There are so many ways to travel across Japan. Plane, tram, boat even. But when it comes to fast and reliable travel, none of these holds a candle to the bullet train.
Bullet trains or the Shinkansen (新幹線) as they’re called in Japan, are operated by Japan Railways (JR). And so to incentivise tourism, JR offers discounted train tickets for foreigners called a JR Pass.
In this article, we break down the ABCs of a JR Pass and help you decide whether or not it’s worth buying.
Oh, and a little disclaimer before we begin…
All information supplied is sourced from my own experience from when I first solo travelled to Japan, in June 2023.
Also, effective 1 October 2023, the cost of a JR Pass will drastically increase. Even with this major price hike, a JR Pass is still worth considering. So keep reading to find out more!
What is a JR Pass?
In a nutshell, a JR Pass is a little green paper ticket that grants you access to JR’s major Shinkansen lines across the country. Making your travels easy, quick and oh-so comfy.
JR Pass vs Regional JR Pass
There are two types of JR Passes to choose from. A JR Pass and a Regional JR Pass.
A JR Pass offers unlimited travel across (most) JR Shinkansen lines across the country, while a Regional JR Pass only grants you access within a specific area of Japan.
There are 6 types of JR Regional Passes:
- JR Hokkaido Pass
- JR East Pass
- JR Central Pass
- JR West Pass
- JR Shikoku Pass
- JR Kyushu Pass
Naturally, you may consider buying a Regional Pass over a JR Pass if you’re only traveling within a certain area of Japan.
Green Pass vs Standard Pass
Just like a plane ticket, pending on your budget and travel style, A JR Pass has different seat classes to choose from:
1) JR Green Pass (think Business Class/Premium Economy)
2) JR Standard/Ordinary Pass (Economy)
Both passes can only be purchased for either: 7-days, 14-days, or 21-days.
I bought a 7-days JR Standard Pass. But don’t let the word ‘Standard’ throw you. These seats are comfy, spacious (even for tall people like me), and have ample overhead storage space.
However, if you decide to splash out and buy a Green Pass this will essentially buy you more legroom, a wider seat, and a less busy carriage (as the premium price tends to deter seat uptake).
If you’d like to find out more about the different seat classes, check out this blog on the Inside Kyoto website. They go into more depth about its pros/cons.
What does a JR Pass NOT cover?
Sadly, the JR Pass doesn’t cover all major lines across the country. Below are the trains/lines not covered:
● NOZOMI
● MIZUHO
● Subways
● Private Railways
Is buying a JR Pass even worth it?
Well, it depends. Both on your itinerary and length of stay. Because needless to say, a JR pass ain’t cheap. A 7-days pass alone will set you back nearly $400 NZD! And that’s before the price hike in October 2023 (ouch!).
So do your due diligence and check to see if it’s worth it.
‘How’ I hear you ask? Keep reading below…
Japan Rail Pass Calculator
The Japan Rail Pass Calculator is the perfect way to litmus test your itinerary. Once you’ve input your travel destinations, it’ll calculate how much it’ll cost and whether it’s financially worth it or not.
So if you take away anything from this article, heed this advice..
Use the JR calculator before buying any kind of JR ticket.
Pictured below is a snapshot of my actual JR calculator data:
As you can see, I opted for a JR 7-days Pass which covered the itinerary of my 10-day Japan trip. I travelled across 3 major cities (with mini stops in between) totalling approximately ¥41,500 worth of travel costs.
Hence buying a JR Pass was worth it.
But say you’re planning to do the bulk of your travel in and around Tokyo, with a few day trips on the side, it probably doesn’t make sense to buy a JR Pass. And instead, you may find it better to use a Pasmo card (rechargeable commuter card) and buying individual train tickets as and when needed.
Who can buy a JR Pass?
Eligible foreigners visiting Japan for:
- Tourism
- Visiting friends/relatives
- Business
- Attending a conference and/or other unpaid activities
So pretty much eligible foreigners entering Japan with the ‘Temporary Visitor’s’ visa. For all my dual citizen bredrens out there, you sadly cannot buy and use a JR Pass entering the country with a Japanese passport.
How to collect my JR Pass?
Once landing in Japan (no matter the airport), be sure to take a b-line to the immigration line with a human checking the passports. Avoiding the e-gates altogether.
Why?
Because it’s Immigration who will check your arrival forms and put a special sticker in your passport — officially giving you Temporary Visitor Status.
Without this sticker, you cannot collect your JR pass. Point blank. No bueno. No exceptions.
In short: no sticker = no JR Pass 🙁
So please don’t forget this step! But don’t fret, providing you don’t go through the e-gates, skipping this step is pretty much impossible.
Where can I buy a JR Pass?
There are multiple places where you can buy a JR pass. In fact, googling ‘Where to buy a JR pass?’ brings up an anxiety-inducing amount of search results.
So as someone with bad analysis paralysis, I did what any normal person does…consult YouTube.
I randomly found a clip of foreign travellers endorsing getting a JR Pass from the official Japan Rail Pass website. This answer was also echoed by the very helpful subreddit r/JapanTravel.
So yeah, I’d 100% recommend purchasing it from Japan Rail Pass.
A bonus of buying it from them is that it seems to be the only website that allows passengers to reserve their seats in advance. Super handy when you want to pre-plan your trips, or simply want to book a window/aisle seat (all incorporated within the price of your ticket).
Not to mention, it saves you major queue waiting time.
This alone was worth it to me. Just collect your ticket at one of the self check-in ticket kiosks. But if you’re ever in a pickle, you can always reserve and pick up your train ticket at the ticket office at the train station (they just tend to be much busier!).
So is a JR Pass really worth it?!
Totally! But it may not be for you. Everyone’s journey is different.
You don’t have to know every nook and cranny of your visit, simply knowing which regions in Japan you’d like to see will help you decide whether to buy a JR Pass, a Regional Pass or nothing at all.
Remember folks, you’ve got this!
I genuinely hope this blog helps with your Japan travels. I had a blast exploring the country, and can’t wait to return!
Let me know if I’ve missed anything, or if you have any Japan-related travel questions!
Mata ne!
Words by Muddy Mae Suggins
Illustration by mad at the pen