Japan Rail Pass Explained

In this video, we'll cover all the basic things to know about the Japan Rail Pass, how to buy it, how to use it and answer some of your most frequently asked questions.

*Updates since publication*
- The number of trains that require seat reservations has steadily been increasing. Non-reserved seating is now unavailable on almost all limited express trains departing from the Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka areas and on many limited express trains on Hokkaido.

*Chapters*
0:00 Intro
0:51 Types
1:12 Validity
2:42 How to Purchase
3:38 How to Use
4:06 Are seat reservations mandatory?
4:49 What is the pass' exact validity period?
5:17 Is the Green Car worth it?
5:36 Can I upgrade to Green Car with an Ordinary Pass?
5:56 Does the pass pay off?
6:28 Outro

*Video Credits*
Videographer: Charles Sabas
Producer: Stefan Schauwecker

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Any questions regarding your future trip to Japan? Feel free to ask a question in our question forum:

[nkgeorge]

FYI: JR pass rravel hack - When I arrived at Haneda airport in April 2023, there must have been 300 to 400 people waiting in line to exchange their vouchers for a JR pass. It was probably going to be 2-3 hour wait at minimum! Instead, I took my chances and headed to Shinagawa station where you can also exchange your vouchers. When I got to Shinagawa, there were all of FOUR people in line! The fare from Haneda to Shinagawa is a paltry $2.40 so if you're heading into Tokyo anyway, it is a great option to avoid the crowds and long waits at Haneda.

[fluffdepuff]

The JR Pass calculator tool is excellent. Thank you so much.

[Mika-yffh]

The JR pass calculator is perfect, thanks.

[GinJ]

Tip: Look into the regional rail passes. They still have a price that makes sense and actually saves money. I used the JR Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass this year and it was totally worth it, much better for my itinerary than the "general" JR Pass. Its cost will increase in October from 15k yen to 17k yen, that is 13, 33% compared to 70% or so for the Japan Rail Pass. Completely ridiculous. Makes me think they want tourists to now go for regional passes and explore more of the regions instead of travelling only between the "usual" Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara cookie cutter places. By the way, out of my 7 trips to Japan so far, this was the best ! Got to see Himeji castle during Sakura season. Easily one of the most beautiful places I have been to in my life.

[helgageraldine]

Really worth it. I still have my JR passes from my previous trips. I keep them as souvenirs. 😊

[saborivaille]

Thankful I did my 1 month japan trip in May. Went up to Aomori then all the way down to Kagoshima. Racked up about 12-13 Shinkansen rides

[Namidagr]

I used the 21 days pass in winter of 2023! Totally worthy back then at about 450 euro. Went to Niigata, Nagano, Fukui, Nagoya, most of Kyushu and back to Tokyo with many stops on the way

[HeatherRheaDawn]

This is great! Thank you so much! This is exactly what I was looking for!

[Tomek-tj]

I did the math for my upcoming trip to Japan.
- The 7 day pass is a meme. At the amount of travel you need to do to make it pay back picking low cost flights or overnight buses gives a noticeable increase in time to actually go visit places and do things, which is the point of a trip.
- The 14 day pass is a hard sell because combining regional passes will be cheaper. Even in central Japan with large swaths of land without regional passes, it's not much better. I guess that means regional passes for me.
- The 21 day pass is arguably barely affected since the only people who'd consider it in the first place are going on a country wide tour anyway, and it's still cheaper than normal tickets for that.

[mazingworldofmegan]

That's sad news. We used the JR Pass in 2020. It was wonderful and affordable so we upgraded to the green pass... But if it's more expensive, we probably won't get it next time we visit.

[tirosc]

You can still purchase one before 31 Sept 2023 and it lasts for 3 months, which means you can exchange it latest by end December 2023. Heck since it's going away, why not splurge and buy a green car pass? It's pretty worth it.

[lisabethklein]

I would love a video or article on using regional JR passes instead because of the price hike.

[marvinmercado]

If I may suggest, please emphasize that JR Pass is a Golden Ticket. Once you lost it, it will no longer be replaceable.

[Keti_Mporta]

Not great news for those traveling and looking to move around on Shinkansen.
Used the 7-DAY Green Rail Pass back in December 2022 and paid $44, 800 JPY (tax included). Used for a total of 7 Shinkansen rides (Tokyo -> Kyoto, Kyoto -> Shin-Osaka, Shin-Osaka -> Himeji, Himeji -> Kyoto, Shin-Osaka <-> Hiroshima, Shin-Osaka -> Tokyo). That''s one Shinkansen ride per day on average, which I consider fairly acceptable.
The best was that the Pass was a whopping 43% discount over purchasing the same individual Green Car Shinkansen rides.

Now with the price spikes, you wouldn't be able to afford the 7-DAY Regular Rail Pass for the same price of the Green before the increase. There would be very few itineraries that can pay-off the price spike.
Guess it's now the turn for the regional passes or fly domestic for longer stretches.

[SeibuLions-jmst]

Great information. You are making some helpful videos. Thanks

[bonwatcher]

I think it will still be worthwhile since we are planning to go to Kyoto/Himeji/Osaka and also go north to Yamagata and Akita as two separate round trips from Tokyo as a base.

[_OscarIvan]

Wait am I safe to buy the JR pass from the klook website in your link?

[AECH_CH]

The price increase sadly renders the JR pass almost useless. I usually go for the longer 21 day versions (all others already seem absolutely impossible to break even, unless your main reason to come to Japan is riding the trains).

Even with a Touhoku-Hokkaido round trip to Tokyo, it's nearly impossible to break even or come close - and the margin is just too much to justify it with convenience imho. Getting tickets is just as easy as getting seat reservations, so yeah idk.

[raisulbadal]

Love From Bangladesh.. Soon,
See you Japan ♡ ♥💕❤

[FriedaChan]

Fantastic video. I used the calculator for my 21 days trip (Tokyo, Fuji Five Lakes, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Shibu Onsen, Kusatsu Onsen) and it is definitely not withit to buy the JR pass. Love your channel! I am excited to explore the northern coast viat the Hokuriku Shinkansen. Wish me luck summitting Mt. Fuji this coming August 2024 and partaking in the Fujiyoshida Fire Festival. I will be staying both at Station 5 and Station 8 via the Yoshida trail. Any tips will greatly appreicated. You should do a video on summiting Mt. Fuji.