
The Japan Rail Pass (or JR Pass) is a nationwide rail pass allowing you unlimited travel on trains operated by Japan Rail (with a few exceptions, see below) for a fixed number of days. It’s amazingly good value if you’re planning to cover a reasonable distance – basically any itinerary exceeding a Tokyo-Kyoto round-trip will work out cheaper using the JR Pass, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars.
Update: massive price increases in 2023 mean the JR Pass isn’t amazing value any more, unless you really cover a lot of distance. If you were going to go from Tokyo to Sapporo or Fukuoka, do a bunch of train rides in Hokkaido or Kyushu, and then go back to Tokyo, all in 7 days, then yes the 7-day JR Pass would still be good value. For most less ambitious itineraries, the pass will cost you more than just buying individual tickets.
7-day passes increased from 29,650 to 50,000
14-day passes increased from 47,250 to 80,000
21-day passes increased from 60,450 to 100,000

How to Buy the JR Pass
There are two ways to buy the JR Pass – advance booking online, or in person once you’re in Japan. Note: as of October 2023 advance purchase is the only option.
You need to make sure you order it in good time as you have to recieve a physical voucher (called an ‘exchange order’) in the mail to be exchanged for the pass once you reach Japan. Don’t order a pass the day before you fly! The passes are sold by various online sales agents, usually with free shipping (depending where you are), and usually good for delivery within 48 hours – but really it’s best to allow a week at least to be safe. Note that traditional bricks & mortar travel agents in your country may sell them too, but likely with a steeper markup.


I’ve used the JR Pass many times and have bought them both ways (online, and also in-person when that was available). I have an affiliate partnership with Japan Rail Pass, so if you click on one of my links to their site (like this one) or one of the banners on this page and make a purchase, I get a bit of commission at no extra cost to you. If you’ve found my site useful or interesting please consider it! Click the banner to make an order or browse their site:

I use them whenever I purchase a JR Pass online, they’ve provided great service and fast delivery every time.

The JR Pass: is it worth it?
Man, back when I lived in Japan how I always looked on with envy at all the tourists (including family & friends when they visited) just breezing through the Shinkansen gates, flashing their JR Passes like a wave of a wand, to be whisked away here, there, and everywhere at high speed on Japan’s iconic bullet trains. As a legal resident of the country, the JR Pass was unavailable to me at the time, a magical land of affordable super-fast transportation from which I was forbidden; a round trip from Kyoto to Tokyo alone would’ve cost me around 10% of my monthly salary as an English teacher, so how I longed for one of those passes. Had I been able to get my hands on one, I would’ve absolutely caned it!
…and so when I returned to Japan years later as a tourist, I got a JR Pass and proceeded to do exactly that! In 7 days I did:
Hakata – Shin Osaka
Shin Osaka – Kanazawa & back
Shin Osaka – Inari (Kyoto) & back (for Fushimi Inari Shrine)
Shin Osaka – Tokyo & back
Shin Osaka – Takamatsu & back (over the Great Seto Bridge)
Shin Osaka – Hakata
(I arrived & departed on the JR Beetle ferry from Korea – not covered by the pass unfortunately)
…which was ¥95,880 worth of tickets for ¥29,000. Not bad! Even with the price increase since then, I’d still have made a significant saving (almost half) on this itinerary.
I was seriously going for it though – having previously lived in Osaka, Tokyo, and Kyoto, I wasn’t spending time exploring those cities, but was catching up with friends in the evenings while taking day trips to places I’d always fancied visiting but hadn’t been able to justify the expense. I went to Takamatsu literally just to see the Seto Inland Sea and go over the Great Seto Bridge, because I’m a geek and because, well, I had a JR Pass so screw it, why not?! I doubt the majority of JR Passes get thrashed quite so heavily, but you can easily get your money’s worth. Since that first one I’ve been back to Japan multiple times and used a JR Pass every time – I never did quite as much on one pass again, but I always saved money with it.

