Known around the world for being clean, fast and efficient, the trains in Japan are an excellent way to see the country. Plus, riding in one of those famous Shinkansen bullet trains is a bucket list experience in itself! The only major downfall about the trains in Japan is that a single ride can be expensive. Travelers in Japan are eligible for a special pass that gives you unlimited train access at a steeply discounted rate.
Yes, that means that you as a tourist get a better price on transportation than Japanese people get in their own country! Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you would like to learn more, please read our disclosure and privacy policy. By purchasing this pass, you will have unlimited access to specific trains during a 7-day, day, or day period.
So bookmark it, take screenshots, or pin it for later! It is packed with advice that will save you money and numerous headaches! We condensed a lot of this article into this video below. As you can see, the longer the pass, the less expensive it is per day. People will have different opinions on whether the upgrade is worthwhile, but we found the regular pass to be very comfortable and just right for what we needed. Compared to trains in many other countries, the regular class felt like first!
The only time we think this upgrade might be worth the money is during very busy times of the year, like during Golden Week in Japan. Children 5 and under are free yay! And it might not be a good choice for everyone. Honestly, the answer varies for each traveler.
Not only do you get unlimited train rides on the famous Shinkansen bullet trains one of the fastest trains in the world , but you can also utilize some of the local buses, subways and ferries throughout Japan. Bonus Tip: Use your J-Rail pass to go from Osaka to Hiroshima on a day trip and explore the highlights of this historically significant city.
As we explained above, the cost of the 7-day pass is almost equivalent to the roundtrip fare from Tokyo to Osaka.
And if you plan to visit any more than these two locations, well, the pass will absolutely pay for itself. This is going to be true of most travelers in Japan. However, there are exceptions. Keep reading to see if you fit into any of these categories:. That said, even the fastest route 15 minutes! So if these are the only two cities on your Japan itinerary , you may not need to purchase the JR Pass. When you add the cost of getting to and from the airports, the roundtrip fare from Osaka to Tokyo is more expensive than the 7-day JR Pass.
If you plan to spend several days in one area of Japan, the JR Pass may not be worthwhile, as it must be used for consecutive days. For example, if you are a backpacker and are planning to do some hiking or WorkAways to keep costs low on your trip to Japan, the JR Pass might not be the best option for you.
Tip: You may want to consider getting a shorter pass, like the 7-day, and use those days to do the majority of your traveling. What it boils down to is this: The Japan Rail Pass will likely save you money if you are visiting two or more cities in Japan. For example, if you plan to travel in Japan for 2 weeks, a 7-day pass might be all you need if you plan to spend the beginning and end of your trip in one place. Be sure to look up how much each individual train ticket costs — check on Hyperdia or by plugging in your route to the fantastically user-friendly and free!
We did just that and recorded our findings below to show you how much money the Japan Rail Pass saved us. During both trips, we had a Japan Rail Pass, and both times it saved us money. During this trip, we purchased the 7-day pass , which was a lot of money for us to fork over at the time. We were living and teaching English in South Korea at the time, and compared to the cost of trains in Korea, we felt like the JR Pass was super expensive.
We know it can be frustrating handing over a big chunk of money like that before your trip — our JR Pass was more expensive than our flight to and from Korea, after all! But it turned out to actually save us a ton of money. This in no way affects our writing. During this trip, we ordered the day pass, since we were traveling to many places and doing so quite quickly. Since we were traveling around so much of Japan, we knew the pass would be well worth the money. Do you want to save money when traveling in Japan?
Instead, most tourists buy the Hakone Free Pass, which includes all bus, boat, and cable car transportation in the area. The Koyasan World Heritage Ticket is what most visitors use for this area. Instead, visitors must purchase bus tickets, which can be quite expensive.
Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route : To travel through this area, visitors must take a handful of different modes of transport, including buses, cable cars, and funiculars, all of which is included in the Tateyama Kurobe Option Ticket.
Okinawa: This prefecture is made up of a grouping of islands that lie miles southwest of mainland Japan, and most travelers will get there by air. Taxis and buses are a decent way to get around, but renting a car will be your best option for exploring Okinawa. Alternative Transportation: In some of these places, like Okinawa, Hokkaido, Kamikochi, and near Shirakawago, it may even make sense to rent a car.
When planning your Japan travel budget , be sure to consider which additional transportation passes you will need in addition to the JR Pass. However, if you plan to visit any of the above places good for you — they are all highly recommended! Again, this is not an exhaustive list of places not covered.
Buying the pass in Japan is only possible at certain train stations and airports and for a limited time through March So where exactly do you buy it? There are a handful of companies out there, but with any purchase this big, we like to be sure we are going through a reliable, trustworthy source.
When it comes to different vendors, the prices are within dollars of each other. What does matter though, is finding a company with excellent shipping records and great customer service. Before both our trips to Japan in and , we ordered passes through JRail Pass www. Both times, our communications with JRail Pass were professional and timely. JRail Pass can ship your pass es directly to your home.
Anywhere in the world. Yes, really! In , we received our JR Pass package in Bali. Another option is to have your JR Pass delivered straight to your hotel in Japan. Our personal opinion: We liked having our JR Pass in hand before our trip, and we activated our pass at the airport. Overall, we were very happy with the service and can highly recommend them to anyone else looking for a trustworthy company that sells JR Passes.
We always encourage readers to do their own research before making big purchases. But for now, there are a few more steps involved. Your pass packet will be mailed to your home in 2 days or delivered to your hotel in Japan if you choose. Just like booking a flight, fill out the name of each passenger, length of pass 7-, or day pass , standard or Green Pass first class , estimated date of arrival in Japan, and delivery address for the ticket voucher.
