The , also called the JR Pass, is a

rail pass A rail pass is a transit pass, pass that covers the cost of train travel in a certain designated area or areas within a certain period of time. It is contrasted to a point-to-point ticket in that it allows the holder unlimited travel, within the p ...

sold by the

Japan Railways Group The Japan Railways Group, commonly known as the or simply JR, is a network of railway companies in Japan formed after the Corporate spin-off, division and privatization of the government-owned Japanese National Railways (JNR) on April 1, 1987. ...

exclusively for overseas visitors. It is valid for travel on all major forms of transportation provided by the JR Group in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, with a few exceptions. The pass is designed to stimulate travel and tourism throughout the country. It is cost effective only for long-distance travel, particularly by bullet train. Its use is limited within larger cities, as private operators generally do not accept it.

Description

The national Rail Pass comes in two varieties, one for each class of service, and (first class car). Furthermore, the pass is time limited based on the length of pass purchased. Three time periods are available: seven, fourteen and twenty-one consecutive day passes, which provide the user nearly unlimited use of JR transportation services. The table below summarizes the prices for each pass. The amounts are listed in

Japanese yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. Th ...

. The pass can either be purchased on the official reservation website, or from an authorized agency outside of Japan. When the pass is bought online, the start date for the validity period is selected during the purchase process. The traveller must pick up the actual pass at a dedicated ticket office. When buying the pass through an agency, the traveller receives a paper "Exchange Order" which must be exchanged for the actual pass within 90 days of purchase, again at one of the designated ticket offices. When using the Exchange Order, the traveller can select the beginning of the validity period at the time of exchange. The sale of Exchange Orders is scheduled to cease at the end of 2025, after which the pass will only be available through the official website.

Valid transportation

The pass is valid for travel on Japan Railways Group (JR) transportation throughout the country in the class of service indicated on the pass.

Train

The pass is valid on all JR-operated lines, including the

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...

, trains and regular commuter services, including and trains. The following limited stop Shinkansen services require an additional special ticket to be purchased: * ''Nozomi'' service on the Tōkaidō and San'yō lines (

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

Hakata is a ward of the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Many of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City's principal government, commercial, retail and entertainment establishments are located in the district. Hakata-ku is also the location o ...

) * ''Mizuho'' service on the San'yō and

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

lines (

- Kagoshima-Chūō) The pass is valid on the following non-JR lines: *

Tokyo Monorail The , officially the , is a straddle-beam, Alweg-type monorail line in Tokyo, Japan. It is an airport rail link that connects Haneda Airport, Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) to Tokyo's Ōta, Tokyo, Ōta, Shinagawa, and Minato, Tokyo, Minato ...

between

Hamamatsuchō is a business and commercial district south of Shinbashi district in Minato, Tokyo, Minato ward in Tokyo, Japan. Hamamatsucho is located along the Tokyo Bay, with views of Odaiba and the Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo), Rainbow Bridge. Companies based i ...

and

Haneda Airport , also known as and sometimes abbreviated to ''Tokyo-Haneda'', is the busier of the two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary domestic base of J ...

* Aoimori Railway, for the following journeys (local and rapid services only): ** Starting and ending at Hachinohe and

Aomori , officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...

** Starting and ending at Hachinohe and Noheji, or Aomori and Noheji, in order to access the JR East Ōminato Line *

Hapi-Line Fukui is a Japanese third-sector railway company established in 2019 that operates passenger railway services on the section of the former JR West Hokuriku Main Line that lay within Fukui Prefecture. This section of the Hokuriku Main Line was separ ...

for journeys starting and ending at Fukui and Echizen-Hanandō only, in order to access the JR West Etsumi-Hoku Line (Kuzuryū Line) *

IR Ishikawa Railway The is a Japanese Public-Private_Partnerships_In_Japan, third-sector railway company established in 2012 to operate passenger railway services on the section of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Ishikawa Prefecture. The main line was separa ...

for journeys starting and ending at

Kanazawa is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 466,029 in 203,271 households, and a population density of 990 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Etymology The name "Kanazaw ...

and Tsubata only, in order to access the JR West

Nanao Line The is a railway line in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the Noto Railway. It runs between Tsubata Station in Tsubata, Ishikawa, Tsubata and Anamizu Station in Anamizu, Ishikawa, Anamizu. JR Wes ...

Ainokaze Toyama Railway The is a Japanese third-sector railway operating company established in 2012 to operate passenger railway services on the section of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Toyama Prefecture when it was separated from the JR West network in Marc ...

for journeys starting and ending at

Toyama Toyama may refer to: Places * Toyama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on the main Honshu island * Toyama (city), the capital city of Toyama Prefecture * Toyama Station, the main station of Toyama, Toyama * Toyama Sta ...

and Takaoka only, in order to access the JR West Johana Line and Himi Line (local services only) *

Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line The is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro in Tokyo, Japan. On average, the line carries 1,447,730 passengers daily (2017), the second highest of the Tokyo Metro network, behind the Tozai Line (1,642,378).Jōban Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, Miyagi. However, following ...

Bus

The pass is valid on the local routes of the following bus companies: * JR Hokkaido Bus Company * JR Bus Tohoku Company * JR Bus Kantō Company * JR Tōkai Bus Company * West JR Bus Company * Chūgoku JR Bus Company * JR Shikoku Bus Company * JR Kyushu Bus Company It is not valid on JR highway buses and Community buses which JR Bus is entrusted.