JR Pass Example Itineraries
A 1-week itinerary of Narita – Tokyo – Hiroshima – Kyoto – Tokyo – Narita would be just over 50,000 yen if bought as separate tickets, so that’s the kind of distance you need to cover to make it worth getting the 7-day Pass.
A typical 2-week route might be Tokyo to Fukuoka and back e.g. Narita – Tokyo – Osaka – Hakata (Fukuoka) – Hiroshima – Kyoto – Tokyo – Narita, which would be around 60,000 yen if bought as separate tickets. As the 14-day pass is 80,000 yen, it wouldn’t be worth it unless you also did a bunch of day trips (e.g. Nagasaki from Fukuoka, Nara from Osaka, and Nikko from Tokyo)
If you did either of those itineraries without returning to Tokyo i.e. fly in to Tokyo & out from Osaka/Fukuoka, then the pass would definitely not be worth it.
If you’re not sure, sketch your itinerary out and total up the train ticket values using Hyperdia to see if a pass would save you anything (see here for how to use Hyperdia)

Riding the Train
Getting your pass: when you arrive in Japan, take your exchange order to the JR Pass counter at the ticket office – you can do this at Narita, Haneda and Kansai airports if you want to activate it immediately to use for your airport transfer, or if you want to activate it later head to Shinjuku or Tokyo Station (or other major stations like Hakata or Shin-Osaka). They’ll check your passport for your tourist stamp/visa and give you your pass – this is a good time to make any seat reservations you already have in mind.
Once you have the pass in hand, you’re then free to pass through the ticket barriers at any JR station at will – you can’t go through the usual ticket gates, look for the manned gate at the side where the staff will visually check your ticket and let you through (in practice, if they’re busy they barely even check, just wave the pass at them and go through. On other occasions they may actually want to take it and have a proper look at it). The first time you do this with your new pass they’re supposed to stamp it to validate it; if they’re busy and not fully paying attention, make sure they stamp it for you! (it’s not such a big deal, but may save you a confusing scene later on)
The shinkansen platforms are accessed via a separate concourse which in turn is usually accessed through a second set of barriers within the JR concourse. At some stations (especially smaller ones) you may find this isn’t the case, but most of the time you’ll be going through two sets of ticket gates to reach the shinkansen platforms so allow plenty of time to navigate the stations. These concourses are packed full of convenience stores, bento shops, and souvenir shops – bento are basically lunch boxes, and the ekiben (a portmanteau of eki, station, and bento) are really good! If you need to eat on the go, do it like a Japanese salaryman and grab yourself an ekiben to enjoy on the train. The trains usually also have food trolleys coming up & down with drinks and snacks, nothing fancy but it does the job.
Seat reservations: most shinkansen and limited express trains have both reserved seat cars and non-reserved seat cars. The non-reserved cars enable you to just rock up and get on any train going to your destination, but if it’s busy there’ll be plenty of others doing the same and you may end up standing. Therefore if you know which train you’re planning to ride you might want to make a seat reservation, you can do this at any ticket counter (not just the JR Pass counters) and it’s free of charge. There are some shinkansen and limited express trains which have no non-reserved cars and thus require mandatory seat reservations, notably the Hayabusa & Komachi (which are the fastest service heading north from Tokyo to Hokkaido & Akita respectively after separating at Morioka).
Exceptions: with the JR Pass you can ride all JR trains, with just a few exceptions. The main ones to be aware of are that you can’t ride the Nozomi or Mizuho trains on the Shinkansen system. The Nozomi is the fastest service operating between Tokyo & Fukuoka, and the Mizuho is the fastest service between Osaka and Kagoshima (the trains don’t actually go faster, they just make fewer stops and so provide a faster service from A to B). This means the fastest service you can use without extra charge between Tokyo & Osaka is the Hikari, which also operates between Osaka & Fukuoka, and the fastest service you can use between Osaka & Kagoshima is the Sakura. Between Osaka & Fukuoka the Hikari and Sakura overlap; the Sakura is faster over that part of the network (and only marginally slower than the Mizuho).
The pass also doesn’t cover private cabins on night trains (it does cover the non-private cabins, but there are hardly any night trains left anyway and you’re unlikely to ride them unless you’re a train enthusiast), and also there are some JR trains which run along short sections of private railway which require you to pay a supplement. This could potentially happen without you realising, and the conductor or station staff will ask for the supplement – don’t feel they’re ripping you off or anything, it’s just how it works and the supplement isn’t usually much. The ones most tourists are likely to encounter are probably the limited express trains from Tokyo to Shimoda (on the Izu Peninsula) and Kyoto to Amanohashidate, or if you go to Odaiba Island in Tokyo Bay on the JR Saikyo Line from Shinjuku/Shibuya the train runs on a private line (Rinkai Line) for the last few stops which’ll cost you a few dollars.
The JR Pass really is the best way to cover a lot of ground in Japan (well, as long as it still saves you money for your itinerary following the price increases). Next time I have one I reckon I’ll ride the Komachi Shinkansen (to Akita) and the Hokkaido Shinkansen just for the hell of it, because they’re the two coolest-looking trains on the planet (the Akita Shinkansen is red, and looks to me like the long-nosed tengu, and the Hokkaido Shinkansen is the racing green one). Don’t care if it makes me sound like an otaku (geek) – I am, and those trains are awesome! Update: since writing this post I’ve been back to Japan a whole bunch of times, and used the JR Pass for every visit (and did indeed ride the red & green trains up north!)
Any questions about the JR Pass? Give me a shout below and I’ll get back to you.
Click the banner to pre-order your JR Pass now:

