JAPAN RAIL PASS

Hello Kukie,

If you'll travel long-distance in Japan. It's very worthy.

If you only stay in one or two cities. You don't have to purchase this pass.

So it depends on your schedule.

Hi Kukie,

I am new here so only just saw your posting about the JR Pass. Just wanted to share my experience or what I know about the pass.. Firstly, how many days are you going to be in Japan? There are JR Pass in shorter days like 5 and 7 days. It cost lesser or more afforable in that sense. Also, if you do not intend to travel out of Tokyo then it is not advisable to buy the pass. Note that the pass works only on JR Rail lines and buses - not on subways, which there are many in Tokyo.

having used it once in my lifetime (cos that was the only time i travelled around japan), i would say that it saves money overall for a multiple city trip and that the cities are on the JR railway system. however, you have to do advanced planning, which is a pain. if you dont plan in advance, you may find yourself without a train out at the time you want. cos there are many restrictions on the type of train and cabin you are permitted to use with the pass.

the fastest way between cities is usually the shinkansen, but most shinkansen is out of bounds with the pass, since the NOZOMI is the fastest and hence the costliest and also not included in the pass.

if you can afford the travel time, then the slower trains via the pass works for you. but for me, i wont use the pass anymore, cos i prefer to spend more of my precious time in the city, not travelling on a slow train.

Hey i've bought myself a pass for 14 days. I dont know whether you've done your trip yet, but if you're doing multiple cities its def worth it!!! the 7 day pass equals to a one way tickets from kyoto to tokyo on shikansen!!!

This is availble for foreigners only! and if you plan properly you can even save money on accomadations. Nozomi is the only shinkansen you cant take, but hikari (?? not sure whether i got it right or not) is only slightly slower! and there's buses available to!! anything that's JR is free for you! the limitation still makes it worthy!!

i am taking a night train from tokyo to kanazawa, although i dont plan on getting the sleeping cabin, it still safe me one night! and i also plan 1 night on a night bus from osaka to tokyo!!

The pass is perfect for backpackers, especially if you've got limited time and wanna fit in as much as possible!!!!

opps sorry not meant to spam, but read the terms and conditions carefully and you'll find out how useful the pass is for backpackers.

JR rail way pass is a must for overseas visitors who wanna fit in multiple cities in a short period of time! i've looked at my plan and checked the price on the internet, and half way through my trip i've already spend more money than the 14days pass on travel alone.

a helpful link for travellers for JR railway timetable/prices/travel times: http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi

Hi, I just joinn the Hi Everywhere today. I used Japan Railpass before and I will be going to Japan this coming Feb 09 again. I totally agree with Jayyeh comment and i just bought a 14-day JR Pass yesterday

i can see this thread is kind of old, but thought i'd post here anyway for anyone that stumbles across it... other than the JR pass there is also a card called SUICA that can be topped up with money (like a credit card) and you just scan it as you go through the stations. it automatically calculates and deducts your fare. the JR rail pass is still the best value if you're planning to make a lot of long journey trips in a short space of time - it will save you a lot of money. but if you'll be mainly in the one area suica makes sense just pay for what you need! i went to japan last year and got a two week railpass, but only did one return bullet train trip to and from kyoto...so the pass probably didnt save me as much as it could have, but for a first time traveller it was very convenient to just show the pass to station workers as i passed through. no hassle of buying a ticket. later this year im going to japan again, and this time im a little more comfortable with the train systems and over my 3 week trip i plan on getting a 1 wk JR rail pass which i will use to make my long distance travel within that week (making the most of the free JR travel on the pass!) then for the remaining two weeks of my trip i will be in and around tokyo and therefore will use suica and top it up as i need it.....i hope that info is of some help to someone. :)