Should You Get The JR Rail Pass in Japan? 5 Steps to Decide

Welcome to the biggest, most stressful question we had leading up to our 2 weeks in Japan...should we purchase the JR Rail Pass or not??

Japan was our final country on a 3.5 month trip and we didn’t start researching rail pass options until right before we went. At $270 for 7 days, $432 for 14 days, or $552 for 21 days, the JR Rail Pass was a big cost on our already dwindling budget, and there are many factors to consider when determining whether or not you’ll get your money’s worth.

We were SO overwhelmed and spent nights agonizing over Japanese train routes and costs...so we wanted to create this guide to make YOUR decision much quicker and easier. Follow each of the five steps below to decide whether the JR Rail Pass is right for you!

Step 1: How many intercity trips will you take during your Japan adventure?

You’ve likely already put some research into the cities you want to hit, where they are in relation to one another, and how to get from place to place — but let’s start back at the very beginning. Your first step is to lay out your itinerary in simplified format so you can understand how many intercity trips you’ll need to take, regardless of transportation method.

Sample of our simplified itinerary below, which includes eight intercity journeys.

Tokyo >> Hakone

Hakone >> Kyoto

Kyoto >> Osaka

Osaka >> Nara (day trip)

Nara >> Osaka

Osaka >> Seoul (Yep, we left Japan then came back! This leg was obviously a flight.)

Seoul >> Hiroshima

Hiroshima >> Tokyo

Step 2: Which mode of transportation is optimal for each of your intercity trips?

Next, it’s time to pull up Google Maps! Map the route for each of the trips you laid out above and compare:

Which transportation methods are possible? Train, flight, ferry, etc.

Since Japan is comprised of multiple islands, trains might not always be possible from place to place. If there are some legs where a flight or ferry is required, you can go ahead and leave those off of your considered list for the JR Rail Pass.

Which transportation method is the best price? What are the travel times for each transportation method?

Have a super rushed trip? Maybe it’s worth it to bite the bullet and take a flight. Or maybe a flight is pricier, but doesn’t actually save you any time. Compare the different transportation methods for each leg and make note of the best options. Keep in mind that in the following steps, you’ll aggregate each of your optimal transportation options to figure out if the JR Rail Pass is worth it, so if you’re debating between a flight and a train trip for any given leg, make note of both so you can compare costs later.

PRO TIP: If you end up deciding that a flight is a better value than the train, make sure you look at how far the airport is from your final destination. We ended up flying from Hiroshima to Tokyo, but discovered that the airport is almost an hour bus ride outside of Hiroshima. With the small cost of the bus plus the amount of time we spent taking it, the bullet train would likely have taken less time AND been less expensive than flying.

View from the train. Train travel in Japan is fast, relaxing, and beautiful.

Step 3: Which train routes are operated by JR?

Before landing in Japan, we had no idea that the different railways are operated by dozens of private companies. JR accounts for about 70% of Japan’s railway network, but it’s important to realize that JR doesn’t cover everywhere you might want to go, and the JR Rail Pass only applies to trips on JR lines.

SO, in other words, if you bought the JR Rail Pass but only ended up taking train trips on other lines, you would never use your pass and never get your money’s worth out of it.

Your next step is to research whether each of the lowest or comparably-priced train trips you researched in step 2 are operated by JR. Google Maps will list the rail company along with the quoted price, or you can use individual ticket sites like Voyagin to make sure it’s a JR line.

Note 1: When looking at Shinkansen bullet trains, the JR Pass can be used on Hikari and Sakura trains, but can’t be used on the even faster Nozomi and Mizuho trains, according to Japanguide.com.

Note 2: You really don’t need to book tickets in advance, and it’s often more helpful to book them onsite so you can get extra help and advice from the railway employees. You’re just using this process to determine which of your planned train trips the JR Rail Pass would cover.

Step 4: Math

We know, you were told there’d be no math...but after all the groundwork you just put in, this is the easy part!

First, decide which duration of JR Rail Pass you’d need based on the length of time you’re spending (specifically, the length of time from your first JR train trip to your last) in Japan. At the time of this post, the 7-day pass costs $270, the 14-day pass costs $432, and the 21-day pass costs $552.

Then, subtract the cost of each of the JR routes you laid out in step three from the cost of the pass. If you end up at a balance greater than $0, you’re not saving money by purchasing the JR Rail Pass because you’re not planning on taking enough JR trips to make the pass worth it. Proceed with purchasing each leg separately! If you end up at a balance less than $0, the JR Rail Pass is the way to go!

Note: Keep in mind that within major cities like Tokyo, you’ll be relying on the rail system to get almost everywhere, and at least 50% of your trips within the city itself will be on JR lines. You should definitely focus on your bigger intercity train trips when deciding whether or not to get the rail pass, but if your balance comes out really close, your train rides within the big cities will push it over the edge to being worth it.

Step 5: Order your JR Rail Pass before your trip

You can find tons more FAQs, resources and fare calculators on the JR Rail Pass site where you can order your pass. The maximum estimated delivery time to any country is 72 - 96 hours because you have to pay for a rush delivery. Once you get to Japan, you’ll have to activate your rail pass at one of the JR offices listed here. Make sure to check the office hours and bring your passport. When you activate, you’ll select the start date for your rail pass.

If you don’t have enough time to have your rail pass shipped to you before your trip, the JR site recommends having it shipped directly to your hotel in Japan. If you don’t trust this option, the rail pass can apparently be purchased at select offices in Japan, but for a higher price.

So...what did we decide?

We ended up NOT getting the rail pass, and still question whether, had we had a guide like this, we would have made a different decision. If we remember correctly, only one of our longer intercity train trips was on a JR line. However, we chose to fly from Hiroshima to Tokyo to end our trip, and if we did things over again we likely would have taken a JR train, potentially making the pass worth it.

At the end of the day, we were coming to Japan from Cambodia and felt too rushed to get the pass, but will never know if we ended up wasting money or not.

We hope you find our 5-step guide a useful tool in helping you decide whether the JR Rail Pass is right for you as you prepare to embark on your trip to Japan!

Questions? Pro tips we missed? Leave a comment below or on our latest IG post!

Happy travels!