For more posts on Japan, click here
For my Japan snowboarding guide, click here
Check out my guides to hiking in Kyoto and Tokyo
For my Japan overland travel guide, click here
(This page contains affiliate links i.e. if you follow the links from this page to purchase a JR pass, 4corners7seas will receive a commission from them; this commission comes out of their profit margin at no extra cost to you. I’m recommending it because it’s awesome, and if you’ve found my site useful please consider using my links – thank you in advance should you choose to do so!)
Hello, I would like to check with you if JR pass cover all parts of japan?
Im going from Tokyo to Kyoto to Hakone and back to Toyko
Hi Adeline,
Yes, the JR Pass covers all parts. For your itinerary of Tokyo – Kyoto – Odawara (take bus from Odawara up to Hakone) – Tokyo, the separate tickets would be around the same price as the JR Pass (if you book it online). If you also include using the pass for local travel in Kyoto & Tokyo, especially your airport transfers, then it’s a good idea to get a pass. How long will you stay in Japan?
Hi, I am hoping you are still available for questions. I will be travelling from Osaka to Nagoya and then to Tokyo. Do you think we should purchase a JR pass? What type of card would be suitable to move around Tokyo and Osaka? Pasmo?
Thank you in advance for your help
Hi Amy,
If you’re literally just doing Osaka to Nagoya to Tokyo, then no a pass won’t be worth it. If you’ll be returning to Osaka (within 7 days) then it would be worth it.
Another thing to consider is day trips, and the possibility of using the pass for the Narita Express (assuming you fly out of Tokyo within 7 days of leaving Osaka) e.g. if you include a day trip to Nikko & the Narita Express, it adds up like this:
Osaka-Nagoya 7230
Nagoya-Tokyo 11080
Tokyo-Nikko return 11560
Tokyo-Narita 3220
Total of 33090 yen, so a saving of about 40 dollars if you pre-order the 7-day pass.
As for cards to use in the cities, for your time in Osaka you can get the Icoca which is a rechargeable prepaid card (like the ones in e.g. London & Hong Kong), you load it up and then can use it on all the different train lines & buses. The same card also works in Nagoya and Tokyo, though there’s a 500 yen deposit which you can only get back by returning it in the Osaka region (Nagoya & Tokyo have their own versions you can get if you’re keen to avoid losing the deposit). If you get a JR Pass, you can use that for local journeys on JR lines in Nagoya & Tokyo but would still use the Icoca for any private line & subway rides you take. There are also 2 & 3 day local passes you can get in Osaka & Tokyo, but you have to make pretty heavy use of them to get your money’s worth.
Hope this helps & let me know if you have any more questions.
Hi Simon,
We have tickets to a game at the Shizuoka Stadium and need to get back to Haneda Airport in the morning…is this possible using the JR Pass?
Hi Kerri,
You can certainly get from the stadium to Haneda using the JR Pass, but whether you can do so in time will depend what time your match ends and what time you need to be at the airport. If you can tell me which match you’re attending and what time your flight is I’ll be able to give a better answer (actually just had a quick look and most of the matches at Shizuoka would be fine, but the Australia v Georgia match doesn’t start until 19:15 and the last train you can take using the JR Pass is at 21:30 so that would be pretty tight for getting there the same evening)
Hi Simon
We planning to spent 3 nights in Oasaka, 2 nights in Kyoto and then our final leg from Kyoto to Tokyo (6 nights). I’m thinking of getting a 7 day JR pass for our final leg of our trip as we want o go to Hakone as well while in Tokyo and perhaps visiting Tokyo bay. We plan to watch a game in Osaka and 2 games in Tokyo
