I love Japan! I can rave on and on about Japan. I should write an article on 10 reasons to visit Japan. Heh! When I plan for my Japan trips, one of the most essential factor is the cost of travelling around the country. When I travel with my family or a few friends in the rural areas, I will rent a car. When I am on solo travel or with only one friend, we usually go around on trains.
Japan’s famous bullet trains (shinkansen) are clean (heck! The whole country is clean!), comfortable, convenient and of course, fast (as bullets). These engineering wonders zip you across the country at speeds up to 320km (about 200 miles) per hour and they are separate from the regular trains. BUT, they are extremely expensive (it’s a fact, no getting away with it).
That’s where the Japan Rail Pass comes in. Depending on your itinerary, it can really reduce your train prices by a lot.
In this post, I will share with you what the JR Pass is, how it works, how much it costs, whether you should get it for your trip and other common questions. I will be updating this guide whenever I get new questions, so keep it bookmarked.
What is the Japan Rail (JR) Pass?
The Japan Rail (JR) Pass is a joint collaboration of six companies (which formed the JR Group) to enable foreigners to travel around Japan by rail economically and conveniently. This is akin to the Eurail pass in Europe. The JR pass provides unlimited access to all JR trains for a prepaid price.
The pass comes in 3 options – 7, 14 and 21 days. Please take note that the passes run for 7 (or 14 or 21) consecutive days once they are activated.
The trains that are included in the JR pass are labelled under the JR group. They range from the fastest shinkansen (bullet train that links the regions e.g. Tokyo to Osaka), tokkyu (limited express), kyuko (express train), kaisoku (rapid train) to kakueki-teisha or futsu-densha (local trains that stop at every station) in terms of speed.
On top of that, JR Group also controls the metros of some cities (e.g. Tokyo, Kyoto etc). Therefore you can use your JR Pass to get around these cities instead of purchasing the local metro tickets.
What does the JR Pass cover?
- JR Central (Nagoya)
- JR East (Tokyo)
- JR West (Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima)
- JR Shikoku
- JR Kyushu (Hakata)
- JR Hokkaido (Sapporo)
JR Train
The JR Pass can be used on almost all trains operated on the Nationwide JR (Japan Railway) network in the 6 regions.
Take note : The JR Pass is not valid for the Nozomi and the Mizuho shinkansen lines.
Tokyo Monorail
To/From Haneda Airport
JR Ferry
To Miyajima
Local JR Buses
Refer to the official list of valid bus networks
How much does the JR Pass cost?
These are the options of the JR Pass :
- 7 days : 29,650 JPY (Green Pass 39,600 JPY)
- 14 days : 47,250 JPY (Green Pass 64,120 JPY)
- 21 days : 60,450 JPY (Green Pass 83,390 JPY)
As you can see, the Green Pass costs more as it is equivalent to the first-class ticket. Personally, I don’t buy the Green Pass as I am a budget and spontaneous traveller. The Green Pass requires an advance seat reservation in the green cars. Reservation can only be made via a visit to the ticket office or automatic reservation machines.
Besides the JR Pass for the whole country, there are also JR regional passes if you are only travelling within a certain region. These JR regional passes are much cheaper. They range between 1to 7 days. The various regional passes and where they cover are listed in the table in the next section.
Which JR Pass to buy?
