Japan Rail Pass

The Japan Rail Pass is a discount ticket allowing unlimited rail travel throughout Japan over a 7, 14 or 21 consecutive day period. It is available in either an Ordinary (coach class) or Green (first class) version. Because Japan Railways has 12,400 miles of track, it is possible to travel almost anywhere in the country by train. The Japan Rail Pass can provide you with convenience and great savings if used wisely, but it is a discount ticket and some restrictions on trains do apply. There are no restrictions on date or season. Please read the information below and on the main Rail Pass site. Also note that there is no similar pass available within Japan. If you are traveling with any Japanese friends or family, or any non-Japanese people not entitled to use the pass, they will have to purchase full-price tickets or look for any excursion discounts available in Japan.

Unlike some airfares, the price of Japan Rail tickets is always very closely related to the distance traveled. The key to getting the best savings from a Japan Rail Pass is to maximize the distance you travel. It does not matter if you use a seven-day rail pass for only two or three days of actual travel as long as you do enough long-distance train travel during those days. For example, if you travel from Tokyo to Kyoto one day, from Kyoto to Hiroshima on a second day, and back to Tokyo on a third day, you will have very good savings with a seven-day pass even though you are using only three days out of seven. On the other hand, if you travel extensively only in the area between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka over a two-week period, you will probably not be traveling far enough to have any savings with a 14-day pass even though you may travel on more than seven days. Please see our Sample Route section to learn more about comparing a Rail Pass and regular ticket prices.

The Japan Rail Pass is available to travelers entering Japan on a non-Japanese passport for short term stay (for Canadian and U.S. citizens 90 days or less) with no special visa. For a complete description of this limitation please see the main Rail Pass site. It is very important to note that Japanese citizens resident abroad can use the Japan Rail Pass under either one of two conditions: permanent residency status in a foreign country, or marriage to a foreign national (… It is up to the individual Japanese citizen to present full proof of his/her status when buying the rail pass and exchanging the Rail Pass voucher in Japan.

All trains operated by the Japan Railways Group are included with only a few exceptions. The extensive Shinkansen “bullet train” network is fully covered with the exception of the Nozomi-type train.

All JR Limited Express and Express trains to cities such as Kanazawa are also covered. In addition, thousands of local trains both in cities and rural areas are included. You may see references in older materials to ‘ferries.’ Before the construction of the Seikan Tunnel to Hokkaido and the Seto Bridge to Shikoku, these islands were linked by JR Ferries, but these have been replaced by train links. Only the small Miyajima ferry near Hiroshima is presently included.