JR passes used to be the obvious go-to option for anyone planning an extensive trip around Japan. For travellers looking to visit much of the country and a number of different cities, it was possible to make huge savings when compared to buying single tickets all the time.
As of 2024 however, the picture is much more blurry after massive price hikes of around 70% in October 2023 leading many visitors to the country to ask the question – is the Japan rail pass still worth it?
The answer to that will depend on your exact plans and how much of the country you want to cover and in in how much time. Here’s a rundown of all the key things to know about Japan rail passes in 2024.
How much is a JR pass in 2024?
| Cost in Yen | Cost in USD (approx) | |
| 1 week | 50,000 | 320 |
| 2 weeks | 80,000 | 512 |
| 3 weeks | 100,000 | 639 |
Holding a nationwide JR pass allowing for travel on bullet trains the length and breadth of Japan is without doubt the most convenient and hassle-free way to explore the country.
However these passes are certainly not cheap, starting at 50,000 Yen (£245, €292, $320) for adults for just one week of travel in the standard class. Child fares start at 35,000 Yen for one week, rising to 50,000 Yen for three weeks.
For a bit more luxury, green passes start at 70,000 Yen per adult for one week and enable you to ride in first class carriages with nicer, more spacious seating and complimentary food and drinks.
For the purposes of this article, we’ll mostly focus on the standard class tickets which are perfectly comfortable.
JR regional passes – some of the most popular options
| Days | Cost in Yen | Main destinations covered | |
| Sanyo-San’in Northern Kyushu Pass | 7 | 26,000 | Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto |
| Kansai-Hiroshima rail pass | 5 | 17,000 | Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nara |
| Hokuriku Arch pass | 6 | 30,000 | Tokyo, Nagano, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka |
| JR East – South Hokkaido rail pass | 6 | 35,000 | Tokyo, Sapporo, Yamagata |
Given the massive price hike in the nationwide JR passes, international visitors to the country are increasingly trying to be a bit more savvy and regional passes are becoming more popular. If planned carefully, you can make really good savings by using one or more regional passes at the right moments in your trip.
The selection above is just a small sample of the options available when planning a backpacking route all around the land of the rising sun. Regional passes are usually of a shorter length than the nationwide ones but can still enable you to see large chunks of the country at a much reduced cost.
Passes are valid from midnight on the day of activation (not the day of purchase) to midnight on the last day and while they each have their own specific terms, they can typically be used on both long-distance bullet trains and local rail services with a few exceptions.
The Kansai-Hiroshima rail pass for example offers really good value at 17,000 Yen (around $109). You could use it to travel by bullet train from Osaka to Hiroshima on day one and swing back around towards Kyoto, with stops at the likes of Himeji, Kobe and Nara along the way.
This would work out comfortably cheaper than just buying single fares for transport on this itinerary given a single ticket from Osaka to Hiroshima alone is nearly 10,000 Yen.
You could potentially do the Hokuriku Arch pass immediately after that to travel on to Tokyo and beyond which would give you a combined total of 11 days to explore the best of Honshu, by far Japan’s largest island where most of the major destinations are. That would set you back a combined 47,000 Yen which is still less than the 7 day JR pass for the whole country.
How to check if getting a Japan rail pass is worth it for your travel plans
Thankfully there are some pretty hand tools that can do a lot of the legwork and figure out whether or not a JR rail pass is going to be worth it, whether you’re better off with regional passes or whether single point-to-point tickets are the way to go.
Daisuki’s JR pass calculator is the best we could find. It calculates fares for getting around Japan’s main destinations and lets you know how much, if any, savings can be made by purchasing a regional or nationwide pass based on your planned itinerary.
Even if the saving is small, purchasing a rail pass is likely going to be the way to go and you’ll save a bit of time not having to buy tickets everywhere. Your daily cost of travel will most likely be further reduced too given there may be shorter, local services you can also use your pass on during the days you’re not moving between cities or regions.
For example, the Kansai-Hiroshima rail pass can be used to travel to/from Universal Studios in Osaka or on ferries to Miyajima Island near Hiroshima.
JR passes – FAQ’s
How do you buy a JR pass?
JR passes can be purchased online before you travel to Japan and you will receive an exchange voucher either via email or sent by courier to your home address. You then exchange this for the actual pass when you’re in the country via a special ticket machine (look for the green ones with passport signs at major stations) or ticket office.
The pass starts when you exchange it (i.e. that will be day 1). There are many official JR pass agency websites and you shouldn’t really notice any difference in price. The best known ones include jrailpass.com and klook.com which has foreigner friendly options for booking a range of different trips and experiences in the country.
Do you need a seat reservation?
Seat reservations on shinkansen (bullet train) services are free if you have a JR pass and it’s advisable to reserve a seat on longer journeys. This can be done via machines right up until the departure of your train and you shouldn’t have a huge problem reserving a seat then outside of peak travel periods.
The bullet trains do also have unreserved carriages where you can just get on and sit anywhere. This may be adequate for shorter journeys or if you’re in a rush.
If you have a green pass, you’ll want to always reserve your seat beforehand to guarantee your place in what is effectively first class.
Which trains can you use your pass on?
The JR nationwide pass covers all bullet train-lines in the country while the JR regional passes typically do likewise within their specific areas, although in a small number of cases there are a limited number of services that are not covered by the pass. These should be clearly listed when you book.
The high speed shinkansen services are by far the fastest way to get around the country and with a vast network linking all the major cities, you can whizz around Japan on some of the fastest trains in the world.
For shorter journeys and for anyone looking to get slightly off the beaten path, there are also a wide range of different JR trains, buses and ferries that your pass will cover. Non JR services are not covered and you can’t use it on metro trains in Tokyo or Osaka for example.
Is it expensive to travel Japan by rail?
While the cost of travel insurance for your trip, flights and rail passes can be high, you shouldn’t find Japan too expensive once you’re there.
The Yen has lost a lot of value against many major currencies in recent years so accommodation, attractions and eating and drinking out is relatively affordable when compared to the United States of most Western European nations, but still pricier than what you’ll find in nearby China or Southeast Asia.
Conclusion – Is the Japan rail pass still worth it?
Overall, it’s probably fair to say that since the 2023 price hike, the nationwide JR rail passes are no longer worth it for the majority of visitors to the country. In most cases, it may work out cheaper to use a combination of regional passes and/or single point-to-point tickets.
It does though, totally depend on your travel plans, how much ground you want to cover and how ambitious you want to be in terms of cramming a lot of destinations into a short time.
It also may depend somewhat on whether you are flying in and out of Tokyo or will be flying in and out of different airports. The latter wouldn’t leave you needing to do as much expensive backtracking which can often tilt the balance more in favour of getting a JR pass.