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Updated: September 2019<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n To Japan Rail Pass, or not to Japan Rail Pass, that is the question! Fortunately, the answer is quite simple. Is a Japan Rail Pass Worth it? Yes, it is if you plan to travel by train for at least $260 (\u00a529,110) in 7 days. This is one of the most common itineraries for tourists in Japan:<\/strong><\/p>\n If this is your itinerary, a Japan Rail Pass is worth it. You\u2019ll save about \u00a54,000 ($40). Stick a few more train journeys in there, and you will save a lot more!<\/strong><\/p>\n Want to read about my INSANE<\/strong> savings with the JR Pass<\/a>? Jump down! <\/a><\/p>\n A JR Pass is the most cost-effective all year* round travel alternative for tourists planning to travel a fair amount by train in Japan. It gives you an unlimited amount of train journeys within a set number of days, depending on the type of JR Pass you buy. You get access to the\u00a0Shinkansen network, express\/local trains and more.<\/p>\n * Not in a rush? Not bothered by speed? You should really check out the Seishun 18 ticket<\/a>. It is<\/strong>\u00a0the cheapest<\/u> way to travel in Japan but you can only use it specific times of the year. Check out if it lines up with your trip.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Don’t need a JR Pass? Only want to know the best ways of getting to Osaka and Kyoto from Tokyo? Check out these articles:<\/p>\n Tokyo to Kyoto<\/a><\/em> This sounds like a lot but it\u2019s not complicated, and if you have your itinerary ready you should have no problems finding the right JR Pass for you. It\u2019s quite simple: You need to choose duration\u00a0<\/strong>+ comfort. <\/strong>That is\u00a03<\/strong> * 2<\/strong> options.<\/p>\n There are three different durations to chose from:<\/u><\/p>\n If you\u2019re only staying in Japan for a week, this is a no-brainer. If you\u2019re staying for 14 days, I would consider condensing most of my travel to a 7-day period so I could get the cheaper 7-day pass. Do you have plans to travel by train throughout your 14-day stay, you should probably go for the 14-day pass.<\/p>\n There are two comfort levels:<\/u><\/p>\n Standard seats<\/strong> on trains in Japan are of good quality. They\u2019re usually comfortable, and they\u2019re more spacious than your typical airline seats. Although I prefer to travel in a green car (1st class), you\u2019ll be quite comfortable in the standard cars. The green pass is more of a luxury option if you want to splurge or somewhat of a necessity if you want to guarantee seats in the peak season.<\/p>\n Green seats<\/strong> are larger than the regular seats, and they come with a footrest. There is more room between the seat rows, and you can recline your seat 40\u00b0. You get more frequent service, and on some lines, the onboard staff will offer you a traditional oshibori (small hot towel). The cars with green seats are usually less crowded, and you should consider buying a Green pass<\/a> if you\u2019re going to Japan between June and September. This is the peak season for both tourists and locals to use the trains, due to all the festivals and national celebrations.<\/p>\n Speaking of service, did I mention they serve beer on Shinkansen trains? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Let’s take a quick look at the prices. It may seem rather expensive at first but remember that Shinkansen is a high-end mode of transportation. And if you buy single tickets as you go, you’ll easily spend more than what a 7-day pass costs.<\/p>\n ($1 = \u00a5112 \/ September 2019)<\/p>\n [table id=6 responsive=scroll \/] So who is eligible for the Japan Rail Pass? The JR Pass<\/a> is designed for tourists and the only people allowed to purchase and use it are short-term visitors. Inhabitants in Japan can only dream of using this great offer.<\/p>\n When you arrive in Japan as a tourist, you\u2019ll get a Temporary Visitor Visa. It allows you to stay in the country for up to 90 days and you are not allowed to engage in any paid activities.<\/p>\n If you are a Japanese national and can prove you have been living abroad for the last ten years, you\u2019re also eligible for a JR Pass.<\/p>\n Earlier you could only buy a Japan Rail Pass online<\/a>, but right now there\u2019s a trial period where you\u2019re able to buy a JR Pass at a limited number of locations in Japan. But buying the pass in Japan is about 15% more expensive, so my advice is just to order it online. I\u2019ve done it a bunch of times and never had any problems with it. Not only is it cheaper but it\u2019s also a lot easier.<\/p>\n By the way, when I say \u201cbuy a JR Pass\u201d I\u2019m actually talking about an exchange voucher you have to turn in to get your actual JR Pass, once you get to Japan. There\u2019s no way to get the actual JR Pass mailed to you. But don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s easy to transform your exchange voucher into a JR Pass. I\u2019ll walk you through it in a minute.<\/p>\n What should you consider when deciding where to buy the Japan Rail Pass online? Here are a few tips.<\/strong><\/p>\n I use www.jrailpass.com<\/a>\u00a0(I\u2019ve been linking to it throughout) which is not only the cheapest but also the most reputable vendor. They have safe payment with secure servers, and the delivery is fast and cheap. The shipping is even free if you order for the minimum amount. Along with your ticket purchase, you\u2019ll also get a free \u201cJR Pass Guide.\u201d But since you\u2019re reading this guide, you probably won\u2019t need it. