JR Rail Pass: Highway Robbery or a Must Have for Tourists in Japan?

20 Sep
2009
Happy Train in Japan

I meet a large number of people here in LA that are traveling to Tokyo either for business or an extended layover.  A question I’m asked nearly every time the subject is brought up is:  Is JR Rail Pass is a good deal or just highway robbery.

Trust me.  I understand.  The rules and exclusions make the pass quite difficult to understand.  In my endless devotion to providing information that actually is worth a s&^%, I’m going to demystify the JR Rail Pass for you.  First thing’s first.  You need to determine where you’ll be going first.  This will have EVERYTHING to do with the purchase of your ticket.  Here are some common travel plans that we hear quite a bit:
  1. Landing at Narita Airport (aka: Tokyo International Airport)and going to hang in Tokyo for a while
  2. Landing at Narita Airport and taking the bullet train down to Osaka and returning to Tokyo area
  3. Landing at Narita Airport and taking the bullet train down to Osaka and departing from Kansai Airport
  4. Landing at Kansai Airport and spending time in Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka with possible trip to Tokyo
  5. Landing at Narita Airport and passing through Tokyo on your way to visit a friend living in the country side

You fall into 1 of those 5 categories.  Don’t lie to yourself.  You’ll hate yourself for it.  If you are planning on traveling back and forth to small towns across bigger cities to get to other cities over the span of a week or more, then the JR Rail Pass might be worth it.  But if you are going to Tokyo, then the JR Rail Pass is a waste of money.

The best way to travel around Tokyo is via subway and the above ground Yamanote Line (this is covered by the JR Pass).  Subways are NOT covered by the JR Rail Pass.  The cost to ride the Yamanote Line around Tokyo would never be justified by the cost of a JR Rail Pass.  Having said that, you may consider purchasing a pass if you are staying with friends that live 1 hour train ride outside of the city and you want to take an express train or a super express train numerous times to Tokyo.  Going back and forth from outlying areas into the city center can start to add up.

On another note, if you plan on making a short trip down to Kyoto and then return back to Tokyo, the JR Pass will be worth it for sure.  Just keep in mind that you can’t use the JR Rail Pass for the super express bullet train called the Nozomi.  But you can use the pass for the other bullet trains.

Overall, there are few instances when the JR Rail Pass make sense for the normal traveler.  Here are a few that were put together by my good pals at TTA, Inc.  (I’ve actually never met them, but I’m sure they love to party.)

When to purchase a JR Rail Pass

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