Is a Japan Rail Go Value It? (2024 Replace After Price Enhance)

Travelling by practice is likely one of the issues we love most about Japan. There’s an intensive community, the trains are spacious and comfy, and so they at all times run on time (we even made a one-minute connection!).

The one draw back is the worth. Shopping for a Japan Rail Go upfront used to save lots of you some huge cash, however that has modified with a worth improve in October 2023.

On this assessment, I’ll discover whether or not a Japan Rail Go is price it any longer and share helpful suggestions for utilizing the cross and travelling by practice in Japan.

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Replace: Japan Rail Go Value Enhance

The price of the Japan Rail Go elevated considerably (round 70%) in October 2023.

Sadly, which means that for many guests, the Japan Rail Go not saves you cash.

That is such a disgrace as I completely love the comfort of travelling with a cross. It is best to nonetheless contemplate a Japan Rail Go if:

• You might be travelling rather a lot – For instance for a visit that features Tokyo to Kyoto return with a day journey to Hiroshima (see the itinerary under), a cross now prices about the identical as particular person tickets.
• You prioritise comfort – It’s so good having the ability to hop on trains with out shopping for a ticket.

One other change with the brand new passes is that you should use it on the quickest shinkansen trains (Nozomi and Mizuho), however it’s important to pay a hefty supplementary payment (4960 yen/ US $33 from Tokyo to Kyoto). This isn’t price it to succeed in Kyoto 20 minutes quicker.

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What’s a Japan Rail Go?

A Japan Rail Go is a ticket that gives limitless journey on all Japan Rail nationwide trains for a sure interval. Passes can be found for 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days and you may select between a regular and inexperienced (top quality) cross.

Japan Rail Passes are solely out there to foreigners travelling on a vacationer visa and (normally) have to be purchased outdoors Japan.

You should purchase your cross on-line and get it delivered to your property deal with and even to your first Japan resort in the event you’ve left it to the final minute.

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Japan Rail Go Value (New Costs)

That is the present price of every of the usual Japan Rail Passes in Japanese yen with the present approximate change charge in US {dollars} and the fee per day in {dollars}.

JR Passes for youngsters price half the quantities above (i.e ¥25,000 for a 7 Day Go).

I don’t suppose there’s any have to pay additional for the Inexperienced Go (¥70,000 for a 7 Day Go) to journey top quality as we discovered commonplace class snug with loads of leg room, tables, and energy factors.

The one time it is likely to be price contemplating is throughout vacation intervals reminiscent of Golden Week in late April/early Could when commonplace class trains are busy (you can also make seat reservations, although).

We at all times purchase our tickets on-line with official vendor JRailPass.com. They ship worldwide in two days. 

Purchase your Japan Rail Go from JRailPass.com right here

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Which Trains are the Japan Rail Go Legitimate On?

The JR Rail Go is legitimate on all Japan Rail trains, however it could possibly’t be used on trains operated by personal firms.

This implies you’ll be able to’t take the quickest Nozomi or Mizuho shinkansen (bullet trains) until you pay an costly complement, however there are many different bullet trains and this by no means induced us an issue.

For instance, when travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto you’ll be able to take the Hikari shinkansen which is just 20 minutes slower at 158 minutes than the Nozomi shinkansen which takes 138 minutes.

The rail cross can be utilized on some native trains inside Tokyo and different massive cities, however not on the metro or buses.

It’s principally helpful for saving cash on journey between cities. See the native transport part under for extra particulars.

Joyful Trains

The JR Go is legitimate on lots of Japan’s Joyful Trains that are enjoyable, character-themed trains.

We observed the Whats up Kitty shinkansen in Okayama station and had been tempted to hop on for a pleasure experience (the benefit of a rail cross is you’ll be able to comply with whims like this). 

Locations the place we couldn’t use a JR Go

In case you are solely travelling to main cities, you’ll be capable to use your JR Go in every single place. For journeys to some smaller cities, you might have to pay additional to take the bus or personal railway. 

Even with these additional bills, the rail cross nonetheless saved us cash on our three journeys. 

On our first journey we visited two locations that we couldn’t entry with our rail cross. For the mountain temple city Koya-san we used our cross to journey from Kyoto to Osaka after which purchased a ticket for the personal Nankai Railways practice.

For the tiny city of Tsumago within the Kiso Valley we used our cross to get from Nagoya to Nagiso then paid for the bus to Tsumago. 

On our second journey (see our two week Japan itinerary) we used our rail cross to get in every single place besides Hakone the place we purchased a Hakone Free Go from Odawara practice station to discover the realm by bus, practice, ferry, and cable automotive.

The one different slight situation was having to take a slower practice with one switch to get to Nikko as you’ll be able to’t use a cross for the direct practice from Shinjuku to the Tobu Nikko station.

