If you’re thinking about traveling throughout Japan soon, you should know that the cost of the JR pass will increase by about 70 PERCENT around October 2023.
In a press conference mid-April 2023, the JR group announced they will revise the cost of the pass to account for the completed and anticipated line extensions for the bullet train, such as to Kyushu, Hokkaido, etc. The new price seems to be standard across agencies, in-person and the official channels, whereas agencies used to have a discount. This means that you’ll have to travel far beyond Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto to make the pass worthwhile, such as to Hiroshima. Remember that you can buy the JR pass a month in advance from the official channels and about 2 months from an agency, in case you’re traveling near the price hike. We’ll announce the confirmed date.