Do you think the pass will be worthwhile. I want o get an Osaka 2 day pass at the start of our trip. Or do you think I must get a 14 day pass, Thanks
Hi Mervyn,
Definitely don’t think you should get a 14-day pass for this; a 7-day pass, possibly. It depends – are you flying out of Tokyo or Osaka? If you have to get back to Osaka to fly out, then a 7-day pass is worth it (activate for Kyoto to Tokyo, then day 7 should be the day you leave Tokyo).
If you’re flying out of Tokyo, then a 7-day pass is only going to be worth it if you use it for enough side trips from Tokyo e.g:
Kyoto-Tokyo 13710
Tokyo-Odawara return (for Hakone) 7080
Narita Express 2820
23610
Still not worth 29000 for the pass. However, if you also add in a trip to e.g. Nikko that’s another 10000 so you’re saving.
Also bear in mind that if you don’t have JR Pass you can use the Odakyu line’s Hakone Pass (5700 yen) to visit Hakone instead, and also that if you fly out of Haneda you don’t stand to save much with a JR Pass (it covers the monorail but that’s only 500 yen rather than the 2800 for the Narita Express).
So basically if you fly out of Tokyo the 7-day pass will be worth it if you use it for Hakone plus another side trip like Nikko.
If you have any further questions or itinerary ideas you’d like to run by me, let me know and I’ll advise as best I can.
Thanks for such great info. Do you know at what age children have to pay for trains?
Hi Laura,
Adult fares are from age 12 and up. Children aged 6-11 get half fare tickets. Children under 6 can travel for free with an accompanying adult, but aren’t entitled to a seat i.e. if the train’s busy they must sit in your lap. If you’re buying a JR Pass for a 6-11 year old, make sure to select the child pass!
Thanks for your useful article.
Could you give me some advice on whether a JR pass would be beneficial for our itinerary?
Should we get a 7 day pass and then pay for Tokyo – Narita Express on Day 8?
Day 1. Narita to Yokohama
Day 3. Yokohama to Kyoto
Day 5. Day trip Kyoto to Osaka (return)
Day 6. Kyoto to Tokyo
Day 8. Tokyo to Narita
Possible other day trips
Tokyo – Tokyo Bay
Kyoto – Hiroshima
Hi Natasha, yes the JR Pass would save money for this itinerary, significantly so if you do include Hiroshima. Even without Hiroshima it’ll save you around 40 dollars per person, rising to roughly 240 dollars with the Kyoto-Hiroshima round trip.
And yes that’s right, you’d want to get the 7-day pass and then pay for your airport transfer on day 8.
Hope this helps and let me know if you have any further questions!
Thank you, much appreciated.
Hi Simon,
this is Ursula and Jochen from Austria. We are sitting here in Busan´s K-Guesthouse Premium Nampo (which you most likely know anyway) and stumbled over your website/blog. Congrats – it´s absolutely fantastic with lots of useful information. We are actually on a round-the-world-trip and plan to go over to Hakata tomorrow evening (if we get a berth on Camellia Line) and then continue through Japan for the next 2 weeks (with a JR Pass, of course, how could we not?). Our question: as this leaves too little time for the pass to be delivered to Busan, is our only option to buy it in Hakata/Fukuoka or is it possible to receive the “voucher” via email in the meantime (just like KORAIL does it?). Thanks in advance for your answer, take care and all the best, Ursula & Jochen
Hi Ursula & Jochen, glad my site’s been useful to you but sorry my reply is too late to be helpful! Hopefully you got it sorted and have had a great trip in Japan.
To answer the question anyway for future readers, in this scenario yes it’s best to just buy the JR Pass at JR Hakata Station after arriving in Fukuoka.