It is a little pricey, though, with this four-day flexible pass costing Â22,000, so it may not be worth it depending on your plans. But you will save money if exploring Hokkaido at a fast pace is what you want to do!
This pass is good for the beaches of Shirahama to the south, the incredible Buddhist complex of temples and winding old pilgrimage routes of Koya-san, the ancient temples of Kyoto, and the famous (and famously beautiful) 500-year-old castle at Himeji.
* Names you enter in purchase order MUST match names on passport including full middle name. Failure to do so will result in starting over your entire Japan Rail pass order.
* Prices are subject to change without notice
* Child 5 years of age and under not requiring a seat is free of charge.
If you are focusing on a particular part of Japan, you can use a regional pass and travel by an even more economical deal. It is highly recommended for the travelers that have limited time to visit all over Japan, or that would rather focus on a specific region.
Use Suica on the train, metro, buses and shopping in vending machines and convenient stores! Because of the taxing, Suica is cheaper to ride trains than buying a paper ticket, and it saves you a lot of time not having to worry about how and where to get tickets.
Temporary Visitor entry status, according to Japanese Immigration Law, allows a stay in Japan of 15 days or 90 days for "sight-seeing, etc." If you apply for a "stay for sight-seeing" when you enter Japan, entry personnel will stamp your passport as "Temporary Visitor," as shown below. *In order to receive or use JAPAN RAIL PASS, your passport must bear this stamp or sticker.
It depends on the country. We dispatch within 1 business day to the UK, US, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and more. For a full list of countries see: www.jrpass.com/delivery
Bullet trains are synonymous with Japan: the shinkansen trains are known for their comfort, punctuality, sleek design and incredible speed. The golden route of the Tokaido Shinkansen, running between Tokyo and Kyoto and offering unparalleled views of Mt Fuji, is incredibly popular with tourists. But since a one-way ticket can run up to Â13,000 or more, most opt for the JR Pass, which is available only to tourists from overseas. The money-saving pass allows unlimited travel on Japan Railways lines plus local JR trains for 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days. It's quite a steal, especially if you're planning a whirlwind trip across the country.
Prices for the online JR Pass reservation are Â33,610 for the 7-day pass, Â52,960 for the 14-day pass, and Â66,200 for the 21-day pass. Passes including Green Car access (first-class reserved seats) are little more, and children aged 6 to 11 get their JR Pass for 50 percent of the adult fare.
Do note this online process is actually more expensive than the price offered at the authorised sellers outside of Japan, by Â3,960 to Â5,750 depending on the type of pass. Nevertheless, it's still more convenient and cheaper than buying a shinkansen ticket at local prices, especially if you're planning your rail travel last minute. The official JR Pass reservation website will open on June 1.
For a limited time only, you can buy a Japan Rail Pass from certain train stations and airports in Japan. Travelers should be aware it is more expensive to buy a JR Pass in Japan than to purchase the pass online.
Aside from being cheaper, buying your JR Pass online is much more convenient. You can have the JR Exchange Order delivered to your home address or at an address of your choosing in Japan. You can also avoid queuing to buy your pass and enjoy the peace of mind of knowing your JR Pass has already been arranged.
The JR Pass is the ideal travel solution and the best way to travel throughout Japan Japan by train. With a Japan Rail Pass, you can travel without restriction on the Japan Railways network for 7, 14 or 21 days. Japan Rail has a network of more than 20.000 km, covering the entire country, the JR Pass allows you to go almost anywhere.
The Japan Rail Pass is accessible to any traveler, with a foreign passport, traveling to Japan with a "temporary visitor" visa of 90 days or less: tourist, business trip, family visit...
Therefore, people who travel to Japan for more than 90 days (working holiday, military, diplomatic, cultural, research, working visa, etc.) are not eligible.
If you lose your Japan Rail Pass, reimbursement can only occur if the pass has not been exchanged and 4 months from the issue date of the exchange coupon. The cancellation fee remains 15% as long as there is validation from our supplier that the exchange coupon has not been exchanged, whatever the date of cancellation up to one year after the date of issue.
