JAPAN RAIL PASS: 7, 14 or 21 days, prices and how to use it

Add up the fares for the trains and routes you actually plan to take, especially if you will make several long journeys between regions. Compare a regional pass too if most of your trip stays within one area.

Check that your Japanese entry status meets the pass’s Temporary Visitor rule. The operator requires the relevant passport entry stamp or sticker; if you use an automated entry gate, ask how to obtain the required evidence. Japanese nationals living abroad have separate documentary rules: the original Japanese passport, a designated document proving at least 10 consecutive years of residence abroad, and purchase through an overseas exchange-order channel. The family and under-12 rules depend on the document type, so consult the operator’s eligibility instructions before buying.

For a Japanese passport holder living in Canada, JR also lists a Canadian Permanent Resident Card as possible written proof of at least ten consecutive years of residence, until further notice. The card must actually establish that period; Canadian residence or citizenship alone does not qualify anyone for the pass. This is an exception within the Japanese-nationals-abroad exchange-order rules, not an alternative to the Temporary Visitor rule for other travellers.

Overseas-agent prices changed for purchases from 1 October 2026, using the local time at the place of purchase. Official website prices are being retained for a limited period; the end date will be announced separately. The tables below give the official JPY prices checked on 7 October 2026.

These are the Ordinary and Green Car prices when you buy directly through the official JAPAN RAIL PASS Reservation website (JRPR).

These are the official Ordinary and Green Car prices for purchases through designated overseas JR agents. Check the seller’s actual amount and currency separately before paying.

Child prices apply to ages 6–11, assessed on the payment date for official website purchases or the exchange-order issue date for overseas-agent purchases. Up to two children aged 1–5 may travel free with each adult or child pass holder. A child fare ticket is required for the third or later child, for a child occupying a separate reserved seat, or for a child travelling alone. Infants under one year do not count towards that two-child limit.

Choose 7, 14 or 21 days. An exchange order issued by an overseas agent must be exchanged for the actual pass within three months of issue. The official example is an order issued on 15 April that must be exchanged by 14 July.

An overseas-agent exchange order is not the pass you use to board a train. Take it and your own original passport to a designated exchange office to collect the actual pass. For a direct JRPR purchase, bring the reservation number and the original passports of every traveller included in the booking.

The pass covers specified JR railways, JR bus rapid transit (BRT) and the Tokyo Monorail. Private-railway sections generally require separate fares and charges, with limited conditional exceptions for through journeys. Do not assume that a private railway included in a regional pass is also covered by the nationwide pass. The official English nationwide route map is dated April 2026; stations shown in red marked exchange offices at that time, so check today’s counter hours separately. Lines run by other companies that appear on the map are not necessarily covered. To take a Nozomi or Mizuho service, you need both a valid pass and the dedicated supplementary ticket purchased before boarding.

Eligible local JR buses are covered, but highway buses and some other routes are excluded. The JR-West Miyajima Ferry is covered; you must pay the separate JPY 100 Miyajima visitor tax when entering the island.

Check the official location table for your purchase method: collecting a direct website purchase and exchanging an overseas-agent order are separate services. A passport-reading ticket machine listed for official website collection may not accept an agent’s exchange order.

The pass alone does not reserve a seat. Obtain a reserved-seat ticket before boarding. At a ticket machine, enter the QR code or reservation number for the actual pass together with your passport number, then select the train and seat. If a train has no non-reserved seats, check its reservation requirements before travelling.

Advance JRPR seat reservations are available only if you bought the pass directly through JRPR. Sign in, choose “Reserve a Seat” for your pass, and enter the departure and arrival stations, date and number of travellers. Check the train and seats, confirm the reservation, and collect both the actual pass and the reserved-seat tickets before boarding. This advance booking process does not apply to travel-agency exchange orders.

JRPR seat reservations normally open at 10:00 Japan time one month before travel and close six minutes before the train’s departure. A different opening date applies when the preceding month has no corresponding date. One pass purchase can cover the lead traveller and up to five companions: six people in total.

Ask the agency that sold an unused exchange order about its cancellation terms. If you have already exchanged that order for a pass, JR's refund rules apply at a domestic exchange office before the start date, with a 10% JPY handling fee. For a pass bought directly through JRPR but not yet collected, request a refund online by 23:30 Japan time on the day before the start date; JPY 560 is deducted per pass. An unused direct-purchase pass already collected must be taken to an issuing ticket office with the physical payment card. Cancel any issued reserved-seat tickets before requesting a pass refund. Once use begins, delays or suspensions do not extend the pass or entitle you to a refund. Lost or stolen passes are not reissued.