Rail Pass
Japan Rail Pass
Probably, when you plan to visit Japan, you may think about using Japan Rail Pass.
It is certainly convenient.
You can use all JR trains in Japan. And you can use Shinkansen.
First, please check the official website.
Main points to use Japan Rail Pass
- Buy the pass at any designated travel agency in your country before the travel.
- Accept an "Exchange Order" at that time, and exchange it for real "Pass" after you arrive at Japan.
- You can use only the trains of JR lines including Shinkansen.
The third point means that you can't use the trains of the other companies and subways.
Use Japan Rail Pass when you travel around wide area in Japan
Let's check the price. (in 2024)
For ordinary car (Adult fare / Child fare [6-11 years old])
- 7-days : 50,000 yen / 25,000 yen
- 14-days : 80,000 yen / 40,000 yen
- 21-days : 100,000 yen / 50,000 yen
For Green car (Adult fare / Child fare [6-11 years old])
(Green car is the first-class car, and only a few cars are connected in Shinkansen and most limited expresses.)
- 7-days : 70,000 yen / 35,000 yen
- 14-days : 110,000 yen / 55,000 yen
- 21-days : 140,000 yen / 70,000 yen
When we use Shinkansen by ordinary car between Tokyo and Osaka (about 550 km), the price is about 15,000 yen.
If you get on Shinkansen at over 4 times of the distance by 7-days pass, the pass is cheap.
Japan Rail Pass is a good ticket when you visit various places in wide area of Japan using Shinkansen and JR lines within a limited period.
When you use such Japan Rail Pass, you should plan an itinerary that you travel around wider area than that.
Ordinary Car, Reserved seat Car, Green Car
Three types of car are connected in a JR train.
Ordinary Car is non-reserved seat car.
Most cars of commuter train and local train are Ordinary Cars.
Shinkansen and limited expresses connect only a few Ordinary Cars.
You can sit the favorite empty seat, but if the train is full, you have to stand.
Reserved seat Car is the car your seat is reserved.
Most cars of Shinkansen and limited express are Reserved seat Car.
To reserve a seat on the train you want to get on, you must buy the reserved seat ticket in advance.
It is possible to buy on the website, by ticket vending machine and at ticket office in any JR station.
(If you don't have a reserved seat ticket, you can't enter the Reserved seat Car.)
By Japan Rail Pass for ordinary car, you can get on above trains.
When you get on Reserved seat Car, you show the pass and can get a reserved seat ticket.
Green Car of Shinkansen
Green Car is the first‐class car of JR.
The seat and facility is high-grade, and the room is quiet.
One to three cars of Shinkansen, limited express, and some local trains in Tokyo area are Green Cars.
A mark of green four‐leaved clover is attached on the car.
Only Japan Rail Pass for Green Car is available for Green Car.
Rail Passes sold by each JR companies
Japan Rail Pass is sold by the group of all JR companies.
There are six JR companies, and each company sells own Rail Pass.
You can use them as a pass for local area.
And the duration of using the pass is shorter than Japan Rail Pass.
Rail Passes sold by the other railway companies
There are many railway companies in Japan.
Some of them have popular tourist attractions in own area, so such companies sell rail passes.
But when you think about these passes, you need to plan to take many trains as you can for using the pass economically.
Northern Japan area
Tokyo area
Central Japan area
Kansai area
Western Japan area
IC Card for railway ticket
suica, icoca, toica. Photo by tsuda
There are some passes for subway and railway in the central area of big city such as Tokyo, Osaka.
When you travel around the city, you must take a train several times a day.
Every fare is not so expensive because of short distance.
For example, I stay in Shinjuku and plan to visit Asakusa, Ginza, Shibuya, Meiji-Shrine within a day, then return to Shinjuku.(I walk from Shibuya to Meiji-Shrine.)
Tokyo One-day pass for Tokyo Metro and Toei subways is 900 yen.
It is a hurried trip, but the calculated result of total fare is 810 yen.
As above, one-day or two-day pass of big city is not always cheap.
Because, the fare of short distance in big city is cheap.
Therefore, I recommend IC card ticket when you stay and travel around a big city for a few days.
When you pass a ticket gate, you have only to touch the card on the gate machine.
You can use to pay at some shops and coin-operated lockers in the station.
If the remaining amount is decreasing, you can charge the money at the ticket machine in the station.
In some metropolitan areas in Japan, JR and the other railway companies sell original IC card.
You can use them everywhere in Japan.
Tokyo area
SUICA = sold by JR East
PASMO = sold by the other railway companies around Tokyo area
Nagoya area
TOICA = sold by JR Central
MANACA = sold by the other railway companies around Nagoya area
Kansai area
ICOCA = sold by JR Central
PiTaPa = sold by the other railway companies around Kansai area
Attention when you refund your IC-Card
When you refund your IC-Card, it is accepted at only the station office in the area the IC-Card is sold.
In short, only the railway company selling the IC-Card accepts a refund.
For example, you arrive at Narita Airport and buy Suica.
And you move to Kansai area and depart from Kansai Airport.
Suica is sold by JR East.
The railway station in Kansai Airport isn't JR East but JR West.
So, you can't refund your Suica at Kansai Airport.
In such cases, you should refund the card in any station of JR East before you move Kansai area.
