{"id":22556,"date":"2017-10-18T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-17T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=22556&preview=true&preview_id=22556"},"modified":"2024-09-18T16:11:12","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T06:11:12","slug":"rail-pass-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/rail-pass-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you really need a rail pass in Japan?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arriving in Japan for the first time means a lot of culture shock, a scramble to get your Wi-Fi sorted and quick trip to the airport 7-11 for the first of many onigiri.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But should your next stop be the JR office? Here\u2019s what you need to know before you invest in a JR Rail Pass.<\/p>\n

What is a Rail Pass?<\/h3>\n

Similar to the Eurail pass, the JR Rail Pass gives you close to unlimited travel for a set period on Japan\u2019s JR trains; you choose a pass for 7, 14 or 21 days. They\u2019re only available to people visiting Japan<\/a> (residents can\u2019t buy them), and there are two types of pass to choose from: Ordinary or Green. Save your pennies and plumb for Ordinary; chances are the trains are already a lot fancier and cleaner than you\u2019re used to.<\/p>\n

Where can you buy one?<\/h3>\n
\"A<\/a>

Photo by Zhipeng Ya on Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

Generally, you can only buy your pass outside Japan, and there are a lot of agencies online who will sell one to you. There\u2019s a limited trial going on at the moment where you can purchase your pass once you arrive, but this is more expensive than pre-purchasing. When you buy a pass, the agent will send you a voucher \u2013 it\u2019s very, very<\/em> important you remember to pack this!<\/p>\n

The staff will exchange your voucher for a pass at a JR Ticket Office or Travel Service Centre<\/a> and staple it inside your passport. They\u2019ll also be able to book you tickets on your first train, which, chances are, will be the Narita N\u2019EX<\/a>, to take you from the airport into Tokyo.<\/p>\n

If you have the option, it\u2019s best to choose a Travel Service Centre. They\u2019re specially equipped to deal with foreign visitors, with English-speaking staff and (often) adorable hand-coloured maps.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: WHY TRAIN TRAVEL IN JAPAN SHOULD NOT BE MISSED<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

If a rail pass isn\u2019t already included as part of your Intrepid Japan tour package (check the trip notes before splashing out on a JR Pass), there are some simple ways to figure out if a JR Rail Pass will work for you.<\/p>\n

How much travel are you doing?<\/h3>\n

As a rule of thumb, once you travel return between two cities, like Tokyo to Kyoto and back, a 7-day JR Pass has probably paid for itself. A simple way to work this out is to cost your journey using HyperDia<\/a> or Google Maps<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Where are you going?<\/h3>\n
\"A<\/a>

Photo by Andre Benz on Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

Here\u2019s the thing \u2013 JR isn\u2019t the only game in town. Depending on where you\u2019re going, there will be trains, ferries and buses that aren\u2019t operated by JR. Sometimes the JR option will be available but will mean a slower journey (it\u2019s not all Shinkansen, Japan\u2019s network of high speed bullet trains). Again, use HyperDia or Google Maps to budget.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re planning to just explore Tokyo, you\u2019re better off without a pass because Tokyo metro isn\u2019t covered. Instead, make like a local, grab a Pasmo or Suica<\/a> card, top up and go!<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0CONVENIENCE STORE FOOD – JAPAN\u2019S WORLD-BEATING CULINARY EXPERIENCE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

How long are you prepared to wait?<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s hard to spend long in Japan without finding yourself in a queue or two, but if you\u2019re hoping to make a quick getaway from the airport or you\u2019re hustling to make a connection, it\u2019s important to know that there can be a long wait to pick up your pass.<\/p>\n

If you choose to go without a pass, you can go to ticket counters, or use ticket kiosks. Once you\u2019re in English mode, these are a really quick and easy way of buying a train ticket.<\/p>\n

How quickly do you need to arrive?<\/h3>\n

Your JR pass won\u2019t give you access to every Shinkansen, so if you\u2019re desperate to try the super-fast ‘Nozomi’ and ‘Mizuho’ (which can both travel at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour), you\u2019ll need to forgo the pass and buy tickets. These speed demons will get you to your destination around a half hour faster than a \u2018regular\u2019 Shinkansen, so weigh up the extra cost before you commit.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re planning to make more than two trips on the famous Shinkansen, chances are a JR Pass will save you money. Just make sure you get familiar with the quirks of the pass, and remember you\u2019ll need to keep your passport with you to use it.<\/p>\n

Ready to ride the rails around Japan<\/a>? Jump on a small group adventure with Intrepid.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Feature image\u00a0by\u00a0Victoriano Izquierdo<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Rail Pass can be the ticket to saving money when you\u2019re travelling around Japan, but here\u2019s what you need to consider before making your purchase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15995,"featured_media":22805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[455,1313],"tags":[684,21,1008,605,1746,257],"class_list":["post-22556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-guides","tag-advice","tag-japan","tag-kyoto","tag-tokyo","tag-train-travel","tag-travel-tips-2","ipf_region-japan"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDo you really need a rail pass in Japan? 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