PURCHASE YOUR RAIL PASS IN JAPAN

Purchase your Japan Rail Pass and receive your exchange order by post mail.

We facilitate advance reservation for the Japan Rail Pass valid for unlimited travel throughout Japan.

Passengers can travel on Shinkansen trains, Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains across Japan for 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days.

Rail services in Japan are operated by Japan Railways (JR).

Japan Railways (JR) is divided in six companies dedicated to provide passenger train services in different regions of Japan: JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku and JR Kyushu.

To achieve a complete coverage of the railway transportation across the nation, Japan Railways (JR) operates several types of intercity trains, including:

• - Shinkansen high-speed rail
• - Limited Express conventional rail

Shinkansen high-speed rail

Shinkansen is the high-speed railway service operated with trains running at a maximum speed of 240–320 km/h.

The Shinkansen network consists of 2,764 kilometers of dedicated high-speed tracks that use standard-gauge and are separated from the conventional lines that use different gauge.

The main Shinkansen lines are the following:

• - Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka, operated by JR Central
• - Sanyo Shinkansen between Osaka and Fukuoka, operated by JR West
• - Kyushu Shinkansen between Fukuoka and Kagoshima, operated by JR Kyushu
• - Hokkaido Shinkansen between Aomori and Hokuto, operated by JR Hokkaido
• - Tohoku Shinkansen between Tokyo and Aomori, operated by JR East
• - Akita Shinkansen between Tokyo and Akita, operated by JR East
• - Yamagata Shinkansen between Tokyo and Shinjo, operated by JR East
• - Joetsu Shinkansen between Tokyo and Niigata, operated by JR East
• - Hokuriku Shinkansen between Tokyo and Tsuruga, jointly operated by JR East and JR West

The Tokaido and Sanyo lines are interconnected forming a continuous corridor that links Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka, and is used by through services operated by JR Central and JR West. The Sanyo and Kyushu lines are interconnected forming a continuous corridor that links Osaka, Fukuoka and Kagoshima, and is used by through services operated by JR West and JR Kyushu.

The Tohoku line and the Tokaido line meet in Tokyo but the tracks are not physically interconnected, hence there are no through services between the East and Central regions and passengers are required to interchange trains at Tokyo Station.

The Hokuriku line operates over the Joetsu and Tohoku lines tracks between Tokyo and Takasaki, then it separates and continues on its own dedicated tracks to Nagano, Kanazawa and Tsuruga.

Shinkansen trains are designated by a code name that identifies the class of service followed by one to three numerals. The fast services stop only at key stations, the semi-fast services stop at the major stations, and the local services stop at all stations:

• - In the Tokaido and Sanyo lines, NOZOMI is the fast service, HIKARI is the semi-fast services and KODAMA is the local service.
• - In the Sanyo and Kyushu lines, MIZUHO is the fast service, SAKURA is the semi-fast service and TSUBAME is the local service.
• - In the Hokkaido line, HAYABUSA is the fast service and HAYATE is the semi-fast service.
• - In the Tohoku line, HAYABUSA is the fast service, YAMABIKO is the semi-fast service and NASUNO is the local service.
• - In the Akita line, KOMACHI is the fast service between Tokyo and Morioka, as well as the local service between Morioka and Akita.
• - In the Yamagata line, TSUBASA is the semi-fast service between Tokyo and Fukushima, as well as the local service between Fukushima and Shinjo.
• - In the Joetsu line, TOKI is the semi-fast service and TANIGAWA is the local service.
• - In the Hokuriku line, KAGAYAKI is the fast service, HAKUTAKA and ASAMA are the two semi-fast services, and TSURUGI is the local service.

Shinkansen trains are powered by electric multiple units and can carry up to 16 cars per train, arranged in Green Car with business class seats that require advanced reservation and Ordinary Car with standard class seats distributed in Reserved and Non-reserved.

In total, the Shinkansen trains offer three passengers classes: Green Car Seat, Reserved Seat and Non-reserved Seat.

Travellers with Reserved Seat tickets are required to take their numbered seat in the Green Cars or the Ordinary Cars. Travellers with Non-reserved Seat tickets are allowed to take any seat available in the Ordinary Cars designated as Non-reserved. On these cars, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. When all the seats are full, passengers must travel standing on the corridor or the coach entrance without blocking the access to other passengers.

Limited Express conventional rail

Japan Railways (JR) operates many intercity and regional lines with trains running on conventional rail at a maximum speed of 130-160 km/h.

Given the limited coverage of the Shinkansen network, passengers may need to use conventional trains to reach certain regions of Japan or travel directly between two cities.

Conventional rail services are classified depending on the stop pattern:

• - Limited Express is the fastest service
• - Express is a semi-fast service stopping at major stations
• - Rapid is a fast service stopping at most stations
• - Local is a slow service stopping at all stations

When travelling on conventional rail, the standard ticket depends on the travel distance and it is the same for all the trains regardless of the number of stops or transfers. The standard ticket allows the passenger to access the platform and board Limited Express trains as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains.

