For those planning a train journey through Japan, the Japan Rail Pass is often the go-to option. With this pass, visitors can travel across the country at a fixed price, including the renowned Shinkansen high-speed trains.
Unfortunately, the pass saw a significant price increase this year, making it less cost-effective, especially for short stays. Even for those staying in the country for 14 days or more, it’s worth calculating precisely if the price is worth it.
However, there are alternative passes available at more reasonable prices. For almost every region in Japan, there are individual rail passes with regional validity. These passes usually allow the use of Shinkansen trains and have become more attractive. In this article, we have compiled essential information and listed a few of these passes as examples.
Overview on Japan-Guide.com
I first discovered the vast array of regional rail passes on the website Japan-Guide.com. The site is an excellent resource for travellers to Japan, offering annual reports on the cherry blossom season, among other things.
For the rail passes, there is an interactive overview accessible through the following link:
The site may look old-fashioned, but is easy to use, just like most IT in Japan. You can:
- Click on the region and get all passes displayed that fit the region.
- View a single pass and then see the coverage illustrated on a map.
For instance, JR East offers the East South Hokkaido Rail Pass for JP¥30,000 (~€180) (recently more expensive, previously 33% cheaper). This pass covers trips from Tokyo to the far north of the main island of Honshu, including major cities like Fukushima, Sendai, Akita, and Aomori. I used this pass myself for a cherry blossom tour this spring:
(© Japan-Guide.com)
Clicking on More Details takes you to a detailed page that includes the most important train routes:
This page also lists the main restrictions, such as which trains can be used and which cannot. Sometimes (rarely), individual connections are excluded. Usually, there is a brief conclusion, and any alternatives are mentioned.
For booking, I recommend using the official website of the respective railway companies, in this case, JR East, rather than Klook (as usually linked). Booking directly allows you to reserve seats online in advance.
Example Passes
Below, we have selected three passes as examples that can be attractive.
- JR West – All Area Pass:
- Validity: 7 consecutive days
- Coverage: All JR West routes (including Osaka, Kyoto, Okayama, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kanazawa, Toyama, …)
- Price: JP¥26,000 (~€156)
- JR East – South Hokkaido Rail Pass:
- Validity: 6 consecutive days
- Coverage: Everything between Tokyo and Sapporo on Hokkaido, including Fukushima, Sendai, …
- Price: JP¥35,000 (~€210)
- JR West – Hokuriku Area Pass:
- Validity: 4 consecutive days
- Coverage: Tsuruga – Kanazawa – Toyama (including a short Shinkansen route)
- Price: JP¥5,500 (~€33) directly from JR West, otherwise about 10% cheaper
- Kintetsu Rail Pass:
- Validity: 1 to 5 days
- Coverage area: Trains of Kintetsu Railway. At least from Osaka to Nara – the longer the validity, the greater the coverage.
- Price: JP¥1,500 (~€9) to JP¥3,900 (~€23)
There are often even cheaper passes for specific areas or individual cities along with their surroundings.
For comparison, the JR Pass for the entire country now costs:
- JP¥50,000 (~€300) for 7 days
- JP¥80,000 (~€479) for 14 days
- JP¥100,000 (~€599) for 21 days
In most cases, regional passes are a better choice for shorter stays, while the nationwide JR Pass is primarily worthwhile for a 2 or 3-week stay.
Important Information
Here are some aspects to consider:
- Most JR passes are also valid on the Shinkansen.
- For some Shinkansen trains, you may need to reserve seats, while for others, it’s not necessary, and reservations are free.
- Most JR passes are also valid on Limited Express trains, which offer comfort comparable to the Shinkansen and are far superior to regional trains.
- There are Joyful Trains, which are special tourist trains with beautiful views, unique interiors, and/or other peculiarities.
- Booking directly from the railway company’s website allows you to reserve seats online in advance. This might cost a few per cent more, but it’s usually worth it.
- You must collect the passes at the ticket counter on-site. In some cases, it might work at the ticket machine if it has a passport scanner.
- The tickets usually only apply to Japan Railways’ trains.
- The use of buses and subways in cities is usually not included, although there are occasionally useful JR trains in cities (e.g., in Tokyo).
Good Addition: Cheaper Domestic Flights with JAL
As beautiful as the high-speed network with the Shinkansen is, it is unfortunately also expensive, e.g. a trip from Tokyo to Osaka costs around €90, and from Tokyo to Sapporo, it’s about €180 (8 hours of travel + 1 transfer). Therefore, domestic flights in Japan have their justification and are a good complement to regional rail passes.
It’s worth looking at the Japan Explorer Pass from Japan Airlines. These are discounted domestic flights for all Japan visitors:
A flight from Tokyo to Osaka costs around €52, and e.g. from Tokyo to Sapporo, it’s €73. This is especially worthwhile for last-minute flights.
While budget airlines might be a few euros cheaper, compared to the regular prices of JAL and ANA, this is a good deal. The JAL Explorer Pass also includes 2x 23 kg of checked baggage. Alternatively, it’s also worth redeeming miles (e.g., from British Airways or United). A similar offer is also available from ANA, but it is usually more expensive than JAL.
Translated by Ditmar
Cover Picture: © SeanPavonePhoto - fotolia.com