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n I\u2019ve ordered from them many times and never had any problems. But one time I made a mistake when I purchased Japan Rail Passes for a group of friends. The name on the JR Pass needs to be identical to the name in the passport, but somehow I misspelled it. I contacted\u00a0jrailpass.com<\/a>, and they corrected my spelling mistake right away. That\u2019s the only time I\u2019ve needed to reach out to them, so I don’t have a lot of experience with their support, but at least that time it was professional and fast.<\/p>\n I also like them because they have a\u00a0straightforwardly and easy-to-use website. Click, click, order, sit back and wait for the mail! Like I said, after buying your JR Pass you actually don\u2019t get the pass itself mailed to you, you get an exchange voucher. This is the case for every JR Pass vendor<\/strong> including jrailpass.com<\/a>. Once you arrive in Japan, you\u2019ll be able to exchange your exchange voucher for the real Japan Rail Pass.<\/p>\n You need to head to a JR Agency (JR Sales Office \/ JR Service Senter \/ JR Exchange Office) to transform your voucher into the real deal. You can find Japan Rail Offices in Narita and Haneda Airport and all the major cities. In the small guide you receive in the mail with your exchange voucher there\u2019s a handy map showing the locations of some of the relevant JR agencies.<\/p>\n Most of you will be landing at either Narita Airport or Haneda Airport so I would suggest you get your pass there. Although it\u2019s usually a bit crowded so if you\u2019re not using your JR Pass for the Narita Express you can put the exchange off until you get to Tokyo. You can turn in your exchange voucher in Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno, and a bunch of other locations. I\u2019ve actually listed all of them in the collapsible list below.<\/p>\n [expand title=”Click here to see all the JR Ticket Offices<\/u><\/strong>“]<\/p>\n Congrats, now you have your official JR Pass! Take good care of it because if you lose it, it cannot be refunded for any reason.<\/strong><\/p>\n First of all: You don\u2019t have to<\/u> reserve seats. Usually, you can just jump on a car with non-reserved seats. If all the non-reserved seats are occupied, you\u2019ll have to stand until something opens up. If you\u2019re traveling as a group and you want to sit together, you should reserve seats.<\/em><\/p>\n Seat reservations are included in both the standard and the green JR Pass. As you know with the pass you\u2019re eligible for an unlimited amount of train journeys 24\/7 for a set number of days. To reserve a seat, you just have to let Japan Railways know when you\u2019re traveling!<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what you do<\/strong>: Go to any ticket office and present your JR Pass<\/a> and specify your destination and your approximate departure hour. The staff is accommodating and will help you find the best departure time for you. If you already know the exact train you\u2019re traveling with, just say something like: \u201cI would like to reserve a seat for Kyoto on Shinkansen leaving 12:05 p.m. tomorrow, please.\u201d Then you\u2019ll get your reserved seat ticket, and you\u2019re all set.<\/p>\n But keep in mind, there are a limited amount of seats available for reservation, so if you\u2019re traveling as a large group, it\u2019s not guaranteed you\u2019ll be able to sit together. This is especially true if you make your reservation close to the departure and during the peak season (June to September). In fact, a couple of years ago I was going from Tokyo to Kyoto<\/a> by myself but was unable to reserve a seat on my preferred train because it was fully booked. But as you all know the Japanese railway system is incredible and the departures are very frequent, so I just hopped on the next train which left something like 12 minutes later.<\/p>\n Pro tip 1:<\/strong> Use HyperDia<\/a>\u00a0to plan your train journeys and print out all the information and hand it to the service person at the counter. The desk clerk can now reserve seats on all the trains you plan to ride in a swift and orderly fashion. This way you can reserve seats for your whole travel itinerary in just a matter of seconds.<\/p>\n Pro tip 2:<\/strong> If you\u2019re going from Tokyo to Kyoto<\/a>, be sure to reserve a seat on the right side of the train<\/strong> so you\u2019ll get a great view of Mount Fuji<\/a>. (Left<\/strong> side when going the other way. Duh!)<\/p>\n If you have a reserved seat, the car and seat number are clearly stated on your ticket. And no, you don\u2019t have to know any kanji! On the monitors on the platforms, you can see where the different cars stop so now you just have to find the right area of the platform and wait for your train – which is almost always on time.<\/p>\n The trains usually stay at the station for a short period of time (under a minute), so make sure you\u2019re at the right place when it arrives. And this is a no-brainer, but not everybody gets it: Let people disembark before you board!<\/strong><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have a reserved seat, you need to find your way to the car with non-reserved seats. Check out the monitors, and they\u2019ll guide you to the right part of the platform.<\/p>\n By the way, if you\u2019re late and bearly manage to board the train before it leaves, you can always find the right car after you\u2019ve boarded. The reason I\u2019m stressing that you should wait by the right car is that the Japanese train system is so punctual and efficient that we all should try to contribute to its awesomeness.