Depending on the duration of your stay in Japan and the places you wish to visit, several types of pass are available. Below, our advice for an informed choice.
THE DIFFERENT JAPAN RAIL PASS
As the Japan Rail Pass can only be used for consecutive days from the starting date of use and throughout its period of validity, it is very important to match your itinerary, schedule and your Japan Rail Pass.Three types of Japan Rail Pass are available to the travelers: the 7 day pass, the 14 day pass and the 21 day pass.
THE 7 DAY JAPAN RAIL PASS
If you stay in Japan for a week and are planning to move around a lot then a 7 days Japan Rail Pass is ideal. For your trip you could:
- Make Tokyo or Kyoto your base and organize daytrips from there (from Kyoto it is very nice to spend a day in Nara or Miyajima for instance)
- Organize your own itinerary and change city everyday
THE 14 DAY JAPAN RAIL PASS
If you are lucky enough to stay in Japan for more than 10 days you can buy a 14 days pass Japan Rail Pass and organize your trip alternating visits and relaxing days.
THE 21 DAY JAPAN RAIL PASS
If you are staying in Japan for more than 2 weeks, it is very economical to get the 21 day Japan Rail Pass and will allow you to enjoy Japan at a leisurely pace.
Don’t forget that there are also regional rail passes that can complete the national one and will allow you to fully enjoy a specific region.
The Japan Rail Pass provides access to all train lines operated by Japan Railways (JR) throughout Japan (except for some high-speed trains including the 'Nozomi' Shinkansen) for a period of 1, 2 or 3 weeks.
The Japanese railway network consists of more than 20 000 km of track. With this ticket, you can reach the main attractions on the 4 main islands of the Japanese archipelago.
The Japan Rail Pass can be used 24/7, all year long, even if it is sometimes difficult to get a seat during the holiday periods:
- From December 28th to January 6th: New year holiday during which most Japanese go back to their hometowns
- From April 27th to May 6th: 'Golden week', time during which Japanese people travel in the country
- Around August 15th: 'O-bon Festival', which brings families together.
The JR Pass allows unlimited use of JR trains, including bullet trains, for a certain period of time, and can save you money if you plan on taking multiple long-distance train journeys.
If you are traveling to multiple cities in Japan and plan on using the bullet train (Shinkansen) or other long-distance trains (local, express or limited-express trains), then the JR Pass can be a cost-effective option.
If you plan on staying for several days in the same region you can buy a regional pass. The regional pass is more economic than the Japan Rail Pass, but usually it has some limitations regarding shinkansen usage. For long distance travel, especially between several regions, you can complement your regional pass with single journey shinkansen tickets.
Since the national rail pass allows for travel all JR lines including shinkansen, it is often the more economic choice when you are traveling between several regions and plan to use the shinkansen often.
If you have any doubts about which ticket to order please contact our travel agents.
With over 40 years of dedicated experience dealing specifically with Japan travel and tourism, you can rest assured that we will have the best knowledge and familiarity with getting around the country. Our train tickets are acquired through an official partnership with JR West. We also offer reliable and expert assistance thanks to our onsite team in Japan, flexible modification options, and a fully digital booking experience with no hidden fees.
Up to 72 hours before departure, you can modify your booking one time free of charge or cancel your booking (with a 15% cancellation fee). Please find more details below.
- How can I cancel or modify my booking?
You can cancel or modify your tickets by contacting Japan Experience by phone or email.
Modifications and cancellation are not possible in stations, neither at ticket machines (even those with a QR code reader) nor at JR counters (except when mentioned by our assistance*).
- What are the cancellation conditions?
You can cancel your train tickets up to 72 hours before departure, with a 15% cancellation fee applied. Past 72 hours before departure, no cancellation can be done.
If you have missed your train, your tickets allow you to board any train on the same route in the same day – in non-reserved seat cars only.
- What are the modification conditions?
You can modify your booking for free one time up to 72 hours before departure. Any extra modification will result in booking cancellation to make a new order, with a 15% cancellation fee applied.
Past 72 hours before departure, no modifications can be done.
If you want to modify:
- Seat and/or departure time (for e-tickets or e-voucher before paper tickets issued): Japan Experience can modify your booking for free, one time per booking.
- Departure date and/or ticket class: Japan Experience allows you to change your departure date/ticket class free of charge by canceling your order without fees in order to make a new booking. Please note that a new date in a higher travel season or an upper class will result in a price difference.
- Adding or removing passengers from the booking: Adding a passenger is free of charge, you only need to pay the extra ticket price. Removing a passenger equals to canceling the booking for that passenger only, cancellation conditions apply for the removed passenger ticket (15% fee).
- Departure station/arrival station: This change equals a cancellation, with a 15% cancellation fee applied.
*For the rare and only case of cancellation for e-voucher after paper tickets have been issued, you need to request a cancellation at Japan Railways counters (not machines) in stations, up to 10 minutes before departure. JR will refund you around 70% of your order, in cash (JPY ¥). Modifications at JR machines or counters in stations are also possible up to 10 minutes before departure (some fees may apply).
Children under the age of 6 years old can travel for free as long as they travel with a pass holder. However they are not entitled to their own seat. If you want your child to have an individual seat, and even if the child is under 6 years old, you will need to buy a children's Japan Rail Pass.
Children between the age of 6 and 11 years old have to travel with a children's Japan Rail Pass. From 12 years old the child will have to travel with an adult Japan Rail Pass.
