JR Pass, a ticket to travel by train throughout Japan

One of the most useful tools for tourists in Japan is the JR Pass or Japan Rail Pass, a pass that allows us to use almost all the trains managed by the JR group railway companies, as well as some buses and a ferry.

JR PassCategories

What you will buy will be an exchange order that, once we are in Japan, we have to deliver so that they give us the pass itself with which we can travel. The validity of the exchange order is three months, so if your trip is for a longer period, we recommend you wait a little time before buying it.

Of course, it is important to emphasize before continuing that it is not sold in Japan, but rather it is bought before traveling. Although now there is going to be a sales test in Japan for a year, as we will tell you later.

For those who do not know, the Japanese railways (JNR or Japanese National Railways) were privatized years ago and then several regional companies emerged as inheritors of this great public company: JR Kyushu, JR Shikoku, JR West, JR Central, JR East and JR Hokkaido.

It is in these 6 companies where we can use the JR Pass.

Types and Prices JR Pass

Below we estimate the 2019 reference prices for both adults and children.

Important: (*) These prices vary daily according to the exchange rate of the YEN with respect to the US Dollar

As you can see, the JR Pass can have three different durations, of 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days (this detail is important) and then we have the distinction depending on whether it is enough for us to travel in Normal Tourist class, or we want to do it in the Green which is the equivalent to the Preferential or Business class.

Authorized Purchase Office

JR PASS Authorized Office

Sortis Business Center, 8th Floor, Office 8H, Panama City, Panama
Phones: + 507-3985825 / + 507-8311197
Email: info@vjapantours.travel

Attention schedule
Monday to Friday: 8:30 – 12:30 and 13:30 – 17:30
Request a Prior Appointment for Office Attention

Important information

Variations by Season

Under normal conditions, buying the normal JR Pass will be enough, but if we travel in periods of high occupancy, such as the Obon festivities in August or similar, it may be worth paying a little more to be able to secure a place more easily , since although the trains always have fewer seats in Green class than in ordinary class, there are also much fewer people traveling in this class.

Exchange Offices in Japan

The list of exchange offices in Japan.

In what means of transport is it valid?

The JR Pass in principle is used to use all the trains of the companies that make up the JR Group, as we said at the beginning, but these companies also have buses and in some cases even ferry.
Here we will tell you in a summarized way, where you can use it:

All shinkansen except Nozomi services (existing between Tokyo, Osaka and Hakata) and Mizuho (between Kagoshima, Hakata and Osaka).

The Shinkansen route

All limited express (tokkyū), express (Kyūkō), express (Kaisoku), special express (Shin-Kaisoku) and local (Futsū) trains as well as the Tokyo Monorail between Hamamatsuchō and Haneda Airport. This includes, for example, the famous and very useful Yamanote line in Tokyo, which allows us to reach all the important points of the city. Local lines of JR bus companies. The JR Miyajima ferry.

Narita Express

(requires prior seat reservation) between Narita airport and various points in Tokyo. Haruka, between Kansai Airport and Osaka, Kyoto and Maibara.

How is the JR Pass used?

As we have already said, we must buy an exchange order before flying to Japan and we have to exchange this order for the JR Pass within 3 months.

Then, they will ask us about the date on which we are going to start using the JR Pass, and they will write it on the pass, a date that cannot be changed and from which the 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days of validity begin to count.

It is important to note that the validity does not go by hours but by calendar days, so if we activate a Monday (whatever time it is) the week pass, it will be valid until Sunday at 11:59 p.m.

From that moment, if we are going to use the cars with non-reserved seats, we will only have to access by showing our JR Pass, if you have the Green Class pass, you have to reserve yes or yes, since all seats in this class are reserved.

To make a reservation, you must go to a reservation office or midori no madoguchi, easily recognizable by their green sign with the figure of a person sitting in an armchair,
as the image that accompanies the text.

There they will reserve a place for you for the train that you say showing the JR Pass. Of course, in periods of high occupancy, it is possible that there are no reserved seats for the train you want, so you can use the cars with non-reserved seats, if they exist on the train you want, or select another train to one. different time.