On our third journey, the one place we couldn’t get to with a JR Rail Go was Kawaguchiko (to see Mt Fuji at Lake Kawaguchi). 

We had been travelling from Okayama (on the identical line as Hiroshima) and will solely take the shinkansen so far as Mishima the place we took a 1.5-hour bus experience to Kawaguchiko. 

From Tokyo you will get to Otsuki with a rail cross and solely pay the common fare for the ultimate part to Kawaguchiko. 

We additionally visited the very cool Naoshima Artwork Island as a day journey from Okayama. The rail cross coated our practice to Uno port however didn’t cowl the 20-minute ferry (which is cheap anyway). 

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Is a Japan Rail Go Value It?

Whether or not a Japan Rail Go is price it for you is determined by your route.

If you happen to’ll be travelling at a quick tempo to plenty of locations, particularly on the costly bullet trains, then a rail cross could prevent cash.

In case you are solely travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto and again inside every week, the cross not saves cash.

The return journey on the shinkansen prices ¥27,300 (for a reserved seat). You’ll need to do plenty of additional journey to succeed in the ¥50,000 price of a 7-day cross.

Japan Rail Go Calculator

To work out whether or not the JR Go is price it for you, you have to provide you with a possible itinerary after which calculate how a lot it could price to pay on your tickets as you go.

To get a tough thought use Japan Information’s Japan Rail Calculator. It’s not 100% correct, however it’s fast and straightforward to make use of. 

For an correct calculation, put every leg of your journey into Navitime to see the prices.

If it’s an in depth name

If the price of the cross is just a bit greater than particular person tickets, I like to recommend shopping for the cross. It makes journey a lot simpler not having to purchase tickets and having the ability to hop on and off trains as you want.

You may also use the cross for some native journey (particularly in Tokyo the place it may be used on the trains however not subways) and day journeys. 

Our our newest extra unconventional journey from Kyoto-Kinosaki Onsen-Okayama (with day journeys)-Mishima (for the bus to Kawaguchiko)-Tokyo we purchased a 14-day Japan Rail Go.

As we had been travelling at a reasonably gradual tempo, this labored out roughly the identical worth as if we’d purchased the tickets individually (on the previous cross worth), however the comfort made it price it. 

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Our Financial savings with a Japan Rail Go

For a earlier two week journey to Japan we flew out and in of Tokyo and used a 7-day Japan Rail Go to journey to Nikko, Hakone, Takayama, and Kanazawa—see our detailed Japan itinerary.

Listed here are the financial savings we made through the use of a Japan Rail Go. This features a aspect journey from Takayama and utilizing the cross for native trains in Tokyo on our ultimate day with the cross.

We saved over ¥17,000 or $115 per individual with the previous Japan Rail Go.

Sadly, with the brand new Japan Rail Go costs, we’d have saved ¥4000 ($27) by shopping for tickets individually. On this case, I do suppose the cross can be price the additional price for the comfort.

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Right here’s an instance for a typical 10 day journey to Japan arriving in and departing from Tokyo and visiting the highlights. 

Spend the primary three days in Tokyo (pay out of pocket for the Narita Categorical practice from the airport), after which activate your 7-day rail cross on the day you permit for Kyoto. 

Spend six days in Kyoto and take day journeys to Nara and Osaka (that are cheap on native trains) and additional afield to Hiroshima by bullet practice (the place you’ll actually respect the cross). See extra Kyoto day journey concepts. 

Return to Tokyo on your ultimate day and use the cross to take the Narita Categorical practice to Tokyo Narita Airport.

Right here’s how a lot you’ll save by buying a JR Rail Go for this itinerary: 

By buying a 7-day JR Go for this journey, you used to save lots of a substantial quantity. After the worth improve, shopping for a cross is about the identical as particular person tickets however might be price it for the comfort.

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When To not Use a Japan Rail Go

In case you are flying into Tokyo and out from Osaka (or vice versa) and solely travelling to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, a rail cross can be costlier than the one-way shinkansen ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto. 

And even if you’re simply travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto and again (with out main day journeys), shopping for particular person shinkansen tickets is cheaper and also you’ll be capable to take the quickest Nozomi practice.

In case you are solely travelling in a single space of Japan, reminiscent of Kansai the place Osaka and Kyoto are, paying for tickets individually will probably be cheaper than a JR cross. You may wish to look right into a regional rail cross as an alternative such because the Kansai Space Go (though these have additionally had worth will increase).

In case you are on a extremely tight funds and are travelling at a gradual tempo, it may work out cheaper to take the bus. Willer gives bus passes from ¥10,200 for 3 days of journey inside two months. 

We a lot favor practice journey, although, because it’s quicker, extra snug and spacious, we will work on the tables, and I don’t get journey sick (an issue on the bus on Japan’s winding mountain roads).