On Limited Express trains, passengers can travel on Non-reserved Seat or Reserved Seat. In case of travelling with Reserved Seat, passengers are required an extra ticket for the Reserved Seat, which is received separately from the standard ticket and is inspected by the train conductor on board.

In total, the Limited Express trains offer three passengers classes: Green Car Seat, Reserved Seat and Non-reserved Seat.

Travellers with Reserved Seat tickets are required to take their numbered seat in the Green Cars or the Ordinary Cars. Travellers with Non-reserved Seat tickets are allowed to take any seat available in the Ordinary Cars designated as Non-reserved. On these cars, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. When all the seats are full, passengers must travel standing on the corridor or the coach entrance without blocking the access to other passengers.

On Express, Rapid and Local trains, passengers can travel on Non-reserved Seat.

The Japan Rail Pass is valid for unlimited travel across Japan, including Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu regions.

Travel with Japan Rail Pass

Passengers can travel on Shinkansen trains (except Nozomi and Mizuho), Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains across Japan for 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days.

The rail pass reservation is available 3 months in advance.

JR Hokkaido

JR East

JR Central

JR West

JR Kyushu

The rail pass is not valid for the following trains:

Japan is divided into eight regions: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu.

Hokkaido island

Hokkaido is the second largest island of Japan and comprises only one prefecture, Hokkaido, whose capital is Sapporo. This region is served by the Hokkaido Shinkansen and the Limited Express trains operated by JR Hokkaido.

Tohoku region

Tohoku region comprises Aomori, Akita, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata prefectures. This region is served by the Tohoku Shinkansen, the Akita Shinkansen, the Yamagata Shinkansen and the Limited Express trains operated by JR East.

Kanto region

Kanto region comprises Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures. This region is served by the Tohoku Shinkansen, the Tokaido Shinkansen and the Limited Express trains operated by JR East.

Chubu region

Chubu region comprises Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu, Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama, Nagano and Niigata prefectures. This region is served by the Tokaido Shinkansen, the Hokuriku Shinkansen, the Joetsu Shinkansen and the Limited Express trains operated by JR East, JR Central and JR West.

Kansai region

Kansai region comprises Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo and Shiga prefectures. This region is served by the Tokaido Shinkansen, the Sanyo Shinkansen and the Limited Express trains operated by JR Central and JR West.

Chugoku region

Chugoku region comprises Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Shimane and Tottori prefectures. This region is served by the Sanyo Shinkansen and the Limited Express trains operated by JR West.

Kyushu island

Kyushu is the third largest of Japan's five main islands. This region is served by the Sanyo Shinkansen and the Kyushu Shinkansen.

If you are planning a trip to Japan and you want to visit many destinations, purchasing a rail pass is a great way to simplify your travel and save money. This option is cheaper than buying individual train tickets and more flexible as you can plan your itinerary on the go.

We facilitate the purchase of the Japan Rail Pass valid for unlimited travel throughout Japan.

Passengers can travel on Shinkansen trains, Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains across Japan for a number of consecutive days.

Select your rail pass

Find the rail pass available for your itinerary and select the most convenient option according to the duration of your journey.

We accept rail pass reservations from 3 months in advance up to 2 weeks before departure. Note that the rail pass cannot be purchased within Japan and you must receive the mail exchange order (MCO) by post mail before travelling to Japan.

Fill in the passenger and contact details

According to the policy of Japan Railways (JR), the passenger must meet the following criteria for rail pass reservation.

Passenger must hold a passport issued by a foreign government
− Japanese nationals are not allowed to use this rail pass for tourists.

Passenger must enter Japan as a 短期滞在 (Temporary Visitor)
− Visitor must obtain a Temporary Visitor stamp at Immigration. Do not use the automated gates, as no stamp will be applied on the passport.
− Student permit and work permit holders, permanent residents in Japan are not allowed to use this rail pass for tourists.

In case you meet the criteria of eligibility, please provide the passenger information and the contact details of the person responsible for booking. We will send by email the booking confirmation and the receipt of the delivery of the mail exchange order (MCO).

Finally, you are requested to provide the address where you wish to receive the mail exchange order (MCO) by post mail before travelling to Japan.

Complete your payment

Select your payment method. We accept international credit or debit cards.

Check your itinerary and price breakdown. Confirm that the booking information is correct. Before you proceed to payment, you must read and accept the terms and conditions of booking.

Receive your electronic ticket by email

Once your payment is complete, your reservation will be processed.

In the following 24 hours you will receive the itinerary and booking confirmation by email.

You can also access to Manage your booking via web and download the receipt of the delivery of the mail exchange order (MCO) to your device.

How to use the rail pass?

The exchange order is valid to collect the rail pass at the station. It cannot be used to board the train.

After arriving in Japan, passengers can collect the rail pass by presenting the passport and the mail exchange order (MCO) received by post mail at the ticket office in the exchange locations.

Once exchanged, the rail pass will be associated with the passport and the holder will be able to travel for a number of consecutive days according to the validity indicated in the physical ticket.

Passengers can travel on Shinkansen trains, Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains in Non-reserved Seat.

If you wish to travel in Reserved Seat, you must receive your tickets for Reserved seat from the ticket vending machine before boarding.