by Bryce Marley-Jarrett
One of the first things after booking a trip to Japan that you need to consider is whether a ‘Japan Rail Pass’ is necessary for your trip. Many travel agencies and websites will tell you to buy one without really saying if you will get your money’s worth. Today’s Japlanning Tips guide is all about the amazing Japan Rail Pass, and we’ll show what you need to travel at a minimum to get your money's worth out of each rail pass.
The Japan Rail pass, which is also known as the JR Pass, is a fantastic offer from the Japan Railways Group for International visitors to Japan. Before we get to the nitty gritty on what you need to travel to actually find a rail pass worthwhile lets take a brief look at the details.
JAPAN RAIL PASS
The Japan Rail Pass comes in two options with validities ranging between 7 and 21 days.
There are two kinds of passes to consider: Standard or Green Car. The easiest way to explain this is to compare them to economy and business / first class on an airline - standard carriage on the Shinkansen is equivalent to (but so much better than) economy travel. Green car is the Shinkansen first class. The primary difference between the classes is a more comfortable chair.
Japlanning Tip: Go with the Standard Car pass. Standard on a shinkansen is nothing like economy on a plane. The seats are comfy, big, with huge leg room and have a great recline.
Purchasing your Japan Rail Pass
Photo credit - jose.jhg
You must purchase your rail pass before entering Japan. You cannot buy them in Japan. Most Travel Agents sell them, as well as many online providers, Japlanning recommend:
You must also not be a citizen of Japan, be a Japanese citizen residing permanently outside Japan. When exchanging your pass you will be required to provide proof (passport for foreigners, and passport showing permanent residency outside Japan for citizens). For full conditions read here.
Exchanging your Rail Pass Order
When you buy your rail pass, you will be sent a voucher for you to hand over in Japan for your actual pass. When you receive it, you will be given a pamphlet with a list of all major exchange places. Among other locations, airports with train stations, all Shinkansen stations, and major JR railway stations across Japan will typically have a desk to exchange at.
What transport you can use your pass on
Japan has countless train lines, both run by a branch of JR, and also private operators. Here is a basic list of what transport you can use your rail pass to travel on.
Photo credit - megawheel360
Unlimited Travel on all Japan Railways (JR) transportation, including:
All Shinkansen lines, except NOZOMI and MIZUHO (express or faster trains) services
JR local trains across Japan
Narita Express train (N’EX)
Kansai Airport Express train
JR Bus Company local lines across Japan
JR Highway / Overnight Buses across Japan
JR Miyajima ferry
You can also use it for boarding of the following non-JR Lines
Tokyo Monorail, between Hamamatsucho Station and Haneda Airport
Aoimori Railway
Your Japan Rail Pass is also valid for booking reserved seats on Shinkansens. Simply show your pass at the ticket office and you can have tickets booked seats on the train of your choosing, free of charge.
Japlanning Tip: Book your Shinkansen tickets early, as reservations do sell out. Can’t get a reservation? Try jumping on a non-reserved carriage - but these seats are on an as-available basis.
You can also get discounts when staying at JR Group hotels across Japan when holding a Japan Rail Pass.
Validity
The Rail Passes validity is based on calendar days. So if you start using it at 6pm on Day 1 it will still expire at Midnight on Day 7, 14 or 21. The rail pass is valid for continuous days, not travel days - so if you don’t use it on days 3 and 5, they are lost.
Japlanning Tip - Don’t exchange your pass until your first full day, to get the most chance of getting a FULL 7, 14 or 21 days use.
DO YOU NEED A RAIL PASS?
Photo credit- twicepix
Now that we have all the details on what you get with your rail pass and the conditions, it’s time to find out: do you really need a rail pass for your next journey to Japan?
You could do a lot of googling and dealing with non-English websites to try and figure out if it is going to be worthwhile for you to grab a Rail Pass before you leave for Japan, however we have put together a basic “minimum travel” guide below for each length of pass, so you can quickly see if a Rail Pass is going to be worth your hard earned yen.
We will only be looking at the standard adult passes to see if the money saved is worth it.
Let’s start with the 7 Day Standard Rail Pass.
Photo credit - OiMax
Let’s get the easiest out of the way. If you are not planning to leave one area, say you fly into Tokyo and plan to stay in Tokyo or its immediate are, a rail pass is not for you. Simply, you will not get the amount spent used in JR Rail local trains, as opposed to purchasing a Suica Card or various 1-day Subway / JR Rail tourist passes.
To get the value out of a 7-day adult Standard Car Rail Pass, you need to travel at a minimum:
N’EX from Narita Airport to Tokyo (¥3,020 one way ticket)
Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka, return (¥14,140 each way - ¥28,280 total)
With just the Narita Express (N’EX) and a return trip on a shinkansen to Kyoto or Osaka, you have already had ¥31,300 value from your Japan Rail Pass. Once you use it on local JR Lines in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo, you will have made a real bargain out of your Rail Pass Purchase.
Photo credit - ykanazawa1999
oving up to the 2-week pass, you need to be travelling a bit more than we have shown as the minimum for the 7-day. Remember: if you're there for 2 weeks but only needing Shinkansen travel for a portion, grab a 7-day and save some yen.
To get the value out of a 14-day adult Standard Car Rail Pass, you need to travel at a minimum:
Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka, return (¥14,140 each way - ¥28,280 total)
Osaka to Hiroshima, return (¥10,230 each way - ¥20,460 total)
With just adding a day trip to Hiroshima from Osaka (a 90 minute Shinkansen each way), you are already ahead - having received the equivalent of ¥48,740 fares from your Japan Rail Pass. Bonus: you get to use the amazing Shinkansen Network, and see more of Japan. Again, once you factor in all the local travel on JR Lines and N’EX travel, and you will be getting so much value from your pass.
Photo credit - kaboki
We’re up to the big daddy of the Japan Rail Pass. This is the 21-day (that’s 3 weeks of rail in Japan) for around AU$600. You are going to want to be traveling all over Japan with this pass to get some incredible value, and with that amount of time you could easily get over ¥100,000 of train travel for less than ¥60,000. Let’s take a look.
To get the value out of a 21-day adult Standard Car Rail Pass, you need to travel at a minimum:
Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka, return (¥14,140 each way - ¥28,280 total)
Osaka to Hiroshima, return (¥10,230 each way - ¥20,460 total)
Tokyo to Sendai, return (¥11,200 each way - ¥22,400 total)
Just with 3 return trips of a decent length (ranging from 90-mins one way, to 2.5 hours one way) you will have received the equivalent of ¥71,140 in fares from your 21-day Rail Pass, well more than the ¥59,350 price you paid for it. Again adding in local and N’EX trips and you will get incredible value of 21 days.
These are all examples using the most popular tourist routes on the Shinkansen network. You will find the prices show a good indication of other Shinkansen trips based on similar distances.
The Rail Pass is a great value item for international travelers coming to Japan. With the best high speed rail network in the world, Japan makes it easy for foreigners to see the most of their country, without breaking the bank on expensive Shinkansen tickets. The key to finding out if you should get a Rail Pass is to look at your planned/dream itinerary and see if you will need to take the minimum, as shown above, return Shinkansen journeys to make up the money spent on purchasing the pass.
Have you ever used a Japan Rail Pass while travelling around Japan? What was the best value you got from your pass?
Tell us in the comments below!