Enter your digits for payment, confirm your information and submit your order. Ohhh, so satisfying. JRail has a standard 2-day shipping delivery so you should plan accordingly. Alternatively, you can choose to have your JR voucher be delivered to your hotel in Japan. Bookmarking this as we head back to Tokyo and Osaka next month! The rail pass can seem a bit overwhelming so this is great! Ooh, sounds very useful. When I travel Japan I usually island hop, though I've heard the pass is so great for quick easy travel in one place.
May have to plan for it next time I go! This post is so useful! Thanks so much. I've heard some talk about the JR Pass but never actually received any legitimate, useful info. I'll definitely be getting a pass when I finally get to visit Japan! Great article - I've never heard of this before but I'm planning a trip to Japan next year so I'll definitely be investing in one.
I wish more countries offered passes like this. Pleases tell me should i buy the rail pass for 7 days or wide pass? I'm very glad to hear you found this article useful. It is entirely up to you if you wish to purchase the JR Pass for the duration of your stay.
So for example, if you want to go from central Tokyo to Shinjuku by train, you can easily do this with your JR Pass. For the subway, you will need to get a Pasmo card. This enables you to pay as you go for your subway travels. It's very easy to use and it allows you to save money and hassle on a long run, especially when travelling with children.
A few more words of friendly advice: Please familiarise with some basic customs and manners before going to Japan. Japanese people are super friendly and very willing to help, but please help them by respecting their culture.
If you want to know more about Japan, I'm happy to direct you to more articles or help you with your itinerary. I really loved the Shinkansen and I am sure you will have a great experience too. I've heard of the Maharajas' Express. It looks absolutely amazing! I bet it's such fun adventure to travel by luxury train, right? How many day before I will have to book the tickets?
It seems you love the train travel. I don't like much but yes, sometimes. Table of Contents Open. Once you confirmed your dates in Japan, it's time to look for the right JR Pass. Calculate how many days you will travel and when do you actually need it. Think about how much time you will want to spend in Tokyo and how much outside of Tokyo travelling via shinkansen. Japan Rail Pass The best option to travel through Japan.
Read This Next Related stories to help you better plan your trip. What did you think? The regional trains have no train numbers. These trains are usually named after their destination. For example, the regional train from Osaka to Nara is called Nara-Line. There are two very good online sources where you can find out the departure times of the trains. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but are generally recommended.
The Google Maps route planner works very well for train connections in Japan. Just click on the train symbol in your search and Google will spit out the best connection for you. The most practical thing is that you can enter your hotel as the starting point and Google will calculate the optimal route including the footpath. Subways and buses are also part of the system, so the search is especially useful when you are on the move.
In comparison to Google Maps, the Hyperdia website offers an even more detailed search. For example, you can specify that you want to see the fastest connection on a route, but not on a Nozomi train. You can also explicitly exclude private railway companies from the search, so that you only get the connection for which the Japan Rail Pass is valid. There are very few options for food on the trains in Japan. Shinkansen and Limited Express have a mobile on-board bistro, meaning a nice employee goes around the corridors with a cart, selling snacks and drinks and bowing down nicely when leaving each car.
On long journeys with the Shinkansen, we recommend that you buy something to eat beforehand. In the train stations the food is very good. Often there are so-called Bento boxes in which sushi and other dishes are served. This is very tasty and the prices are absolutely okay. Japan is a country of smokers and so it is hardly surprising that smoking is still allowed on the trains. A Shinkansen with 16 cars usually has cars for smokers. When you reserve a seat, you will always automatically get a non-smoking ticket.
If you want to sit in a smoking wagon, you must state this explicitly when making your reservation. Domestic flights in Japan operate between the major cities and can sometimes even be cheaper than a train ticket.
However, the train is definitely the best option in terms of time, as the train stations are always in the middle of the city and the airports are often relatively far out. The cheapest option to explore Japan is by bus. They are of course much slower and not as comfortable as the Shinkansen, but a good solution for travellers with a small budget. We were very happy that we decided to get the Japan Rail Pass.
Traveling by train was fast and comfortable and the Rail Pass cost us euros less compared to the single price of the tickets. And somehow traveling by train in Japan is part of the trip to this country. Order the Japan Rail Pass here. After some processing, you will receive your Japan Rail Pass. When you exchange your voucher to the actual pass, you do not need to start using the pass from the same date. You can select any date within a one month period as your starting date. However, once the actual pass is issued, the starting date cannot be changed.
Those who purchase their pass through the official JR website select the starting date of their pass at the time of purchase and cannot change it later. See our separate pages about the basics on how to use trains and shinkansen in Japan. Generally, the Japan Rail Pass is your ticket. No other ticket is needed except when using a reserved seat, in which case you will get a seat reservation ticket.
Seat reservations are free with the Japan Rail Pass. As of June , Japan Rail Pass holders can use the automatic ticket gates to enter railway stations. Previously they had to pass through the manned gate and present their rail pass to the staff. Japan Rail Pass holders can make seat reservations for free at ticket machines or ticket offices across Japan after exchanging their voucher to the actual pass.
Reservations cannot be made on board of trains. Those who purchased their pass through the official JR website can also make online seat reservations on that website. See the pages on how to use trains and shinkansen for more details about how to make a seat reservation.
On most trains seat reservations are optional. On most urban and local trains they are not even possible. Among long-distance trains, most carry some non-reserved seating, for which seat reservations are not mandatory.
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