Important Things You Need to Know Before Buying JR Pass

1. What is the Japan Rail Pass?

The Japan Rail Pass (also known as the JR Pass) is a flat-fee pass that allows you to ride any train in the JR networkat any time without having to pay for tickets. It’s ideal for long-distance travel and is a great value.

Get this: Even Japanese citizens don’t get the same discounts on train travel that foreigners do on the Japan Rail Pass!

2. Conditions/Eligibility for using the JR Pass

Who can use the JR Pass?

Bookmark Japan Rail Pass Website

The JR Pass is available only for tourists visiting Japan on visits shorter than 90 days, and for Japanese citizens who are living abroad permanently.

Who can’t purchase a JR Pass?

If you are a foreigner but live and work in Japan, we’re sorry to say you are not eligible for a JR Pass.

Similarly, if you are a foreigner visiting Japan for non-tourist purposes, such as for research, for the military, for a work trip, etc., then you’re not eligible for a JR Pass.

3. Japan Rail Pass types and prices

Adult JR Passes

There are three different durations of the Japan Rail Pass. They are available for travel on consecutive days, for one, two or three weeks.


Here are how the prices break down for one adult (12 years of age or older) pass:

1 week (7 consecutive days) JR Pass: US$277
2 week (14 consecutive days) JR Pass: US$442
3 week (21 consecutive days) JR Pass: US$566

Children JR Passes


Japan Railways offers discounted passes for children from 6 to 11 years old.

The validity duration is the same as the adult pass, and prices break down as follows:

1 week (7 consecutive days) Child JR Pass: US$138
2 week (14 consecutive days) Child JR Pass: US$220
3 week (21 consecutive days) Child JR Pass: US$282

Japan Rail Green Passes


Japan Railways also offers a first-class Japan Rail Pass option for both children and adults, which is called the JR Green Pass.

The Green Pass allows you to sit in the first-class “Green Car” on all Shinkansen (bullet trains) and other applicable fast lines. The Green Car offers more legroom, comfortable seats, a hot towel, and on some lines, free beverages.

If you are traveling during the peak tourist months of May, August and September, we recommend getting a Green Pass, as the Green Cars are much less crowded.

Where to Purchase the Japan Rail Pass?

There’s a catch to purchasing the JR Pass: you MUST buy it outside of Japan (except at a few locations that are offering them on a trial basis in 2016; more info on this below).

The most convenient place to purchase a Japan Rail Pass is in your own home, online, at the click of a button.

In Japan

Starting in 2016, Japan Railways is making the purchase of JR Passes available at these three airports in Japan on a trial basis: Narita Airport, Haneda Airport and Kansai Airport.

But the most convenient way to buy a Japan Rail Pass is to do it from abroad, before arrival on Japan territory.


Outside of Japan

If you don’t want to purchase your JR Pass online, you can also purchase it at some agency offices in your home country, please check the links below:

North America
Europe
East Asia
For other countries, see this helpful page.

4. Validity of the Japan Rail Pass

The validity of the Japan Rail Pass is counted by calendar days, rather than by the hour.

So, if you start a 7-day pass at 5 p.m., it will expire at midnight of the seventh day, rather than at 5 p.m. on the eighth day.
For which transport can you use your Japan Rail Pass?

The JR Pass is good for travel on the following trains and transport:

All JR trains nationwide, including the Shinkansen, express, limited express, local and rapid trains.
All local JR buses, but not highway buses
A select number of non-JR train lines in remote areas that connect to isolated JR stations. These include certain sections of the Aomori Railway, the Ishikawa Railway and the Ainokaze Toyama 

Railway.

The JR Railway Ferry to Miyajima (return trip valid)
The Monorail from Haneda Airport to Tokyo (return trip valid)


Invalid routes

The JR Pass is not good for travel on the following trains and transports:
JR trains that use tracks owned by other private companies. There are only about a dozen of these.
The Nozomi Shinkansen along the Tokaido/Sanyo line and the Mizuho Shinkansen along the Sanyo/Kyushu line. These are the fastest Shinkansen trains on these lines, but other valid Shinkansens run these routes and are only slightly slower.
Suburban “liner trains,” which require “liner” tickets. But foreign tourists are unlikely to use these, as they exclusively service suburban areas.
Berths on night trains and other special compartments.


5. How To Use the JR Pass?

When you purchase your pass, you will be given a voucher that must be exchanged at major JR train stations in Japan for an actual pass.

For example, you can exchange your voucher for the pass at the JR stations at Narita or Kansai International Airport. The voucher must be exchanged for a pass within three months of the purchase date.

To exchange your voucher, you’ll have to show your passport, fill out a form, and choose your pass start date. Remember, your pass is only good for consecutive days from the start date.

