The Japan Rail Pass offers great value! It’s an economical way to travel throughout Japan’s extensive rail network, considered to be one of the most efficient in the world. This includes travel aboard the world famous Shinkansen ‘bullet trains’, limited expresses and local services.
A Japan Rail Pass can be used on all Japan Railways (JR) lines and the Shinkansen ‘bullet trains’ (except the pass is not valid on “NOZOMI” and “MIZUHO” trains on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen lines). The Japan Rail Pass is offered by the six companies that make up the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), including JR Kyushu, JR Shikoku, JR West, JR Central, JR East and JR Hokkaido. The Japan Rail Pass can also be used for the Tokyo monorail.
These Shinkansen “bullet trains” can be used:
A Japan Rail Pass can be purchased and used by:
3 months
Caution: Please note that during crowded periods you cannot be guaranteed a seat on a specific train.
The periods when seat reservations are particularly difficult to secure are as follows:
An unused Exchange Order Voucher can be returned for refund less a 20% administration fee within one year from date of issue. Once the Exchange Order Voucher has been exchanged for an actual Japan Rail Pass, it becomes 100% non-refundable.
Once a Japan Rail Pass is purchased, we will ship you an Exchange Order Voucher, which you exchange in Japan for the actual Japan Rail Pass. These Stations have Japan Rail Pass exchange offices. (This must be done WITHIN 3 MONTHS from the date the Exchange Order Voucher was issued. At the time of exchange, you can specify the date that you want to start using the pass. It can be any date within one month from the date the actual Japan Rail Pass is received. Once the Pass has a starting date written on it, the date cannot be changed.)
You cannot buy a Japan Rail Pass in Japan. An Exchange Order Voucher must be purchased outside Japan, prior to your trip.
The Japan Rail Pass is also valid for the following buses: local lines of JR bus companies (JR Hokkaido Bus, JR Bus Tohoku, JR Bus Kanto, JR Tokai Bus, West Japan JR Bus, Chugoku JR Bus, JR Shikoku Bus, JR Kyushu Bus) and some of JR highway bus services (Sapporo-Otaru; Morioka-Hirosaki; Tokyo-Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka,Tsukuba Center; Nagoya-Kyoto, Osaka; Osaka-Tsuyama, Kasai Flower Center), and ferry: the JR Miyajima ferry.
The Japan Rail Pass is not valid for travel on non-JR lines. If you wish to travel on non-JR lines, you will need to pay the corresponding fare to the private railway company concerned.
