Tourists visiting Japan after October 2023 will face a massive price increase on the JR Pass, which normally offers great value to travellers planning to tour the country.
About the Japan Rail Pass
The Japan Rail Pass, or JR Pass, is valid for journeys on all JR national trains including the Shinkansen bullet trains (except the Nozomi and Mizuho services) and Narita Express trains, as well as JR bus and ferry services. You can buy the Pass for 7, 14, or 21 days, and you can choose a Standard or Green (First Class) Pass.
After purchasing the Pass online, you will be delivered a physical voucher, which you will need to exchange for the actual Pass at a JR Exchange Office when you arrive in Japan. The vouchers are only valid for 3 months, so don’t order them too far in advance of your trip.
In order to collect the Pass, you must show the stamp you received in your passport when you entered the country. The rules are very strict about this, and you won’t be able to obtain the Pass without it.
These are the current prices of the JR Pass:
| Standard Pass | Green Pass | |
| 7 days | €205 | €273 |
| 14 days | €326 | €441 |
| 21 days | €416 | €574 |
These are the new prices of the JR Pass from October 2023:
| Standard Pass | % Increase | Green Pass | % Increase | |
| 7 days | €333 | 69% | €466 | 77% |
| 14 days | €533 | 69% | €733 | 72% |
| 21 days | €666 | 65% | €933 | 68% |
Taking the Train in Japan
The JR Pass will cover your travel on the Shinkansen (excluding the privately owned Nozomi and Mizuho), Express, Rapid and Local trains, and some of the Limited Express services. You are also entitled to reserve a seat on the train, which you can do at any JR Ticket Office.
Be aware that the Shinkansen bullet trains now require a luggage reservation if your bag is larger than 160cm x 250cm. It is free, but must be done in advance and only with a reserved ticket. This only applies to the Tokyo-Osaka, Hakata-Kagoshima, and Shin-Osaka-Fukuoka routes.
A convenient way to plan your train travel around Japan is by using Hyperdia.com, which offers the route and fare information for the start to the end point of your journey. You can also filter by which transport you want to use.
Get more travel advice for Japan here!