If you happen to plan to journey round Japan, you should use the Japan Rail Move (JR Move) to avoid wasting on Shinkansen and JR trains.
What’s the Japan Rail Move (JR Move)?
After we began touring to Japan, we realized our transportation prices, together with airfare and shinkansen (bullet trains), have been including up considerably. Nonetheless, if we had deliberate our journeys higher, we might have saved a bit on transportation utilizing a Japan Rail Move (JR Move).
This go permits limitless journey on all JR Group (Japan Railways Group), restricted categorical trains, categorical trains, and speedy and native ones. JR Move holders can present the ticket gate officer and board the prepare. You too can make seat reservations on the ticket workplace or on a machine.
Regional JR Move
The final JR Move covers all of the trains talked about above from the southern island of Kyushu all the way in which as much as northern Hokkaido! This can be an incredible possibility in the event you plan to journey throughout Japan. Nonetheless, in the event you plan to deal with only one area of Japan, there are particular JR Passes for various areas, together with JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku, and JR Kyushu. We’ll get onto the pricing of those afterward.
If you happen to solely plan to remain in a single space like Tokyo, the rail go might be not price it. Nonetheless, if you’ll be taking the bullet prepare to Osaka from Tokyo and maybe different cities inside Japan, this go could possibly be a cash saver.
Varieties and Validity of the Japan Rail Move
Earlier than we begin, it must be famous that the JR Passes are solely obtainable to foreigners and Japanese nationals residing overseas completely and visiting Japan underneath the “momentary customer” standing. Japanese Immigration Regulation permits a keep in Japan of 15 days or 90 days for “sightseeing, and so on. If you happen to fall underneath this standards, a short lived customer stamp will likely be positioned in your passport.
Three varieties of JR Passes can be found: the Extraordinary Move (for normal lessons), the Inexperienced Move (for superior class), and the Little one Move for kids aged 6-11. For infants aged 0-5, a rail go just isn’t essential, as acknowledged by Japan Rail, however this implies they aren’t entitled to a seat both. In the event that they require a seat, you’ll have to buy one. From there, the JR Move is obtainable in varied durations: 7, 14, and 21 days.
Do not forget that this go doesn’t apply to metro strains and different personal strains and solely works on JR strains. In case you might be questioning (see the chart under), “Inexperienced Automotive” is the equal of a enterprise class automotive with wider seats.
Quickest Practice Choice
As of October 2023, with the JR Rail Move, customers should purchase a further ticket on the station to journey the Nozomi Shinkansen on each the Tokaidō Shinkansen (between Tokyo and Shin Osaka), Sanyō Shinkansen (between Shin Osaka and Hakata) or the Mizuho service operating on each the Sanyō Shinkansen and the Kyūshū Shinkansen. These are the quickest Shinkansen trains and price between 4,000 and 6,500 yen. Extra particulars could be discovered on the official web site. Beforehand, JR Move riders couldn’t journey on these quickest trains.
You might be free to make use of all different Shinkansen trains and specified trains and buses.
How A lot Does the Japan Rail Move Price?
Because the passes are priced in Yen, the costs might fluctuate in your forex relying on the alternate price. The three differing kinds and period of JR Passes differ in worth, which you see within the chart under (costs are in yen as of October 2023):
Oct 2023 Value Enhance
Since October 2023, Japan Rail introduced sharp worth will increase for all tickets. The costs are as follows:
Common Move
7-Day Move – JPY 29,650 to 50,000 (69% improve)
14-Day Move – JPY 47,250 to 80,000 (69% improve)
21-Day Move – JPY 60,450 to 100,000 (65% improve)
Inexperienced Automotive Move
7-Day Move – JPY 39,600 to 70,000 (77% improve)
14-Day Move – JPY 64,120 to 110,000 (72% improve)
21-Day Move – JPY 83,390 to 140,000 (68% improve)
In comparison with the value earlier than, the brand new costs are large will increase. Earlier than in the event you’re touring all through Japan it’s nearly all the time a greater deal. With the brand new costs, it’s price calculating and scheduling what and the place you’ll go throughout your journey to Japan. Alongside the introduced journey in worth, customers can even be capable to take the quickest Nozomi Shinkansen. On high of this, there will likely be varied attraction reductions obtainable.
It could be arduous to justify 50,000 yen for the 7-day go. For instance, a round-trip shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto is 28,100 yen. From Tokyo to Fukuoka, a spherical journey will value round 48,000 yen. Moreover, if you’re planning to go to throughout vacation durations, equivalent to the brand new yr, Japan’s golden week, or cherry blossom season, ticket costs for trains and different modes of transport will likely be pricey. Subsequently, it is going to rely in your itinerary and schedule.
You possibly can test all the small print of every JR Move right here!
Receive Your Japan Rail Move
Essentially the most essential a part of the Japan Rail Move is that you need to buy it outdoors of Japan, and it’s not obtainable for buy inside Japan. You should purchase a voucher (alternate order) from varied approved web sites, which will likely be despatched to your own home handle. If you arrive in Japan, you may alternate that voucher in your rail go at any main JR Station, airport, or designated alternate workplace. On the time of alternate, you may state your beginning date to regulate your itinerary.
Japan Rail Move Suggestions and Notes
- It isn’t a ticket, and you will want to carry your go to a JR workplace in Japan to alternate it for precise tickets.
- The alternate course of is painstakingly gradual. It took over 1 hour to alternate our 4 passes and e-book tickets for our journey. For a single particular person, it is going to take about 20 min. You will want your passport through the alternate. For Japanese residing overseas who use the Japan Rail Move, keep in mind your international residence card or proof you reside overseas.
- We extremely suggest pre-planning your journey beforehand, understanding which day and prepare # you’ll take, after which reserving all the journey at one time on the JR station. Use Google Maps to plan your journey (my tip on how you can use Google Maps in Japan).
- You will want to point out the Japan Rail Move alongside together with your prepare ticket when getting into and exiting stations, so maintain it someplace handy to seize when touring.
- You possibly can all the time cancel and reschedule your tickets to accommodate your journey schedule.
Bonus Tip: Utilizing the Japan Rail Move on Narita Categorical
You possibly can journey the Narita Categorical from the airport to Tokyo totally free you probably have a Japan Rail Move. In any other case, I might suggest taking the airport limousine (it’s a 50-seat bus and never a limo) to the lodge from the airport as a substitute. It prices much less and takes you straight from the airport to all the main lodges, so that you don’t have to pull your baggage across the subway methods (a number of the older stations don’t have any elevator or escalator). It’s a easy and hassle-free approach of attending to your lodging, particularly after an extended flight. If you happen to arrive at Haneda Airport, the go means that you can journey the Tokyo monorail totally free!