You can reserve seats with your Japan Rail Pass for free at any JR ticketing office in Japan. Seat reservations are purely optional, but they can be nice to have if you’re planning on traveling during a busy season.

When it’s time for your train journey, be mindful that you cannot use the automated ticket gates. To reach your platform, you will have to present your Japan Rail Pass to the ticketing officer manning the non-automatic gate.

Here is an amateur video showing how to use your JR Pass.

6. What Are the Benefits of the Japan Rail Pass?

Aside from its cost-effectiveness, convenience and wide access to Japan’s best cities and attractions, the Japan Rail Pass offers a few more benefits:

You can make seat reservations for free
It’s good for most Shinkansen (bullet train) rides, saving you valuable travel time
Train travel is an excellent way to see vast areas of the country
You can ride in luxury if you opt for the JR Green Pass.


7. Regional Train Passes in Japan

If your travels are limited to a specific region of Japan, JR also offers region-specific passes: JR East Pass, JR Hokkaido Rail Pass, JR Kansai Area Pass, JR Kyushu Rail Pass and JR Sanyo Area Pass.

To purchase JR pass -->; click here

To purchase JR Subway pass --> click here

Scenic train journey's in Switzerland and Japan

Trains have always inspired me since young! It's an ultimate fascination that you can't imagine a life without train technology. I distinguish two categories of trains, one is the fast bullet train that people need to commute whereas the other category is sort of view train. Exciting slow trains to enjoy panoramic views for old and young. Especially tourists tend to rather book journeys selecting an enjoyable view train experience. The countries that are popular for viewing panorama's are Japan and Switzerland. Both countries share cutting edge railway technology that is unbeatable. Tourists from around the world visit Switzerland for spectacular panorama trips through the Swiss Alps. Switzerland is famous for two epic train lines which is the Glacier Express and Bernina Express that goes from Italy to Switzerland. Many people in Switzerland think that the trains are comfortable and definitely recommended over flights. If you travel by train in Switzerland, I would recomend to buy a Swiss Travel Pass which allows unlimited traveling throughout the country. I think that is the best choice for worry free traveling. The Glacier Express train runs from St. Moritz to Zermatt and takes about 7,5 hours. It passes through 91 tunnels and crosses the 2033m high Oberalp Pass, as well 291 bridges.

Popular among commuters - Swiss milk chocolate bars

When is the best time to visit Switzerland

September and the first half of October usually have great weather. Not for nothing that the grape harvest happens in early October each year!! I would suggest any time from mid September to mid Oct as being a really good time to visit.

I personally frequently travel in the mountains - this year I was in the Engadine - in the first two weeks of October. the trees are beginning to change colours, the nights are cool and crisp in the mountains and the days warm and sunny. Perfect! For the lakes and the towns any time to the end of October is usually fine.

In the ski resorts in the mountains everything will be open and "humming". Christmas is a very very busy period. If you are considering this Christmas it may well be too late to get a reservation - and in any case most hotels want bookings of 7 nights, from Sat to Sat. (21-28 or 28 Dec - 4 Jan)

The Bernina Express is a direct train from Chur to Tirano in Italy.

The Bernina Express crosses the beautiful canton of Graubünden from the north to the south. Chur to Tirano is the classic route, but in Summer there are more options: there is a Bernina Express from Davos and St. Moritz as well. All trains have in common that they cross the Bernina Pass and end in Tirano.

The journey from Chur takes about 4 hours. From Davos it takes 15 minutes less. The route from St. Moritz is shorter, about 2 hours, and does not include the north of Graubünden.

Popular Female Camping Urination Device

The Bernina Express route is an impressive piece of railway engineering: the train reaches an altitude of 2253 m, even higher than the Glacier Express, and without the help of cogwheel track. It requires lots of spiral loops, 55 tunnels and 196 bridges to accomplish this.

The landscape varies greatly, from high alpine scenery on the Bernina Pass to Mediterranean scenery in the Poschiavo valley to Tirano.

In Summer, there is a connecting Bernina Express bus from Tirano to Lugano, that adds another 3 hours to the journey. All sections are beautiful in their own way. Most of the route is really worth it. If you ask us, it's only the tunnels and the area just outside Chur that is less pretty. In all that's perhaps half an hour of the total trip. If you don't have the time to do the complete Bernina Express route, just pick the section that is closest to your base town. Visitors will be able to see a vast and beautiful panorama when the sky is blue and no clouds in sight. The food in the Bernina Express route is excellent too. 

