How To Know If You Should Buy a Japan Rail Pass for Your Japan Trip Or Not
As a visitor, one of the most important aspects of planning a trip to Japan is figuring out the best way to get around the country. This is where the Japan Rail Pass comes in. It’s a popular choice for many visitors, but the big question is – is it worth the price and the hype?
Let me help you figure out if getting a Japan Rail Pass for your trip is worth the money or not. So let’s dive in!
1 . Understanding the Japan Rail Pass
Before we dive into whether or not the Japan Rail Pass is worth it, let’s first take a closer look at what it is.
What Is a Japan Rail Pass?
The Japan Rail Pass, or JR Pass in short, is a national train ticket that’s accepted by the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), the largest railways group operating most trains in Japan.
It is an incredible discounted train ticket that offers unlimited travel on Japan Railways (JR) trains for a fixed number of days.
It’s exclusively designed for foreign visitors to Japan, and can’t be purchased once you’re in Japan. You can choose either a 7-day, 14-day, or 21-day option, whichever is best for your travel needs.
Want to get all your questions regarding the JR Pass answered, including where to purchase one, how and where to use it, seat reservation, luggage storage, and more, read my “Japan Rail Pass : Answers to All Your Questions, and Is It Worth Buying?” post here.
How Many Types of JR Pass Are There?
There are 2 types of JR Passes that you can buy : Ordinary and Green (First-Class). With the Ordinary JR Pass, you can sit in any standard train car without paying any extra fees.
With the Green JR Pass, you can sit in any Green or Standard train car without any additional charges.
The only distinction between the two is that the Green car provides more comfort and personal space, such as legroom and leather upholstery.
How Much Does a Japan Rail Pass Cost?
You can purchase a JR Pass either through the official Japan Rail Pass website (most expensive), or through a JR-designated agency outside of Japan (best prices, through their websites).
According to the latest announcement from the JR Group in May 2023, starting from October 2023, the JR Pass price will be increased to up to 70% higher than the current price (new price displayed in the photo above).
What Are Covered or Not Covered by the Japan Rail Pass?
- The JR Pass allows you unlimited travel on all JR trains throughout Japan, including most shinkansen (bullet trains) like the Hikari, Sakura, Kodama, and Tsubame. However, it does not cover the Nozomi and Mizuho trains.
- The Pass also covers the Narita Express and Tokyo monorail, making it easy to travel between Narita or Haneda airports and central Tokyo or other cities.
- You can also use all local JR buses to move around within cities, except for express buses going from one city to another.
- Keep in mind that subways are not covered by the Pass, and most ferries are not either, except for the JR-WEST Miyajima ferry. This means that if you plan on using subway or private railway lines, you’ll need to purchase separate tickets or get an IC card (best, like a Suica or Pasmo).
- To read about what an IC card is, and how to use an IC card to pay for subways, buses, or other public transport with ease and convenience, read my “Stress-Free Tokyo Travel with IC Cards : Everything You Need to Know” post here.
2 . Calculating Your Trip’s Total Transportation Costs
To determine if buying a Japan Rail Pass is worth it for your trip, you will need to calculate how much you would spend on all transportation without the pass. This requires some research and planning, but it’s not too difficult.
Looking Up Train Fares
- Step 1 : First, you need to plan your travel itinerary by identifying the cities and regions you’ll visit and their correct order
- Step 2 : Once you’ve done that, you can download one of the navigation apps or their websites, like Japan Travel by NAVITIME, HyperDia, or a JR Fare Calculator, to help you with calculating the total train costs
- Step 3 : Next, select the ‘JR Pass’ option on the app (if applicable), so that it knows to utilize only JR trains and buses for your travel (same as what you would have used with the JR Pass)
- Step 4 : Input the cities you plan to visit on the app
Example
I plan to travel from Shinjuku station (in Tokyo) to Osaka, Kyoto, Hakone, then back to Tokyo in a 7-day time period. I would enter these cities into the JR Fare Calculator (link here). This is what my itinerary would look like :
Adding up Total Transport Costs
Now that you have entered all the cities or towns from your itinerary, the app will calculate and display the total cost of all of your train and bus rides. So scroll down on the page to see the total costs.