- Travelling across many regions – Buy the 7/14/21 days JR Pass
- Travelling within 1 region e.g. Hokkaido Region – Buy the specific JR regional pass e.g. JR Hokkaido Pass
- Travelling within a part of a region e.g. Kansai area which is part of JR West – Buy the JR Area pass e.g. JR Kansai Area Pass
- Travelling between linked areas e.g. Tokyo – Kyoto – Osaka – Buy the JR Linked Regional Pass e.g. Osaka – Tokyo Hokuriku Arch Pass
Central Japan – Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Takayama, Toyama, Kanazawa
Central Japan – Osaka, Nagoya, Ise, Wakayama, Shirahama
Central Japan – Shizuoka Prefecture
East Japan – Tokyo, Nagano, Niigata, Karuizawa
East Japan – Tokyo, Aomori, Hirosaki, Yamagata, Fukushima, Sendai
West Japan – Kanazawa, Kurobe, Fukui, Awara Onsen
West Japan – Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hokuriku
West Japan – Osaka, Kyoto, Okayama, Kanazawa, Toyama
West Japan – Okayama, Kurashiki, Tsuyama, Takahashi
West Japan – Hiroshima Yamaguchi Area Pass
West Japan – Hakata, Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, Okayama, Takamatsu
West Japan – Osaka, Kyoto, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka
Hokkaido
Hokkaido – Area between Tokyo and Sapporo (Tohoku, Southern Hokkaido regions)
Kansai – Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe
Kansai – Osaka, Kyoto, Okayama, Nara, Kobe
Kansai – Major Cities in Kansai and Hiroshima
Kyushu – Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Oita, Kumamoto
Kyushu – Kagoshima, Miyazaki
Kyushu – Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Oita, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Miyazaki
Shikoku – Tokushima, Kotohira, Matsuyama, Kochi, Tokushima
Where can you purchase the JR Pass?
The JR pass can be purchased online and only at very few selected ticket offices in Japan. This is because the JR pass is only available to foreigners. If you were to purchase it physically in Japan, it will cost more and it is troublesome because it is sold in very few ticket offices. Therefore it makes more sense to purchase it online in advance.
The JR Pass must be purchased at least 14 days before your date of departure.
When you purchase a JR Pass online, you will receive a Mail Exchange Order (MCO). You have 90 days from the date of purchase to swap the MCO for an actual, physical JR Pass in Japan.
Mail Exchange Order (MCO) – You will receive this by mail. You MUST BRING this physical document with you to Japan for the exchange of the JR Pass
JR Pass – You will receive this once you have made the exchange with the MCO at the JR office. You will also need your physical passport (make sure that the names in the passport and the MCO are the same) for the redemption. This is a list of JR offices where you can make the exchange.
Once you have made the exchange, you have 30 days to activate your JR Pass and start your train travel.
Is the JR Pass worth getting?
If you are buying a one long distance round trip ticket, it will probably be worth getting the JR Pass. You can use a fare calculator to add up the various legs of your train trip to see if it justifies for the price. When I go on trail hiking, I usually don’t buy the pass as I wouldn’t be taking the train. Makes sense right? You can use Navitime or Google Maps to check on the fare.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How far in advance should I order my JR Pass?
It is recommended that you book your JR Pass 2 months before your trip to Japan so that you have enough time to receive it in your mail. You cannot purchase your JR pass more than 3 months before your trip as it will render your MCO invalid.
2. What is the difference between reserved and non-reserved seats?
Every purchase of the JR Pass is entitled to any seat in a non-reserved car. You can reserve your seats upon collecting your JR Pass or at any JR offices. However, some JR trains require an express ticket for reservation and you will need to purchase an express ticket on top of the JR Pass.
3. Do I need to reserve seats?
If you are travelling in a group (especially with children) and would like to sit together, then it is recommended that you reserve seats. During peak travelling times, like the Golden week, it is advised to reserve seats too. If the unreserved cars are full, you will have to stand throughout the journey.
4. How do I go through the gates with my JR Pass?
JR Pass holders cannot go through the automatic gates. You will have to go to the manned gate and present your JR pass to the staff. Do keep your passport handy as sometimes you may be asked to show your passport.
5. Can I use my JR Pass at the airport?
Yes, you can do so but you will need to go to the JR office at the airport to exchange your MCO for the JR Pass and then activate it.
At the Haneda Airport, you can use it on the Tokyo Monorail that links the airport to the Hamamatsucho station.
At the Narita Airport, you can use it for the Narita Express that connects the airport to Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro stations. However, you cannot use it on the Keisei Skyliner that connects the airport to Tokyo.
6. Can I change the days on which I wish to use the JR pass for?
No, once you have activated the pass, the clock starts ticking.
Now that you know everything that is to know about the JR Pass, you can decide if it is for you. Train travel is a great way to go around Japan. Japanese trains are one of the best trains that I have taken ; they are extremely clean and fast! Travelling around Japan on train is an experience by itself! Don’t forget to indulge in the yummy train bentos which can be purchased at the train stations!