JR EAST PASS: 5-day and 10-day coverage, prices and seat bookings
Japan rail pass guide
The JR EAST PASS covers specified rail routes towards Aomori, Sendai, Nagano and Niigata for five or ten consecutive days. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen, Izu Kyūkō Line and Fujikyū Railway are not included.
Key destinations
Aomori · 青森 / Sendai · 仙台 / Nagano · 長野 / Niigata · 新潟
Which duration suits your itinerary?
Compare the five-day and ten-day options around the dates of your long-distance journeys. If your travel days are spread out, unused days between them still count towards the validity period.
Who can use it?
Holders of passports issued by countries other than Japan can use this pass. JR’s official conditions do not require Temporary Visitor status. Present your own original passport when purchasing or collecting, and carry it while travelling. The pass cannot be lent to someone else.
Prices and child fares
Official prices are JPY 35,000 adult and JPY 17,500 child for five days, or JPY 50,000 adult and JPY 25,000 child for ten days. Adults are aged 12 or over; children are aged 6–11 on the purchase date. Check a travel agency’s actual selling price on its purchase page.
Travelling with children under six
A child under six does not need a pass if you do not reserve a seat for them. If you want a separate reserved seat for the child, check the child-pass conditions.
Consecutive travel days
The pass is valid for five or ten consecutive days from your chosen start date. You cannot skip unused dates. Check the start date before collection, because the validity period cannot be changed after issue.
Buying and collecting by channel
You can buy through an overseas travel agency, JR-EAST Train Reservation, or a designated sales location in Japan. An agency e-ticket is an exchange order, not a boarding pass: take it and your original passport to a location that accepts agency orders. For a direct JR website purchase, collect the pass at a location or passport-reader machine that supports that channel. A designated station sales location can issue a pass in Japan after checking your original passport. Check the location for your pass and purchase method before travelling there.
Covered railways and exclusions
The pass covers its specified JR East routes plus the Tokyo Monorail, Aoimori Railway, IGR Iwate Galaxy Railway, Sanriku Railway, Sendai Airport Transit Line and Hokuetsu Express. On the Echigo Tokimeki Railway, only the Naoetsu · 直江津–Arai · 新井 section is included. For JR–Tobu through limited-express services, either the departure or arrival station must be a JR station.
Covered buses
JR buses within the valid area are included, but highway buses and some local routes are excluded. Check the official bus coverage map separately when your itinerary includes a bus connection.
Collection at Haneda Airport
At Haneda Airport · 羽田空港 Terminal 2, the Tourist Information Center accepts agency exchange orders only, from 06:00 to 22:00. At Terminal 3, the JR EAST Travel Service Center handles agency exchange orders and direct JR purchases from 06:45 to 20:00. The passport-reading machine in Terminal 3 collects direct JR purchases only. All times are Japan time.
Reserve a seat before boarding
Obtain a reserved-seat ticket before boarding at a JR East reserved-seat machine, ticket counter or travel service centre. The pass itself does not secure a seat. On a train with unreserved seating, you can use an unreserved seat with the pass.
How to reserve online
Sign in to JR-EAST Train Reservation and select the pass for your reserved-seat booking. If you bought through an agency, choose the option for a pass purchased outside that website. Search for your departure and arrival stations and date, select the train and seat, then check the collection location and date. Search separately for each connecting train.
Online booking and collection deadlines
For a pass bought outside JR-EAST Train Reservation, online seat reservations open at 10:00 Japan time one month before travel and close at 23:50 two days before travel. Collect the reserved-seat ticket by 21:00 on the day before travel or the booking is automatically cancelled. For a pass bought directly on JR’s website, the booking deadline is six minutes before departure instead. The service is unavailable during maintenance periods.
Collect the reserved-seat ticket
A booking-confirmation email alone is not valid for boarding. Bring the actual pass and the required collection code or reservation details to collect the reserved-seat ticket. Collection differs between seats booked on JR’s website and seats reserved elsewhere; follow the official instructions for your booking.
