JR EAST PASS: five or ten days, collection and seat reservations
JR EAST PASS
Choose five or ten consecutive days for the covered eastern Japan routes towards Aomori, Sendai, Nagano and Niigata. The Tokaido Shinkansen, Izu Kyuko and Fujikyu Railway are excluded.
Places in this guide: Aomori (青森) · Sendai (仙台) · Nagano (長野) · Niigata (新潟) · Haneda Airport (羽田空港) · Naoetsu (直江津) · Arai (新井)
Source: JR EAST PASS official English coverage, fares and validity
Choose consecutive days around the long journeys
Compare the five-day and ten-day versions against the separate fares for your planned journeys towards Aomori, Sendai, Nagano and Niigata. Both run consecutively: days without train travel still count. You cannot select scattered days or change the validity period after the pass has been issued.
Source: JR EAST PASS official English coverage, fares and validity
Eligibility, fares and children
A non-Japanese passport is required. The operator’s purchase rules list JR EAST PASS as an exception to the Temporary Visitor requirement. Bring your own original passport when buying or collecting it and carry it during travel. The pass cannot be lent to another traveller.
Source: JR EAST PASS official English coverage, fares and validitySource: JR East official purchase and collection guide — JR EAST PASSSource: JR East official transport conditions (Korean) — JR EAST PASS
Adults are aged 12 or over; children are aged 6–11 on the purchase date. A child under six does not need a pass if no reserved seat is required. Operator fares below are in JPY; a seller’s displayed package price is separate.
Source: JR EAST PASS official English coverage, fares and validitySource: JR East official purchase and collection guide — JR EAST PASSSource: JR East official transport conditions (Korean) — JR EAST PASS
Scroll the table sideways if it does not fit your screen.
| Validity | Adult (JPY) | Child aged 6–11 (JPY) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 consecutive days | 35,000 | 17,500 |
| 10 consecutive days | 50,000 | 25,000 |
Source checked:
Source: JR EAST PASS official English coverage, fares and validitySource: JR East official purchase and collection guide — JR EAST PASSSource: JR East official transport conditions (Korean) — JR EAST PASS
Rail coverage and exclusions
The designated network includes JR East, Tokyo Monorail, Aoimori Railway, IGR Iwate Galaxy Railway, Sanriku Railway, Sendai Airport Transit and Hokuetsu Express. Echigo Tokimeki Railway is included only between Naoetsu and Arai. Use the official English map for the boundary stations.
Source: JR EAST PASS official English coverage, fares and validitySource: JR East official coverage map — JR EAST PASS
For a covered JR–Tobu through limited express, one endpoint must be a JR station. A limited express journey starting and ending at Tobu stations is excluded. The Tokaido Shinkansen, Izu Kyuko and Fujikyu Railway are not covered; Tokyo Wide has different coverage.
Source: JR EAST PASS official English coverage, fares and validitySource: JR East official coverage map — JR EAST PASS
JR buses in the valid area are included except highway buses and certain route buses. Check the operator’s bus map for the actual service rather than assuming every bus near a covered station is included.
Source: JR EAST PASS official English coverage, fares and validitySource: JR East official coverage map — JR EAST PASS
Collect the ticket for your purchase channel
An overseas seller’s electronic exchange order is not the physical pass. Present that voucher and your original passport at a location that accepts agency exchange orders. A direct JR-EAST Train Reservation booking uses its own supported collection locations and procedures.
Source: JR East official purchase and collection guide — JR EAST PASSSource: JR East official conditions and FAQ — JR EAST PASS
At Haneda Terminal 2, the tourist information centre listed in the collection record accepts agency vouchers from 06:00 to 22:00. The Terminal 3 JR East Travel Service Center accepts both agency vouchers and direct-JR purchases from 06:45 to 20:00. The Terminal 3 passport-reader machine is for direct-JR purchases, not agency vouchers. These are Japan-local collection hours, not flight or train times.
Source: JR East official purchase and collection guide — JR EAST PASSSource: JR East official conditions and FAQ — JR EAST PASS
The recorded official list shows only direct-JR collection machines at Matsumoto, Hachinohe, Hamamatsucho, Mito and Shinagawa. Do not send an agency-voucher holder there based only on the existence of a machine. Recheck the linked collection list for the selected product and purchase channel before travel.
Source: JR East official purchase and collection guide — JR EAST PASSSource: JR East official conditions and FAQ — JR EAST PASS
Obtain a seat ticket before boarding
Reserve through a supported JR East reserved-seat machine, ticket office or travel service centre before using a reserved seat. The pass does not guarantee seat availability. Where a train offers non-reserved seats, its eligible non-reserved accommodation can be used with the pass.
Source: JR East official transport conditions (Japanese) — JR EAST PASSSource: JR East official transport conditions (Korean) — JR EAST PASS
Hayabusa, Komachi, Hayate, Tsubasa, Nikko, Kinugawa and SPACIA Kinugawa require a seat ticket before boarding. Green Car and GranClass travel require the relevant accommodation charge and limited express or express charge, not just the difference from Ordinary Car.
Source: JR East official transport conditions (Japanese) — JR EAST PASSSource: JR East official transport conditions (Korean) — JR EAST PASS
Online reservations have channel-specific deadlines
Sign in to JR-EAST Train Reservation and select the pass in the seat-reservation flow. If you bought it from a seller, choose the option for a pass purchased outside that site. Search the departure and arrival stations, date and train, then select the seat and collection arrangements. Search connecting trains separately.