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The place to Purchase a Japan Rail Go

Japan Rail Passes are bought by some journey brokers outdoors Japan, however the easiest method to purchase a cross is on-line.

We purchased our passes for our final two journeys from JRailPass.com who’re an official JR Rail Go vendor. You’ll obtain an change order that you simply change for the cross while you arrive in Japan.

An alternative choice is Klook, which is the best choice for Australians as they embrace free delivery inside Australia (or choose up from Sydney CBD).

The change order have to be exchanged inside three months, so don’t order too far upfront.

Our buy with JRailPass.com was very simple. For every passenger you want the total title precisely because it’s written on their passport and their nationality.

You might be additionally requested for an approximate arrival date in Japan, however that is simply to allow them to be sure that your passes will arrive on time. You don’t have to determine the precise begin date of the cross till you get to Japan.

They will ship passes worldwide and so they normally arrive inside two working days, though ours took three days to Indonesia. On one in every of our journeys we had been already travelling so we received the cross delivered to our resort in Bali. 

There are additional bank card and delivery charges until your order is over $600 when there’s free delivery to the UK and Europe.

Within the US the passes are despatched by UPS and worldwide they use FedEx Worldwide Precedence. You might be given a monitoring quantity to trace the progress of the supply. Somebody has to signal for the supply. 

Sending a Japan Rail Go to Japan

If you happen to’ve left shopping for your cross to the final minute, you will get the change order despatched to your first resort in Japan.

It’s finest to examine together with your resort or Airbnb host first, however it shouldn’t be an issue with larger resorts.

On our final journey we had been staying in an condominium in Kyoto for a month earlier than we began our two-week rail cross journey.

As I wasn’t positive what would occur if we missed the supply (and we wouldn’t be capable to learn any notices in Japanese), the agent who managed the condominium agreed to obtain supply for us. 

Shopping for Direct

It was once you can solely purchase a cross outdoors Japan from an authorised agent, however Japan Rail now promote passes on-line (they stopped promoting them at sure stations). See the Japan Rail Go web site for extra particulars.

The draw back of reserving direct is having to take care of a considerably clunky website (the place it’s important to create an account).

The upsides will not be needing to have an change order mailed to you in your house nation (you accumulate the cross in Japan) and having the ability to make seat reservations on-line (even earlier than you arrive in Japan), which might be helpful at very busy occasions of 12 months like Golden Week.

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The best way to Alternate a Japan Rail Go

You don’t obtain the cross at first however an change order which you could then change on your cross while you arrive in Japan.

A booklet with info on the place you are able to do this comes with the change order.

We exchanged ours on the JR Rail workplace in Shinjuku Station and it was fast and straightforward.

We needed to fill in a brief type and present our change order and passports (don’t overlook to carry yours). It’s important to select the beginning date for the cross inside the subsequent month and this could’t be modified.

If attainable, it’s finest to do that a day or so earlier than your first journey day so that you don’t have to fret about it on the day.

In any other case, be sure to enable loads of time earlier than your practice departs in case there are queues.

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For native transport inside cities you should use the JR Rail Go on some practice strains however not the metro or buses. 

As native transport isn’t very costly (excluding the quick airport trains), it won’t be price activating your cross till you permit town. See above for easy methods to calculate this. 

Tokyo Native Journey

In Tokyo, the Japan Rail Go is sort of helpful. You need to use it on the JR Yamanote line, which is likely one of the most used strains within the metropolis and connects main hubs reminiscent of Shinjuku, Shibuya and Tokyo Stations.

There are a selection of different JR practice strains that crisscross the large metropolis—the Chuo line is one other one we regularly use.

You’ll be able to’t use a JR Go on the Tokyo Metro.

The cross can be utilized on the Narita Categorical practice which is probably the most snug and quickest approach to get from Narita Airport into the centre of Tokyo.

You’ll be able to activate your cross on the JR Journey Service Centre within the airport practice station.

Kyoto Native Journey

In Kyoto, the cross is of extra restricted use for native transport. You’ll be able to’t use the cross on the metro or buses, however there are a few practice journeys you can use it for.

You’ll be able to take the JR Nara line to Inari (to see Fushimi Inari shrine—one in every of our prime issues to do in Kyoto).

You may also take the JR Sagano line to Saga-Arashiyama station to see the well-known bamboo grove and plenty of stunning temples on this neighbourhood. 

In case you are flying into Kansai Airport close to Osaka, you’ll be able to activate your rail cross on the airport practice station and use it for the Restricted Categorical Haruka practice, which is the easiest way to get to Osaka or Kyoto.

Osaka

Though there are just a few JR practice strains inside Osaka, the Osaka subway is extra helpful for getting round, and this isn’t included with a rail cross. 

Native Transport Playing cards

As you’ll be able to’t use a JR Rail Go on many types of native transport inside the cities, if you’re staying for quite a lot of days, it’s price selecting up a pay as you go IC transport card.

