The Japan Rail Pass is an incredibly useful tool when you’re visiting Japan. The pass is good for ANY train ride on the extensive JR Rail Line. Japan is covered in train tracks but they’re owned and operated by several different companies.
This can be a big change from what you’re used to in your country. The main thing to know is that the JR Line includes the famous Shinkansen trains that get you around Japan quickly.
After months of research before our trip, we are experts in everything about the JR Pass! Read on for our top tips for getting and using the JR Pass. Before we get started, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know about new posts and get access to our Monthly Travel Tips!
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What is the JR Pass?
The JR Pass is a fixed price pass that allows you to take an unlimited number of trips on the JR Line within a certain time period – 7, 14, or 21 days. Keep in mind the clock starts as soon as you use it for your first trip.
The pass seems expensive at first glance but the value depends on how much you’re planning to use it. Check out our JR Pass Worth It post to find out whether or not you should get one yourself.
Buy it Early
The first thing you need to know is you cannot buy a JR Pass after you’ve arrived in Japan! There are horror stories of travellers who found out they’re out of luck after landing – be prepared! You must buy a JR Pass Voucher before you leave but don’t buy one too early either because each voucher is only valid for 3 months.
In some cities you can head right into a local, registered travel agency and pick one up (the link is for a list of Canadian options). If you don’t live near an authorized travel agent then you will need to order one from the website. This takes 3 business days but could take 2-3 weeks so plan accordingly. Call the office to make sure they are in stock before you arrive! A few in our area said they don’t have vouchers at the moment but could have them within 48hrs.
Bring your passport and flight information to the travel office if you’re picking one up in person. The travel agent will mark this info onto your voucher so it is ready to be exchanged.
Exchange Your Voucher for a JR Pass
We say buying a “JR Pass Voucher” instead of a JR Pass for good reason. What you’re actually buying is a voucher for a JR Pass instead of the pass itself. You cannot buy the JR Pass outside of Japan but you also cannot buy the pass itself in Japan – confusing, right?? You’ll need to exchange the voucher for the physical JR Pass once you arrive.
Where to Pick Up Your JR Pass
This means that you cannot head right off the plane to the Narita Express JR Train with the papers from the travel office. You’ll first need to find a JR Office to exchange your voucher for the actual JR Pass. You can find these offices across Japan especially in the major train stations. Get to these offices early as they are also a main tourist information point. They tend to get busy as the day goes on. You can pick up your pass whenever you want. Just remember it begins to expire as soon as you take your first trip.
Our itinerary included a few days in Tokyo after we arrived but before heading to Kyoto. We did not really need JR trains on this leg so we didn’t want to waste 3 days of the pass. The Narita Express was an out-of-pocket expense to get to our first hotel but almost all future trains were JR Pass eligible from that point.
Reserving spots on the Tokyo-Kyoto train 3 days later guaranteed we didn’t have to line up for a seat. The next question is should you reserve your seat? Well…
To Reserve or Not to Reserve?
There are three types of tickets on the Shinkansen: non-reserved, reserved, and Green. The Green Class gives you a wider seat and more legroom for a price. You get a surprising amount of legroom no matter where you are on the train so the upgrade is personal preference.
Non-reserved seats operate on a first-come-first-serve basis. You should get to the track at least 20 minutes before the train is scheduled to leave. If you buy individual tickets, there is the option to pay a little more to reserve a seat and avoid waiting in line.
One of the benefits of the JR Pass is you can reserve seats for free so take advantage of it when you can. We had 2 trains we absolutely needed to make during our trip (Tokyo-Kyoto and Kyoto-Mishima) so the reserved tickets put us at ease. There was an issue finding a seat only once or twice out of dozens of trips using non-reserved seats.
Always Have Your JR Pass Handy
The JR Pass became the second most useful thing we had on our trip (the first was our WiFi hotspot!). The JR Pass allowed us to ride any intercity JR train to get around Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. We stayed in Kyoto while taking the short 30-minute Shinkansen trip to Osaka multiple times. It also gave us the opportunity to visit Universal Studios Japan on a whim for Mark’s birthday!
We could do this because we kept our JR Pass on us at all times. It opens up more options than only local metros and with non-reserved seats you just show your pass at the gate to head straight to the train. The gate staff only check that your pass is not expired then wave you right through.
These smaller trips add up quickly to make the JR Pass worth it by saving bunch of money in the long run! That leads us to our next tip…
Use Your JR Pass to the Fullest!
Make no mistake, the JR Pass is a huge money saving opportunity but it is not cheap! It costs anywhere from $424 CAD to $837 CAD for a regular pass or $567 CAD to $1,160 CAD for Green Class. If you’re like us and plan to travel extensively around the country then you will easily be saving money with a JR Pass in hand.
Individual tickets are pricey, especially if you reserve seats on some trains. The pass, along with our Suica Card, was able to get us just about everywhere on our To-Do/See list. We could freely explore without worrying about how we were going to get back to our hotel.
Have you used a JR Pass while you were in Japan? Comment below with any other tips you have to help future travellers! In the meantime, subscribe to our Newsletter to be the first to know about all of our Travel Hacks and some upcoming Giveaways
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