With Japan once again open to tourists, now is a great time to lock in your flights and begin to plan your Japanese adventure.
Japan has one of the best railway networks in the world, and at the heart of that system is the Japan Railways Group, or JR Group. For tourists, the JR Group offers the Japan Rail Pass, which lets you easily explore the entirety of Japan’s rich culture and landscape with a single pass.
In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about the Japan Rail Pass, including eligibility requirements, transportation options, and routes available to pass holders.
Most importantly, we’ll also explore if it’s worth it for you to buy a Japan Rail Pass for your next trip to Japan.
What Is the Japan Rail Pass?
The Japan Rail Pass, often referred to as the JR Pass, is an unlimited-use ticket to Japan’s extensive transportation system. With a Japan Rail Pass, you can easily get across the country by train, bus, and ferry, as well as access to the Tokyo Monorail.
Reserved exclusively for tourists, the Japan Rail Pass is a product offered by six companies that make up the Japan Railways Group.
The JR transportation network is quite extensive, covering almost all of the country. Therefore, having a JR Pass can save you a fair amount of money if you’re planning on using the JR Group’s services frequently during your trip.
Who Is Eligible for the Japan Rail Pass?
The JR Pass is a product that’s explicitly designed for tourists, and is off-limits to domestic Japanese residents. To be eligible for a pass, you must meet one of two conditions:
- You must be a foreign tourist visiting Japan from abroad under the entry status of a temporary visitor, or
- You must be a Japanese person who is living abroad.
If you’re purchasing a JR Pass as a foreign tourist, you must have the specific “temporary visitor” stamp in your passport. This is a very important step, and if you’re travelling to Japan on another visa, and don’t have this specific passport stamp, you’ll be denied a JR Pass when you attempt to pick it up.
It’s important to note that if you arrive in Japan and use an automated gate at the airport, you will not receive the necessary entry stamp. You’d therefore need to go to a manned checkpoint, or ask a clerk to apply the stamp after the fact.
Japanese citizens who are living…
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