You add cash to those upfront after which simply faucet on and off all native transport. 

In Tokyo you should purchase a Suica or Pasmo card and in Kyoto and Osaka you’ll get an ICOCA card.

Whichever card you purchase you should use them in cities throughout Japan, so that you don’t want a separate card for Kyoto and Tokyo. 

You used to have the ability to purchase them at ticket machines and counters in practice and metro stations, however gross sales are at the moment suspended attributable to a scarcity of IC chips.

Vacationers can nonetheless buy Welcome Suica and Pasmo Passport playing cards at choose stations and airports. They’re solely legitimate for 28 days although.

A neater possibility is so as to add Suica or Pasmo to Apple Pockets in your telephone or watch (at the moment solely Mastercard and American Categorical work as fee strategies for it in Pockets although).

The previous IC playing cards included a ¥500 deposit, which you will get a refund for in the event you return your card on the finish, however solely within the space you obtain it. You’ll be able to’t get a refund for a Suica card in Osaka or an ICOCA card in Tokyo. 

The vacationer playing cards don’t have a deposit.

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Discovering Prepare Occasions

Use Navitime to seek for practice occasions. Bear in mind to click on the Vacationer Go dropdown menu and choose Japan Rail Go to have it present routes the place the rail cross is legitimate.

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Making Seat Reservations

You don’t have to make seat reservations to journey with a cross on most trains—you’ll be able to simply hop on any unreserved automotive.

Essentially the most generally used practice that does require a seat reservation is the Narita Categorical from Narita Airport into Tokyo.

If you wish to use your cross on the airport practice, you’ll be able to swap your change order for a cross and get the seat reservation on the airport JR workplace.

You in all probability wish to make seat reservations when travelling throughout Japanese nationwide holidays—see this record of Japan vacation dates.

Seat reservations are free for rail cross holders and could be made at any JR station ticket workplace—both on the counter or at ticket machines.

It doesn’t need to be the station you’re travelling from, so it can save you time by getting just a few seat reservations without delay. Smaller stations may have shorter queues.

You can additionally make your first few seat reservations when exchanging your change order for a cross. We did this in Kyoto Station on our final journey, which saved time because the queues had been lengthy. 

All it’s important to do is present your cross and provides them the practice time you need the reservation for.

Employees could converse English, however I discover it useful to write down down the date, practice time, and route I would like reservations for. Because of this it’s finest to analysis occasions on Navitime upfront. 

Baggage Reservations

In case you are travelling on the Tōkaidō, San’yō, or Kyūshū Shinkansens and have outsized baggage, you’ll have to make a seat reservation for the seats subsequent to the outsized baggage space on the finish of the practice automotive.

Baggage is taken into account outsized if it has whole dimensions (A+B+C) of over 160cm.

That is pretty beneficiant as most traditional suitcases are smaller than this. Smaller suitcases, together with any that slot in airline overhead compartments (together with our Away Greater Carry On), ought to match within the overhead compartments on shinkansens.

Even when your bag will not be outsized, you’ll be able to e-book an outsized baggage seat to have entry to the storage space behind the seat in the event you suppose you’ll have issues lifting your baggage overhead.

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The best way to Use a Japan Rail Go

To make use of the Japan Rail Go all you have to do is get on an unreserved automotive and discover an empty seat.

In 2023, the format of the cross modified and it’s now a small scannable ticket that you should use within the computerized gates to entry the practice platforms.

You may additionally be requested to indicate the cross on the practice.

When you find yourself travelling on a bullet practice you’ll be able to see which automobiles are unreserved on the screens, after which discover the corresponding quantity on the platform to see the place to attend.

The panels on the aspect of the carriage can even say whether or not it’s reserved or unreserved.

Trains are at all times on time so a 10-minute switch time is ok.

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Japanese Prepare Etiquette

The Japanese are usually a quiet and respectful individuals and it’s vital to comply with these guidelines when travelling by practice:

• Be quiet – Hold your quantity low when taking, don’t speak in your telephone and ensure it doesn’t beep or ring. We even noticed indicators warning you to not sort too loudly in your laptop computer!
• No consuming – The exception is on bullet trains when shopping for a bento lunch field on the station is a giant a part of the expertise. On native trains we didn’t see anybody consuming or ingesting something aside from water. 
• Don’t smoke – Until there’s a chosen smoking automotive on the bullet trains.
• Don’t sit within the precedence seating – On native trains these seats are designated for the aged, pregnant ladies, and folks with disabilities. If the practice is quiet you’ll be able to sit right here, however be ready to surrender your seat if mandatory.
• Queue – There are designated spots to attend for the practice marked on the platform, so be a part of the orderly queue.
• Be affected person – Stand to the aspect and look ahead to individuals to get off the practice earlier than you get on.

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