Japan Rail Pass

The Japan Rail Pass, which is issued by the JR (Japan Railway) Group, offers travellers excellent value for money and convenience. The Rail Pass enables the almost unlimited use of JR trains and its affiliated bus and ferry services within various areas of Japan.

The Japan Rail Pass is available only to people from abroad who wish to come to Japan as "temporary visitors" for sightseeing. It is usually necessary to purchase an Exchange Order through a travel agency abroad so that the Exchange Order can be exchanged for a Japan Rail Pass after entering Japan.

It is very important to remember that only those who receive the entry status "temporary visitor" stamped in their passports are eligible to obtain the Japan Rail Pass. In order to receive your Japan Rail Pass, you need to take your Exchange Order to an applicable Japan Rail station, upon arrival in Japan, which has a Japan Rail Pass exchange office.

The Exchange Order of Japan Rail Pass can be purchased from overseas offices of JTB Corp., JALPAK, Nippon Travel Agency Co., Ltd., Kintetsu International, and Toptour Corporation plus their affiliated travel agencies in various countries. Overseas offices of Japan Airlines(JAL)* and All Nippon Airways(ANA) also handle the Exchange Order. *When using JAL group flight.

A Seat Reservation Service via Internet is now provided by JR East, and is available for the reservation of seats on all Shinkansen (Super Express) trains throughout Japan, as well as Narita Express trains. To travel on any of these trains a basic fare ticket and a seat reservation ticket are required. You must purchase your basic fare ticket when you pick up your reservation tickets. In order to use this service, you will first need to register as a member (membership is free).