9 things to know to help you decide on whether or not you should by a JR Pass when you visit Japan. The JR Pass is an “all you can ride” pass that is available to foreign tourists visiting Japan. In this video I’ll be talking about the National Japan Railways Pass. It allows you to ride all JR Trains, including JR Kyushu, JR Shikoku, JR West, JR Center, JR East, and JR Hokkaido. The JR Pass is also valid for the JR Bus, JR Ferry, and the Tokyo Monorail from Haneda Airport.
The Japan Railways Pass is NOT valid on any private rail lines, which Japan has a ton of.. This includes any major city subway, including the Tokyo Subway.
There are many regional specific JR Passes that I won’t be covering in this video.
Cost:
7 Day Ordinary is Y29,110, Green is Y38,880
You can also buy 14, and 21 day versions.
For the 7 day that’s about $37 USD a day. Must be used on consecutive days. Cheapest to buy before you arrive.
The classic JR Pass itinerary:
one-way shinkansen (bullet train) ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto is Y13,080
roundtrip fare is Y26,160.
An ordinary one-week pass is Y29,110.
A one-way trip on the JR N’EX costs Y3020.
You’ve already saved money
It covers all Shinkansen trains.
Doesn’t cover the Nozomi Shinaksen on the Tokkaido Line, but it does cover the Hikari (the 2nd fastest) and Kodama. It’s a difference of 135 or 137 minutes between Tokyo and Kyoto. There are significantly more Nozomi trains than Hikari trains.
There are 7 Nozomi trains per hour leaving Tokyo Station, and 3 that are JR Pass eligible trains.
Also doesn’t cover the Mizuho on the Kyushu line.
Longer Distance:
Tokyo to Sapporo: 1 Way Ticket is ¥29,410. You’ve already saved money.
Lots of day trips from Tokyo:
Stay near Tokyo Station and day trip.
Nagano to see the Snow Monkeys Y16,000 RT
Nikko to see the temples Y10,000 RT
Nagoya to see the Castle, or visit the Toyota Factory, Y20,000 RT
Find out the prices where you are going at Hyperdia
Ease of use:
Just flash your pass to get in the station. No need to buy tickets for local trains, no need to reload IC cards. You can also use it just to buy something in the station, or even just pass through the station.
Some classic areas that the JR Pass isn’t useful for:
Hakone — Buy the Hakone Free Pass
Nikko from Shinjuku (There’s a direct train to Tobu Nikko) — Shinkansen from Tokyo Station
Osaka & Kyoto — Get the Kansai Thru Pass
Pro tip:
You don’t have to activate your JR Pass “right away” on arrival… sometimes it makes sense to be in Japan for a few days, then activate the pass when you are going to take the first Shinkansen train.
Bottom Line:
For the JR Pass to make sense you need to going long distances on the Shinkansen. If you’re just staying in one region like Tokyo or Osaka/Kyoto then don’t bother. If you’re going 1-way from Tokyo to Kyoto it’s also generally not worth it. We generally buy the JR pass on about 1/3 of our trips to Japan.
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Things to Know Before You Go to Japan:
How to Ride the Tokyo Subway:
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