The BEST Japan Rail Pass Alternatives in 2024

Visiting without a Japan Rail Pass? Want to know how to travel Japan without breaking the bank, but without spending all your time on slow transport options? What are the best cheap alternatives? I look at 3 common scenarios - long distance travel, exploring all over Japan and staying in Tokyo/visiting Kyoto, and pick out the best transport alternatives.

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CREDITS
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中央高速バス岡谷線となるアルピコ交通17053号車: 江戸前鰻 (cc:4.0)
Peach Aviation / ピーチ・アビエーション Airbus A320-214 JA815P MM153, Departed to Fukuoka: lasta29 (CC BY 2.0)
Mirroring plane - coniferconifer (cc-by-2.0)

[PLTWCastro]

Thank you for the video. My son and I are landing on July 5th in Tokyo and staying for a week before heading towards Osaka, Kyoto and other spots south. We skipped JR passes as we staying almost a month (August 1st). Hadn't thought about budget airlines but will look into them. Honestly, I would be happy to burn a day traveling by bus. I'm the type of nut that thinks 3 days cross county in America is doable :)

[lucianaperez]

Hi there! Thanks for all your videos! They are great, SO much relevant information. You are really helping me plan my travel through Japan. I am taking loads of notes and if you can make your titles linger a bit longer in the screen that would be great! 😉

[eprohoda]

good evening, you uploaded outstanding editing~ 🌟

[jawiglo]

There is one more thing I would add. Trains in Japan (or at least in Tokyo) don’t operate from approximately 12 to 5 AM. So if you’ve reserved one of these cheap early morning tickets, there might by no way of getting to the airport on time. This happened to me. I had a flight to Sapporo at 6:45 AM and there were no trains early enough, so I had to go with the latest train previous day and spend a night at the airport trying to have a sleep on a chair.

[dearkazuscorner]

thanks for all your vids man! Im taking so many notes!!

[FlareOfLegacy]

Your suggestion of flying in one city and out the other is a really good idea. I think a very common route for people would be Tokyo -> Kyoto/Osaka -> Hiroshima -> Tokyo (it's what I did on my first trip, and no doubt plenty of others). If you're flexible enough to not require departing from Tokyo, then I think a good combination would be:

- Fly into Tokyo
- Single Shinkansen ticket to Kyoto
- Buy Kansai + Hiroshima Area Pass (5 day pass) for 15, 000 yen or JR-West All Area Pass (7 day pass) for 23, 000 yen - your regional pass includes Shinkansens for day trips to Himeji Castle and Hiroshima, including the ferry to Miyajima.
- Fly out of Kansai International in Osaka

Or flip it the other way round and start from Osaka first and depart from Tokyo.

[nateshf]

My wife and I will fly into NRT late, hang out in the airport and take the first flight to Sapporo ($36!) the next morning. We will then activate our 14-day JR passes when we leave Sapporo.

[elmalanmalan]

Hi, i wonder if there a budget tickets from HANEDA airport to Sapporo!?

[Panda_Roll]

Thank you for the vid. I'm currently planning my trip to Japan and decided to include a detour to Okinawa between my stay in tokyo & osaka rather than a direct line between them. It seems all the Low cost flights take off from Narita (for my tokyo departure). do you think it's worth it to pay a little extra to catch a flight from Haneda with Soleseed?

[ayushiarora]

I am travelling to Japan in December. Currently there is a discount going on Peach airlines where I am able to book flights in way cheaper than train. But I have a jam packed schedule..Would you suggest to go ahead and book flights for all destinations within Japan?

[bibianaquinones]

Hi Andrew, love your videos. My husband and I are travelling on our honeymoon to Japan this spring.
I'd like your suggestions please: we are spending 5 days in Tokyo = we would like to visit the snow monkeys but it is a little far.
Then off from Tokyo to Fujiyoshida for 2 nights: What is our best alternative from Tokyo to Fujiyoshida?
Then from Fujiyoshida we are travelling to Kyoto where we will stay for 7 days. What is our best alternative to travel from Fujiyoshida to Kyoto?
And being 7 days in Kyoto, we are planning a couple of day trips from there.

Then we are travelling to Mijaku Island, so I think it is best for us to go from Kyoto to Osaka to fly from there?
Finally, we will be flying from Mijaku Island to Tokyo.
Lastly, do you think we shall benefit from a JR Pass?
I would very much appreciate your thoughts on our itinerary, in the meantime I am enjoying very much your other content on packing tips, phrases, Kyoto, etc! :) Arigato gozaimasu!

[jwong]

Even prior to price increase JR Pass is already quite expensive and now with 75% increase in fare, it may not be a good option. In the past, I used Fly Peach to travel between main cities, cheaper. Mainly Tokyo-Osaka-Hokkaido route.

[hollyc]

I'm flying into Narita, then going to Hiroshima, Okayama, Kyoto, Kanazawa (for 14 days), then back to Tokyo. What's the best pass for this trip?

[ConkyNC]

Hello, I’ve come across your channel and it’s quite helpful. I will be visiting for the first time in September.

I will be staying in Tokyo > Kyoto > Osaka. It is evident I can do without the JR Pass as I will not get proper value. My question is - how easy is it to get tickets while there OR is it optimal to do book ahead online?

I am not going until September but trying to do my homework!

Cheers

[sajidsh]

Hello fellow traveller's.... I am planning for a Dec Jan winter trip to Japan with my wife and infant of 14 months. I will fly from Germany and my plans are about 10 days in Japan:
Tokyo
Kyoto
Osaka
Sapporo
Tokyo

I am planning to use low cost airlines and Japan rail network (without JR rail pass).

So if we buy the regional pass does that cover all means of transport in that region eg. Kansai (will a Kansai regional pass cover all public transportation in Osaka and Kyoto) or I need separate local bus and subway tickets.

If anyone can help me in planning my trip considering the baby with us that would really help ❤

Thanks and have a lovely day.

[NomadShoiku]

Yes, without a Pass, it's impossible to travel in Japan at reasonable prices & reasonable timings. Using normal trains, it's 10 to 20 stops & hours. Mostly, there's only a limited express train or Shinkansen for acceptable time but unacceptable prices. Because budget domestic airlines have tight luggage weight control, it's not an option for me & too troublesome to find the airport.

[czereyski]

Yes, but Shinkansen is more exiting than the plane.

[japanunravelled]

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