Making sense of rail passes: Japan Rail Pass

I had heard of the JR Pass through friends and family who had used it in Japan before, but all I was aware of was that you could ride the Shinkansen with it.



The process of finding out how to purchase, redeem, book tickets, and ride the trains took a considerable amount of time, so I tried to outline my experience in hopes of streamlining the endeavour.

The Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) is sold by third party vendors for Japan Rail, like a voucher sold by a travel agency. We obtained ours through this site, but there are several companies that sell them, so make sure you find one that gives the best deal for your country and currency.

The JR Pass allows you to ride trains operated by Japan Railways, including local and high-speed bullet trains, but exclude the Nozomi and Mizuho lines. It does include the Narita Express, Hikari, and other local lines we were planning to take, so we bit the bullet. If you are not planning to travel extensively, it might be more economical to purchase a regional pass or simply tickets instead, so make sure to check you will at least break-even.

The plus of the site we used was that we were able to get free expedited shipping included in the price of our pass (though not all countries were applicable), and I received mine the very next day.



The requirements of obtaining a pass are clearly stated on the sites, which require you to be entering Japan with a foreign passport, and getting the temporary visitor pass. They will be verifying your passport and entry visa when you exchange your voucher, so make sure you meet these requirements.

The pass is valid for the days listed on the pass, including start and end date. You will likely not be asked to show your tickets, as they are mostly just for your records, and the JR staff frequently walk through the train checking the passengers and booked tickets through their system. But do keep them for the ride, in case of any issues!

Lost passes will not be replaced, so keep it in a safe place.

1. Look for the pass best suited for your trip 
2. Purchase a voucher before entering Japan
3. Go to a JR Office to redeem the pass
4. Reserve tickets either online or at the office
5. Show the pass to enter and exit the gates