Japan Rail Pass Price to Increase by up to 77% in Autumn

Japan is a fascinating country – and the train is the ideal means of transport to explore it. This is also due to the fact that tourists can travel through the country comparatively cheaply and comfortably with the Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass for short).

In the future, however, travellers will have to calculate more precisely whether the pass is worthwhile for them at all, because Japan Rail yesterday announced a hefty price increase. Starting this fall, passes for foreigners will get between 65% and 77% more expensive. This should make it unattractive for many purposes.

New Prices From (probably) October 2023

The information about the price increase comes from a press release by JR. So far, it is only available in Japanese. According to it, the prices are expected to look like this from October 2023:

Class	Duration	Old price (travel agency)	Old price (online)	New price	Increase1
Standard	7 days	JP¥29,650 (~€180)	¥33.610	JP¥50,000 (~€304)	+69%
Standard	14 days	JP¥47,250 (~€288)	¥52.960	JP¥80,000 (~€487)	+69%
Standard	21 days	JP¥60,450 (~€368)	¥66.200	JP¥100,000 (~€609)	+65%
Green	7 days	JP¥39,600 (~€241)	¥44.810	JP¥70,000 (~€426)	+77%
Green	14 days	JP¥64,120 (~€390)	¥72.310	JP¥110,000 (~€669)	+72%
Green	21 days	JP¥83,390 (~€508)	¥91.670	JP¥140,000 (~€852)	+67%

There are two ways to purchase the JR Pass. Buying from a third-party provider (e.g. Klook or a real travel agency) is currently around 10% cheaper than buying directly at JR. However, only direct bookings offer the option of reserving seats online.

Since my knowledge of Japanese has so far been limited to Arigato gozaimasu, I had to use Google Translate to translate the press release. Apparently, October is not yet 100% certain as the starting month, it could possibly be later. The reason for the price increase is, among other things, the continuous expansion of the route network and new technology at the stations. But that seems a bit far-fetched for such a massive price hike.

Alternatives to the JR Pass

While the JR Pass is a convenient and enjoyable option for travelling around Japan – even now, it’s not always worth it. If you only travel to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, it may be a little cheaper to buy individual tickets. However, the pass offers the possibility of taking flexible (day) trips to e.g. Sendai, Nagoya or Hiroshima, which you would otherwise not have thought of.

Luckily there are other passes that are worth checking out. There are numerous regional train passes, especially from JR West and East, which then cover individual regions. They are already attractive and are likely to remain so. Of course, there can still be price increases there.

Purchase Possible up to 90 Days Before Departure

Last but not least, a tip for everyone who has planned a trip to Japan in October, November or December. If you buy the pass from a travel agency, you will first receive a voucher that is valid for 3 months. This can then be exchanged for the actual JR Pass on site.

So for trips up to December, it should still be possible to benefit from the old prices. But you should not order the pass until September if possible. We will continue to follow the development until then and will keep you informed.

Conclusion

The weak yen, low inflation and attractive train passes are currently good reasons to travel to Japan. In the future, probably only two of these reasons will remain. The Rail Pass, which is valid nationwide, will only be worthwhile in a few cases. Meanwhile, domestic flights are becoming more attractive – because tourists from abroad also get good discounts there.

Source: r/japantravel

Cover Picture: Peer Linder