Japan’s four major islands are covered by an extensive, reliable and very clean network of railways. About 70% of Japan’s railway network is owned and operated by the Japan Railways (JR). The JR Group is made up of six regional passenger railway companies, which are JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku, and JR Kyushu. Together they operate a nationwide network of urban, regional and interregional train lines, night trains and shinkansen (high speed bullet trains).
The Tokaido Shinkansen connects Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka, while its extension, the Sanyo Shinkansen the Shin-Osaka Station to Hakata Station in Fukuoka. The trains operating on the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen are of the following three categories:
- Nozomi: Nozomi trains stop only at the most important stations, and reach Osaka from Tokyo in about two and a half hours. The JR nozomi cannot be used with the JR pass.
- Hikari: Hikari trains stop a little bit more frequently than nozomi trains, and need roughly three hours to reach Osaka from Tokyo.
- Kodama: The slowest category. Kodama trains stop at all stations.
The JR pass is highly, cost effective way for temporary foreign visitors to tour Japan. If you plan on visiting more than one region in Japan, you will DEFINITELY want to purchase a JR pass. It provides unlimited travel on the nationwide network of Japan railways and many urban JR trains. Here are a few details – The JR Pass:
- Must be purchased and arrive to you in advance of your departure to Japan
- Is available for periods of one, two or three weeks and for either ordinary cars or first-class “Green Cars”
- Can be used to reserve seats
- Is valid on urban JR train and bus lines
- It is not valid for couchettes and private rooms or night trains
- When riding on such a non-JR owned section, pass holders will have to pay the fare for it on board of the train or at the station
When you purchase the JR pass in advance, you will receive an exchange order that has to be exchanged into an actual rail pass after your arrival in Japan and within three months of the purchase. The exchange can be done at various major railway stations, including Narita and Kansai Airports. It is not until the time of exchange, when you determine the starting date of validity of your Japan Rail Pass.
Few tips:
- The ordinary cars are very similar to the Green Cars. It is really not necessary to purchase the higher price Green Card passes – all you get for the extra cost is a little leg room.
- Purchase Bento boxes at the train stations to eat on the train.
- Train attendants pass around these wonderful little carts with drinks and snacks that you can purchase on the train.
Seishun 18 Ticket is another option for travel in Japan, offering five days of unlimited train travel. There are 2 main limitations: (1) tickets are only valid on local trains; and, (2) tickets are valid only during school holidays (March-April, July-September, December-January). Unlike the JR Pass, the days do not have to be consecutive and you can split a ticket so that one person uses it for two days and another for three days. So, timing is important with the Seishun 18.
Few helpful websites:
Kintestu.com and JTB USA are two great resources for the JR pass – both info and purchasing.
JapanRailPass.net provides step-by-step directions to use the JR pass.
JNTO.go.jp has information on the different train routes.
Wikitravel: Japan – Get Around has great information on:
- Buying tickets
- Train types
- Making Reservations
- Private Cars
Popularity: 20% [?]
