The Japan Rail Pass is a ticket offered by the JR Group that allows visitor to use the country’s JR lines, being able to travel unlimitedly within the established period, including on the famous Shinkansen, the Japanese bullet train. However, this pass, which was the first choice for many to travel within Japan, especially for longer journeys, will undergo dramatic price increases next month. Take advantage of the last days of September to make your reservation for activations until the end of the year.
Last April, JR issued a statement that announced very significant price increase for Japan Rail Passes starting from October 1, 2023.
Regarding the Japan Rail Pass, the Shinkansen coverage area will be increased and a dedicated website will be launched. We have also improved services by introducing ticket sales (in Japan), seat reservations and the use of automatic doors. In addition, there will be a price review in line with the expansion of the product and the unification of sales channels through authorized resellers, agencies and the JR Pass website.
In this case, there are increases between 65% (21-day pass) and 69% (14-day pass).
In the case of Green Car Passes – slightly more comfortable carriages than the standard ones – the increases are even greater, reaching 77% in the case of the 7-day pass.
68% increase in cost of Japan Rail Passes from October likely to drive tourists onto planes & buses… https://t.co/afxIcGTAV1
— The Man in Seat 61 (@seatsixtyone) April 14, 2023
If you go to Japan before the end of this year, you can still take advantage of the old prices. To have some margin for error in case of delays, we recommend having September 27th as a deadline, which will allow activations until December 26th.
Important: Remember that you can only order your pass in the 3 months prior to its activation. If you order your pass with more than 3 months before the activation date, it won’t be valid.
This means that if you want to travel to Japan in 2024, it will be impossible to take advantage of the pre-updated fares valid until September 30 and the new prices from October 1 will apply.
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