We will use the regular JR pass here for example, as I am sure very few people would buy the Green class (upper class, business class, whatever you call it). We will also use JPY (Japanese Yen) as the currency unit for easy comparison.
The 7 / 14 / 21 days pass is extremely inflexible, and you have to plan your trip based on the dates. The best way to get the most out fo your JR pass is to take the Shinkansen bullet train, between major cities, like at least a return trip between Tokyo to Osaka; one way is a guaranteed lose, as per above table.
One will only be issued a proof-of-purchase before departing for Japan and will have to redeem the actual JR pass once you land. Usually intercontinental planes land on roughly the same time: morning or evening. If you are unlucky enough to land at the same time with multiple widebodies each carrying 300 passengers, the people waiting in front of the airport JR office are like a plate of spaghetti. Compounded with the fact that tourists are from different countries, the communication can be troublesome, further delaying the individual processing time.
This is a trip that I will be taking in October, as you can see, I land at 5pm and by 8pm I am already in Osaka. In Osaka I will be flying to the Itami airport as well, it is the one far more closer to the CBD than Kansai airport. If I was on a Hikari, I would likely to have just passed Yokohama.
If you are a true road warrior, doing a super long round the country tour in Japan, taking a ton of Shinkansen trips, then the 21-day JR pass could possibly make sense, however for a ordinary folk doing about 10 days trip, it is inflexible and costly, there are far better alternatives.
JAL: Japan Airlines, a One World Allance member, you should choose JAL if you are flying into Japan with JAL, Qantas, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, British Airways or any other One World members, check out the Japan Explorer Pass page here: _explorer_pass/lp/
The Japan Rail Pass (also known as JR Pass) is a multi-use ticket which offers incredible value for money. It is valid for journeys on all JR national trains including Shinkansen bullet trains and Narita Express trains. Passengers can select a pass which is valid for 7, 14 or 21 days and there is the option of Standard Pass or a Green Pass (first class).
As easy as the pass was to use, there were still a lot of things to know before buying a Japan Rail Pass. Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions, followed by our review and first-hand tips for buying and using the Japan Rail Pass.
While mainly beneficial for long distance travel, the JR pass can also be used in Osaka on the Loop Line and in Tokyo on five metropolitan lines (the Yamanote and Chuo lines are very helpful for getting around).
Upon purchase, you will be given an Exchange Order (voucher), which you then exchange for the actual JR Rail Pass once you arrive in Japan. Your Exchange Order must be turned in for a JR pass within three months of purchase.
Seat reservations are free of charge with the Japan Rail Pass. To make a reservation, go to any JR ticket office and show your pass. Tell them your intended departure date and time. You will then be given a reservation ticket to use alongside your pass.
In our case, the Japan Rail Pass did not save us money (based on our inter-city trips only). We spent $100 more buying the 14 day pass than if we had bought independent tickets. This was for a few reasons:
The Japan Rail Pass (also known as the JR Pass) was created to help travelers get around the country (similar to the Eurail pass in Europe). JR is the largest train operator in Japan, and the pass provides unlimited access to all its trains for a set price.
Several JR trains are included in the pass. The most popular is the shinkansen (bullet) train, which is the fastest train and goes to nearly every destination and region. The next fastest is the tokkyu (limited express). The kyuko (express) train comes next, followed by the kaisoku (rapid) and kakueki-teisha or futsu-densha (local trains that make every stop).
In addition to the standard and green JR passes, there are regional passes in case you are not traveling across the entire country. These options can save you even more money since they are cheaper than the regular JR passes. Each region has several pass options, usually ranging between one and seven days.
Can Japan Rail Pass be used on the Tokyo subway?
Yep, some of the subway lines (though not all) in Tokyo are run by JR, which means you can access them for free with your JR Pass. This is true for the entire country. Metro lines and local subway lines are excluded from the pass.
How do I activate the Japan Rail Pass?
To activate the JR Pass, bring your exchange order and your passport to a JR office in Japan. Once they verify your identity and visa status, they will activate your pass.
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