Ferry

The pass is also valid for travel on JR Ferry service on the following route: * Miyajima – Miyajimaguchi

Eligibility

The pass is only meant to be used by tourists, and is therefore only available to people meeting one of two criteria: *A foreign tourist visiting Japan, who has a passport bearing the "Temporary Visitor" entry status stamped at immigration, and who can present the actual passport at the time of exchange. A photocopy of the passport is not acceptable. *People who have both their Japanese passport and written proof—obtained from the embassy or legation of Japan in the foreign country where they live—that they have been living legally in the country for 10 consecutive years or more. JR staff will check the eligibility of the user during the pick-up or exchange process.

Conditions of use

The Rail Pass is valid on almost all forms of transportation (train, bus and ferry) operated by the companies of the JR Group. However, there are exceptions and conditions of use of the Rail Pass. *The Rail Pass is non-transferable and can only be used by the person designated on the pass. *The user must present his/her passport upon request. *Starting on 1 June 2020, the pass is issued on a standard green JR ticket, allowing automatic ticket gates to be used. Previously, Rail Pass holders had their tickets laminated to an A6 card and needed to enter and exit stations through a staffed gate presenting their pass to a ticketing officer. *Seat reservations can be made without additional payment. Seat reservations can be made at all JR ''Midori no Madoguchi'' ticket offices. Starting on 1 June 2020, reservations can also be made using a Reserved Seat Vending Machine. *In the event that an Exchange Order or a Japan Rail Pass is lost or stolen, no replacements can be provided. *Use of a private compartment is not covered by the Rail Pass and requires an additional charge. *Use of a sleeping compartment on overnight trains is not covered by the Rail Pass and requires payment of the limited express fare and the accommodation charge. *Use of the '' Nozomi'' and '' Mizuho'' services on the Tokaido,

Sanyo is a former Japanese electronics manufacturer founded in 1947 by Toshio Iue, the brother-in-law of Kōnosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial, now known as Panasonic. Iue left Matsushita Electric to start his own bu ...

and

Shinkansen lines is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass and requires the purchase of a supplementary ticket. *Use of the Gran Class car on the Tohoku,

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines requires the payments of the Shinkansen express charge and the Gran Class surcharge. *Use of the DX Green Car by JR Kyushu or the Premium Green Car on the '' Saphir Odoriko'' limited express service by JR East requires the payments of the limited express charge and the DX Green / Premium Green Car surcharge. *Some trains, such as the ''

Narita Express The , abbreviated as N'EX, is a limited express train service operated in Japan since 1991 by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), serving Narita International Airport from various Greater Tokyo Area stations. Services run approximately hal ...

'', the ''

Hayabusa was a robotic spacecraft developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to return a sample of material from a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa to Earth for further analysis. ''Hayabusa'', formerly known as MUSES-C ...

'' shinkansen service, and the ''

Sunrise Seto The is an overnight sleeping car train service in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), West Japan Railway Company (JR West), and Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) since July ...

''/''

Sunrise Izumo The is an overnight sleeping car train service in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) since July 1998. Operations The ''Sunrise Izumo' ...

'' overnight limited express services, require mandatory seat reservations, which are free of charge. *The Rail Pass does not cover city subways (though local JR lines such as the

Yamanote line The Yamanote Line () is a railway Circle route, loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban centres ...

in Tokyo or the

Osaka Loop Line The is a railway Circle route, loop line in Japan operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It encircles central Osaka. Part of a second, outer loop line, the Osaka Higashi Line, from Hanaten Station, Hanaten to Kyuhoji Station, Kyuh ...

are covered). *The Rail Pass is good for either 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days, and a day starts and ends at midnight. That means, for example, if a visitor activates his or her pass for immediate use on 1 July at 12 noon, that pass will expire at midnight on 7 July, not 8 July at 12 noon. *It is possible to activate a Japan Rail Pass with a future date (within 30 days) to be the first day. This allows Japan Rail Pass users to start using their pass within its validity period at any JR station at any time the station is open. *Even if the Japan Rail Pass expires at midnight, if one is already on a train when it expires, the holder can continue to ride it until he or she gets off at any station or the train reaches its terminus.

Other information

The Japan Rail Pass also allows the holders to obtain discounts when staying at JR Group Hotels. Regional Rail Passes are also available for JR-Hokkaido, JR-Central, JR-East, JR-West, JR-Shikoku, and JR-Kyushu lines. Unlike the full JR Pass, some regional passes (in particular those sold by

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

) allow holders to travel on ''Nozomi'' and ''Mizuho'' trains. Some may have limitations on seat reservations, however. Since 1 October 2023, Japan Rail Pass holders have access to hundreds of discounts and free amenities across Japan, by showing up their JR Pass at the desks or entrance. This is also valid for users who purchased their Japan Rail Pass before 1 October, as long as it has been activated after 1 October 2023. Since 2020, users of the Japan Rail Pass can make seat reservations for trains over the internet in four languages (English, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese) and use automatic ticket gates at stations.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://japanrailpass.net Passenger rail transport in Japan Rail passes