The famous Aescher Cliff

Train Travel in Japan

Another fascination are the incredible trains of Japan. Needless to say, Japan has more than 15 railway companies. The largest Japan railway company is Japan Railways JR. JR stands for Japan Railways. There are several branches of the Japan Railways Group depending on the location–for instance, Japan Railways East (JR East) covers Tohoku and Kanto, where Tokyo is. Likewise, JR West does Kansai and JR Kyushu does Kyushu.

If you are staying in a hotel or a hostel, there is most likely information available with directions on how to get to the nearest train station. However, I put this question here for a reason. Make sure you know if you’re traveling by metro or JR, and which line you’re using, because depending on the station, you could end up wasting your day trying to find out where you need to go. Simply asking “where is Shinjuku station” or “where is Tokyo station” could land you on the opposite end of where you need to be, and by the time you get where you need to go, precious time will have been lost.

As a tourist, I would suggest to buy a Rail Pass. Yes! If you are traveling to Japan on a tourist visa–

Universal Plug-in Adapter

which is up to 90 days, so short-term exchange students may be on a tourist visa–you are eligible for the JR Rail Pass. You buy this before you come to Japan, and you are not able to get it within the country. It begins when you want it to–so if you are in Japan for two weeks, but aren’t traveling for the first week, you can activate it when the second week starts.

I won’t go into much more detail than that on the JR Rail Pass. Instead, if you aren’t on a tourist visa, you can purchase a prepaid IC card, which you can load with money and just touch-and-go when you enter and exit through the ticket gates. It’s much more convenient than buying tickets all the time, and it removes the hassle of staring at the train map in front of the ticket machines going “@%$#& BUT HOW MUCH IS IT!?”

One of the most fascinating trains is the luxurious Kyushu Seven Stars Train! Seven Stars is the first luxury sleeper train in Japan. It made its inaugural run in Oct 2013. Seven Stars is the creation of JR Kyushu Chairman Koji Karaike and designer Eiji Mitooka. For over twenty years Karaike had dreamed of making this “Cruise Train” a reality. The result is a collaboration of designer Mitooka and local artisans, who have beautifully furnished the train with their masterpieces. Discover the island of Kyushu on Seven Stars, and look forward to an experience only possible in Kyushu. On the Seven Stars, passengers can enjoy the beautiful Kyushu scenery as it flows by their windows. The courses on the Seven Stars are highlights of the best that Kyushu has to offer. The train does not just push through the journey. At certain points passengers will alight from the train to participate in excursions, making this train a new kind of travel experience.

Japan's top 10 scenic train lines

1. Gono Line (Akita Prefecture)
2. Tsugaru Line–Aomori
3. Kurobe Gorge Railway ( Toyama Prefecture)
4. Nishikigawa Railway (Yamaguchi Prefecture)
5. Ikawa Line (Shizuoka Prefecture)
6. Fujikyuko Line (Yamanashi Prefecture)
7. Kisuki Line (Shimane Prefecture)
8. Seto Ohashi Line (Okayama Prefecture)
9. Hohi Line (Kumamoto Prefecture)
10. Take a Steam Locomotive ride (SL Trains)

Scenery from Gono Line - Shimonada Station

Gono Line

This is a JR East Japan local railway connecting from Kawabe Station in Aomori Prefecture to

Zojirushi Original Lunch Jar

Higashi-Noshiro Station of AkitaPrefecture. The line is 147.2 km long included 43 stations. The train passes the shore of the Sea of Japan, highly rated landscape such as World Heritage Site Shirakami Mountains and the Sunset view of Senjojiki which listed among "Top 100 sunsets of Japan". There is a 9.5 m long Senbokuiwa Tunnel, which is the shortest tunnel of JR east Japan line that connected Mutsuiwasaki Station and Juniko Station, it also becomes a hot photo shooting spot. Through the line you can easily access to sea-facing Furofushi Hot Spring (5 min by shuttle bus from WeSPa-Tsubakiyamae Station), blue Aoike pond, one of the Twelve Lakes (From Juniko Station take Konan bus, get off at "Okujuko") and other tourist facilities.

The special train, "Resort Shirakami Limited Express" is especially popular. The train runs between JR Aomori Station, Shin-AomoriStation and Hirosaki Station to JR Akita Station. The whole trip takes 5 to 5 and a half hours to finish. Meanwhile you can look through the window to enjoy the view and have some light snacks also enjoy the live music which occasionally performed on the train.

You can purchase a 2 day "Gono Line Pass",(adults – 3810 yen) and for "Shirakami Limited Express" a special reservation is required.

Access

Get on Ou hon-line from JR Akita Station and transfer at Higashinoshiro Station. Or get on Ou hon-line from JR Aomori Station and transfer at Kawabe Station. You can take Express Resort shirakami-Kou directly from JR Aomori Station, Shin Aomori Station and Akita Station.