requires a transfer somewhere on the Hikari.