Is the Jr Pass Still Worth It?
Many travel blogs will recommend the Japan Railway Pass or JR Pass for short if you are planning a trip to Japan. This pass lets you travel along any JR lines — including select Shinkansen or express trains for just the flat rate fee of the pass. It also makes it easier to navigate the stations since you won’t have to deal with ticket terminals and all you need to keep track of is this one pass. We loved it for the ease of booking the express train or Shinkansen tickets in advance. That way you don’t have to deal with the ticket terminals at the station.
This might have been a good recommendation last year, but in October of 2023, the prices for the JR pass almost doubled. Now it might not be worth it to most, it just depends on where you are going and how many cities you are traveling to.
What is the JR pass?
The Japan Rail Pass is a multi-use rail ticket. It gives you unlimited access to all Japan Rail National trains, bus services, ferry services, and airport transfers.
What is the cost of the JR pass in 2024?
There are two price options, the standard car and the green car. The green car is the more expensive but nicer car with larger seats and more overhead space for larger luggage. I’ll mostly be focusing on the standard price since this article is focusing on whether it's worth it at the lower tier. I live in the US so everything here will be related in USD but I’ll also have the cost in Yen just in case.
What does the JR pass cover?
Well, the quick answer is that it covers a lot. In Tokyo, it will cover the Yamanote Line, which is a loop line in Tokyo that we used a ton. Along with two other highly traveled lines, the Shobu Line cuts the loop line in half, and the Tohoku Line can take you to Yokohama. It also covers the Narita and Haneda airport transfer fairs. We went almost everywhere in Tokyo using these three main lines that the JR pass covers. The only time we used the metro was when we went to Asakusa, there isn’t a JR line that goes within walking distance.
If you are traveling beyond Tokyo this is when the pass becomes worth it. The average Shinkansen ride from Tokyo to Osaka can cost $100-$150 each way. There are also JR lines in Osaka and Kyoto that this pass will cover like the Osaka loop line and the Nara line in Kyoto. If you are going to Hiroshima and want to visit Miyajima island the pass will cover the train ride from Hiroshima station to the Miyajima port. Then at the port, there is a specific JR ferry that the pass covers as well.
In Osaka, we used the loop line a lot, but there were a couple of times we just took the local metro lines. If you are planning on going to the Aquarium in Osaka, you’ll have to take the metro line. In Kyoto, there are a couple of JR lines that go to all the right places, but we did find ourselves taking the bus to get around or in between locations. Most of the buses were covered by the JR Pass.
Is it worth it?
If you are just visiting one city, not using any of the express trains or Shinkansen, then I wouldn’t recommend getting it. Most of the local trains in Tokyo or Osaka will cost between ¥140 and ¥ 260, which converts to roughly $1-$2. Even if you are going to catch the express train from Narita airport to Tokyo, the cost for that is ¥4,000 or about $36 (the cost can vary depending on where you are booking it). You’d have to take the JR lines a ton just to make this pass worth it.
Now if you are doing a 2 city trip this is when you have to crunch some numbers to see if it's worth it. If you are flying into Tokyo, and then traveling to Osaka and flying out of Osaka, the pass probably won't be worth it. Now if you were flying into Tokyo, traveling to Osaka, and then back to Tokyo to fly out then that might be worth it. If you include the airport express fair and the two Shinkansen rides you are looking at possibly spending either close to or above $300. It depends if you are going to do this all in 7 days or 14 days. The 7-day pass is $354 and the 14-day pass is $566, so if you are doing it in 7 days, 100% worth it.
If you are doing a 2+ city trip I’d say the JR pass is worth it. Say you are starting in Tokyo, traveling to Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara then back to Tokyo to fly out, with the 14-day pass it should be worth it. Osaka to Kyoto can cost around ¥1,420 which is roughly $10, each way and then the Kyoto to Nara will cost you ¥720 or $5 each way. The Shinkansen tickers will cost anywhere from $200-$300 and the airport express will cost around $72 round trip. Including everything you're looking to spend anywhere from $304-$404 just on main transportation for this trip. That does not include any of the daily city transportation, you might be taking 2–5 trains a day and or multiple busses as well. Though the cost may not be 100% covered, the JR Pass makes multi-city transport easier. Once you purchase your JR Pass online, you can reserve all the different Shinkansen and express trains you want to take when you are in Japan. Then when you pick up the pass, they will print out all the tickets that you reserved ahead of time as well!
The pass does make it easy for a lot of the transportation options. This way you don't have to worry if you have the correct change or if your Suica card is topped up. If you are the type that is willing to pay more for something for the ease of use, I’d still say double-check your trip costs but this pass does make traveling to different cities very easy. The best part of this pass is the ability to reserve the Shinkansen, express train, and airport transportation before you even land in Japan. That way it's one less thing to think about if you are doing a multi-city trip.
If you decide to book the JR Pass, make sure to use their direct site. If you don't book from their direct site then you won't get to reserve the tickets for the Shinkansen or Express train in advance!
https://japanrailpass.net/en/
Hope this breakdown helps with your trip planning. If you are looking for more Japanese literary tips I’ll link below!
Happy Travels!