This will give you a good idea of how much you would spend on transportation without the Japan Rail Pass.
3 . Comparing with the Japan Rail Pass
Once you have figured out the expenses of your transportation in Japan without the Japan Rail Pass, it’s time to compare it with the price of the pass.
This step will help you decide whether the Japan Rail Pass saves you any money or not.
Comparing transportation costs with the Japan Rail Pass
By comparing the total cost of transportation without the JR Pass to the cost of the Pass itself, we can figure out if it’s worth it.
- If the cost of transportation is close to or more than the cost of the pass, then the Japan Rail Pass is definitely worth considering.
- But, if the cost of transportation is significantly less than the cost of the pass, then it may not be the best option for you. It means you will lose money when buying the JR Pass for your trip.
Considering the Convenience Factor
Another thing that you should definitely consider is convenience, because it can make your travel experience hassle-free and save you a lot of time.
With the Japan Rail Pass, you don’t have to worry about buying individual tickets every time you board a train. You can hop on and off as many trains as you want without any fuss.
This is particularly helpful if you plan on exploring multiple places in a short span of time. So, if you’re someone who values convenience, then the Japan Rail Pass is definitely worth your investment.
Taking into Account the Duration and Destinations of Your Trip
- If you plan to stay in 1 or 2 large cities and explore within those cities for the whole trip, and don’t take many long-distanced trips at all : Then most likely you won’t need a JR Pass. Inner city train rides are much cheaper than inter-city ones, thus getting a JR Pass will be a waste of money. An IC card is a much better choice for most inner city travels, and just buy regular tickets for longer train rides when needed.
- If you plan to explore 3 places or more, and take many long-distanced trips during your vacation : Then a JR Pass might be worth your while. Make sure to use the JR Fare Calculator to help you determine your costs (as shown above).
- Make sure you are aware of the validity time of the pass : If your trip is 14 days long, and you plan to explore many far-away areas of Japan toward the last 7 days of your trip, you might want to just purchase a 7-day JR Pass instead of a 14-day pass for better value. Make sure you save and activate your 7-day JR Pass for the more intense travel period of time (last 7 days of trip), and not before. Get an IC card to use for the other days.
Conclusion
That’s it! You have now completed the process of determining whether a JR Pass is worth it for your itinerary, which will then help answer the question of whether you should buy a JR Pass or not. I hope this post has been helpful for you, and Happy Travels!
If you have any questions or just want to share your own travel stories, I’d love to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out to me at evelyn@japanoncloudnine.com, and let’s chat. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post, and happy travels!
Post You Might be Interested In
– Wonder what awesome tips you could get in order to hit the ground running and navigate Japan smoothly and stress-free, with or without a JR Pass ? Read my “12 Ultimate Tips for Taking Tokyo’s Public Transport With Ease” post here.
– Interested in knowing more about the all-time favorite and super awesome Pasmo and Suica IC cards? Read my “Stress-Free Tokyo Travel with IC Cards : Everything You Need to Know” post here.
– Wonder what the JR Pass everyone talks about all the time is? More importantly, if getting a JR Pass would be a good idea and save you a lot of money on transportation costs in your trip? Get concise and practical answers here in my “Japan Rail Pass : Answers to All Your Questions, and Is It Worth Buying?“ post.
– Do you need an easy, convenient, and economical way to get from Narita International Airport to central Tokyo with luggages ? Read my “Airport Limousine Bus – The Convenient Way to Get from Narita Airport to Central Tokyo” post here. Going to Haneda airport instead? Read this post.
– Do you need a fast, easy, and economical way to get from Narita International Airport to central Tokyo ? Read my “The Narita Express (N’EX) : Fast and Easy Travel from Airport to Tokyo” post here.
And much more – Check out all of my posts here on the Main page.