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re anything like me, you like to get your business in order as early as possible. I\u2019m big on reading guides and planning, but here you\u2019ll actually have to be careful not to buy your JR Pass too early<\/em>. You have to turn in your exchange voucher within 90 days of the purchase. This is a crucial point so let me repeat: You have to activate your Japan Rail Pass no later than three months (90 days) after your purchase it. If you decide to buy your JR Pass online on 1 January, you have to be in Japan to activate it before 1 April.<\/p>\n In general, it\u2019s good to plan ahead, but in this case, there\u2019s something called \u201ctoo far ahead.\u201d So be sure not to make this mistake!<\/p>\n You can use your JR Pass on every train operated by the Japan Railways Group<\/a>\u00a0with two exceptions. The JR Pass is not valid for rides on Nozomi, and Mizuho trains on the Shinkansen network (bullet trains). This isn\u2019t a big problem and let me tell you why.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re going from Tokyo to Kyoto<\/a>, you cannot take the Nozomi train, but you can take Hikari and Kodama.<\/p>\n Nozomi<\/strong>: 2 hours and 20 minutes Hikari is not as fast as Nozomi, but it\u2019s still pretty fast with it\u2019s operating speed of 185 mph (300 km\/h)!<\/p>\n To get an idea of the Japan Railways Group\u2019s coverage you can check out this Nationwide Route Map<\/a>. Yes, there are actually a few non-Japan Railways lines where you can use your JR Pass.<\/p>\n All of these lines have some special conditions with set limitations on which stations you can disembark on. So before you jump on any of these trains, I would ask the staff to help you out because this one can be a bit tricky.<\/p>\n Yes, it even works with a ferry! The JR West Miyajima Ferry<\/a>. I\u2019ve never used it myself, but it\u2019s pretty cool that it\u2019s covered.<\/p>\n The JR Pass also covers the Tokyo Monorail<\/a>, which is the best way to get to Tokyo from Haneda Airport.<\/p>\n And lastly, the Japan Rail Pass covers some JR Bus lines, but not the express buses. This is subject to constant change, so you, unfortunately, need to look it up when you\u2019re there.\n
What is a Japan Rail Pass?<\/h2>\n
\nTokyo to Osaka<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nSix Different Types of JR Passes<\/h2>\n
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![\"Two](\"https:\/\/thetokyotourist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Beer-Shinkansen-Tokyo-Kyoto-Large.jpg\")
How Much Does a Japan Rail Pass Cost?<\/h2>\n
\nChildren under the age of 6 are free if they don’t occupy a seat. Children ages 6-11 get 50% off.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nWho Can Buy a Japan Rail Pass?<\/h2>\n
How Do You Buy a Japan Rail Pass?<\/h2>\n
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\n![\"Screengrab](\"https:\/\/thetokyotourist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Japan-Rail-Pass-Order.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHow to Activate Your JR Pass \/ Exchange Your Voucher for a Rail Pass<\/h2>\n
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![\"Map](\"https:\/\/thetokyotourist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Japan-Rail-Pass-Locations-For-Exchange-Large.jpg\")
When you\u2019re at a JR agency, you need to fill out a simple form with your name, nationality, etc. Fill out the form BEFORE you head to the counter to give it to the desk clerk.<\/strong> But pay attention, here\u2019s the most important thing: On the form, they also ask to fill in the \u201cfirst day of use.\u201d The JR Pass will be valid from the date you put down as the first day of use and the next 7\/14\/21 consecutive days, depending on the duration of your Japan Rail Pass. You will not be able to use the pass before the first day of use, and you will not be able to change the date once you set it.<\/p>\nHow Do You Reserve Seats With a JR Pass?<\/h2>\n
![\"Areal](\"https:\/\/thetokyotourist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Areal-Photo-of-Snow-Covered-Mount-Fuji-Large-Feature.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHow Do I Find My Reserved Seat?<\/h2>\n
![\"Seat](\"https:\/\/thetokyotourist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Seat-reservation.Japan-Rail-Pass.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhen Should I Buy My JR Pass?<\/h2>\n
Which Trains Are The Japan Rail Pass Valid On?<\/h2>\n
\nHikari<\/strong>: 2 hours and 40 minutes
\nKodama<\/strong>: 3 hours 40 minutes.<\/p>\n
\nYou can check out the Shinkansen network on the Bullet Train Railway Map<\/a>.<\/p>\nCan You Use The Japan Rail Pass On non-JR Trains?<\/h3>\n
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Can You Use The Japan Rail Pass On Other Transport Than Trains?<\/h3>\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\nHow Much I Saved when I Used the Japan Rail Pass<\/h2>\n
![\"JRP](\"https:\/\/thetokyotourist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/JRP-BANNER-The-Tokyo-Tourist.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Screengrab](\"https:\/\/thetokyotourist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/HyperDia-settings-Japan-Rail-Pass-Large.jpg\")
![\"Is](\"https:\/\/thetokyotourist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Is-a-Japan-Rail-Pass-Worth-it-Pinterest.jpg\")
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