Changes, cancellations and refunds
If an agency exchange order has not yet been exchanged, ask the selling agency about cancellation. JR’s official rules allow a refund of an issued, unused pass at the point of purchase within its validity period after deducting 10% of the JPY purchase price. Cancel an unused reserved-seat ticket before that train's scheduled departure; the pass cannot be refunded after that departure. Once pass use begins, it cannot be extended or refunded, including for service cancellations or delays. Lost or stolen passes are not reissued.
From purchase to boarding
Choose five or ten days and your start date. Check that every planned section lies within the official coverage map.
Prepare for your purchase channel: bring the agency e-ticket if you bought an exchange order, or your JR-EAST Train Reservation details if you bought directly from JR. For a purchase in Japan, choose a designated station sales location. Every traveller needs their own original passport; an exchange-order screen is not a boarding ticket.
Use the operator’s pass-specific location finder before travelling to the station. Take an agency order to a counter that accepts agency exchanges. For a direct JR booking, use a supported travel service centre or passport-reader machine with your original IC-chip passport. If buying in Japan, use a designated sales counter or eligible passport-reader machine. A machine for direct JR purchases cannot exchange an agency order.
After collecting the actual pass, obtain a reserved-seat ticket for each train you will take in a reserved seat. Hayabusa, Komachi, Hayate, Tsubasa, Nikko, Kinugawa and SPACIA Kinugawa require a reserved-seat ticket before boarding.
Insert the actual pass into a JR East automatic ticket gate and collect it after passing through. Use the staffed gate where there are no automatic gates or on other operators’ lines.
Check the train, car and seat printed on your reserved-seat ticket before boarding. Routes outside the pass area or on excluded operators require separate fares and charges.
Frequently asked questions
Can I choose five separate travel days?
No. You get five or ten consecutive days from the chosen start date, including dates when you do not take a train.
Does it cover Kawaguchiko or Izukyu Railway?
No. Fujikyu Railway and Izukyu Railway are not included. Buy separate tickets for those lines.
Do I need Temporary Visitor status for the JR EAST PASS?
JR’s official purchase guide lists the JR EAST PASS as an exception to the Temporary Visitor requirement. You need an original passport issued by a country other than Japan. If an agency’s product sets a separate eligibility restriction, ask the seller how that condition applies.
Can I exchange an agency order at a Haneda ticket machine?
The passport-reading machine in Haneda Terminal 3 is for direct JR purchases. Exchange an agency order at the Terminal 2 Tourist Information Center or Terminal 3 JR EAST Travel Service Center.
Can I board Hayabusa with just the pass?
Obtain a reserved-seat ticket first. Hayabusa has reserved seats only, and JR’s official terms state that you cannot board without the required reserved-seat ticket.
Can I use Green Car or GranClass by paying just the difference?
No. You need to pay the charge for that accommodation and the applicable limited-express or express charge separately.
Can a lost pass be replaced?
No. Lost or stolen passes are not reissued. Collect your pass after passing through the gate and keep it safe.
Can I book a seat online on the travel day with an agency-bought pass?
The official guide closes online reservations for passes bought outside JR’s website at 23:50 two days before travel, with ticket collection by 21:00 the preceding day. For same-day reserved seats, ask at a supported station counter or machine.
Official sources and guide materials
- JR EAST PASS official coverage map (English) ↗Checked:
- JR East Pass Official Korean Guide ↗Checked:
- JR EAST PASS official overview and bus coverage (English) ↗Checked:
- JR East: purchase, exchange and refunds ↗Checked:
- JR East: pass collection locations ↗Checked:
- JR EAST PASS conditions of use (Japanese) ↗Checked:
- JR East Pass Korean Usage Regulations ↗Checked:
- JR EAST PASS conditions of use (English) ↗Checked:
- JR East online reserved-seat booking instructions (Japanese) ↗Checked:
- JR East online reservation opening times and deadlines (Japanese) ↗Checked:
- JR East online booking: ticket collection (Japanese) ↗Checked:
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