Source: JR-EAST Train Reservation seat-booking steps (Japanese)Source: JR-EAST Train Reservation booking deadlines (Japanese)Source: JR-EAST Train Reservation seat-ticket collection (Japanese)
For a pass bought outside JR’s reservation site, the recorded online booking window runs from 10:00 one month before travel until 23:50 two days before travel. Collect the seat tickets by 21:00 the previous day or the reservation is automatically cancelled. For a pass bought directly through JR’s site, the booking deadline is six minutes before departure. These are Japan-local times and maintenance periods can affect access.
Source: JR-EAST Train Reservation seat-booking steps (Japanese)Source: JR-EAST Train Reservation booking deadlines (Japanese)Source: JR-EAST Train Reservation seat-ticket collection (Japanese)
An email confirmation is not a boarding ticket. Follow the collection instructions for the actual reservation, taking the physical pass and collection code or other required booking details. Same-day seats for a seller-bought pass should be checked at a supported station counter or machine, not assumed available through that online booking window.
Source: JR-EAST Train Reservation seat-booking steps (Japanese)Source: JR-EAST Train Reservation booking deadlines (Japanese)Source: JR-EAST Train Reservation seat-ticket collection (Japanese)
Using gates, changes and refunds
Insert the actual pass at a supported JR East automatic gate and collect it after passing through. Use a staffed passage where there is no supported gate or another operator requires it. Check the train, carriage and seat on each reservation. Pay the separate fare and charges for excluded lines or out-of-area travel.
Source: JR East official purchase and collection guide — JR EAST PASSSource: JR EAST PASS official English transport conditions
An unused issued pass can be refunded within validity at its sales location, less 10% of the JPY purchase price. If a seat ticket has been issued and that train’s scheduled departure has passed, no refund is available even if unused. After travel begins, disruption does not extend the pass or permit a refund. Lost passes are not replaced. An unexchanged seller voucher follows the seller’s separate cancellation terms.
Source: JR East official purchase and collection guide — JR EAST PASSSource: JR EAST PASS official English transport conditions
Using your ticket
Choose five or ten consecutive days and verify every planned section against the official coverage map.
Bring your own original passport and, for a seller purchase, the electronic exchange order. The exchange order cannot be used at the ticket gate.
Use a collection point that accepts your purchase channel. Direct-JR passport-reader machines do not necessarily accept agency vouchers.
Obtain the seat tickets for reserved-seat services before boarding. Follow the earlier online deadlines and previous-day collection requirement for a pass bought outside JR’s site.
Insert the physical pass at a supported JR East automatic gate and collect it on the other side. Use a staffed passage where required.
Board the train, carriage and seat shown on the reservation. Pay any additional fare or charge for travel outside the covered network.
Questions and answers
Can I choose any five days during my holiday?
No. It is five or ten consecutive days from the chosen start date. Days when you do not take a train still count.
Does it cover Kawaguchiko or the Izu Kyuko Line?
No. Fujikyu Railway and Izu Kyuko are excluded from JR EAST PASS. Buy separate tickets for those railway sections.
Do I need Temporary Visitor status?
The official purchase guide lists JR EAST PASS as an exception to that requirement. Your original non-Japanese passport is required. Check any additional conditions of the seller’s selected package separately.
Can I exchange a seller’s voucher at a Haneda ticket machine?
The Terminal 3 passport-reader machine is for direct-JR purchases. For an agency voucher, use an accepting collection counter such as the listed Terminal 2 tourist information centre or Terminal 3 JR East Travel Service Center during its service hours.
Can I board Hayabusa with just the pass?
No. Obtain the seat ticket before boarding this all-reserved-seat train.
Can I pay only the difference for Green Car or GranClass?
No. The accommodation charge and limited express or express charge are additional, rather than only the difference from Ordinary Car.
Can I refund an unused pass after my reserved train has left?
No. Once a seat ticket has been issued and that train’s scheduled departure has passed, the issued pass cannot be refunded even if unused. Before that cutoff, an unused pass within validity can be refunded at its sales location less a 10% fee. Unexchanged seller vouchers have separate conditions.
Will JR replace a lost pass?
No. Lost or stolen passes are not replaced. Collect the pass after using a ticket gate and keep it securely.
Can I book a same-day seat online with a seller-bought pass?
The recorded online deadline for a pass bought outside JR’s site is 23:50 two days before travel, with seat-ticket collection by 21:00 the previous day. Ask a supported station counter or machine about same-day seats.
Official sources and coverage maps
Open the operator’s coverage map and conditions before choosing your journeys. Official maps are linked rather than republished. The coverage and exclusions are also explained above.
- JR East official coverage map — JR EAST PASS ↗
Source checked:
- JR East official conditions and FAQ (Korean) — JR EAST PASS ↗
Source checked:
- JR East official purchase and collection guide — JR EAST PASS ↗
Source checked:
- JR East official conditions and FAQ — JR EAST PASS ↗
Source checked:
- JR East official transport conditions (Japanese) — JR EAST PASS ↗
Source checked:
- JR East official transport conditions (Korean) — JR EAST PASS ↗
Source checked:
- JR-EAST Train Reservation seat-booking steps (Japanese) ↗
Source checked:
- JR-EAST Train Reservation booking deadlines (Japanese) ↗
Source checked:
- JR-EAST Train Reservation seat-ticket collection (Japanese) ↗
Source checked:
- JR EAST PASS official English coverage, fares and validity ↗
Source checked:
- JR EAST PASS official English transport conditions ↗
Source checked: