7-day adult Japan Rail Pass for tourists to cost almost S$500 from Oct. 2023

Prices of the Japan Rail Pass will be raised from October 2023 onwards, the Japan Railways (JR) Group announced in a press release dated Apr. 14.

The group operates a large proportion of intercity rail service, including the Shinkansen high-speed rail lines, as well as commuter rail service.

The Japan Rail Pass is a special fare ticket available only to travellers visiting Japan from foreign countries.

The multi-use ticket, which comes at fixed prices for seven, 14, or 21 days, offers unlimited rides on major lines of Japan’s rail network.

It was previously touted as a budget-friendly method to travel around Japan which allowed travellers not to have to buy single tickets for each train ride.

Price increase

There are currently two price tiers for each type of train category.

This is because it is cheaper to purchase from a designated exchange office overseas rather than online or in Japan itself.

With the price revision, there will only be one price tier each for both the ordinary car and green car categories.

Here’s a summary of the new prices for adult passes on the ordinary cars:

• Seven-day: 50,000 yen (S$497)
  • Current: 29,650 yen (S$295) or 33,610 yen (S$334)
• 14-day: 80,000 yen (S$795)
  • Current: 47,250 yen (S$470) or 52,960 yen (S$526)
• 21-day: 100,000 yen (S$994)
  • Current: 60,450 yen (S$601) or 66,200 yen (S$658)

The prices for the green cars are as follows:

• Seven-day: 70,000 yen (S$696)
  • Current: 39,600 yen (S$394) or 44,810 yen (S$446)
• 14-day: 110,000 yen (S$1,093)
  • Current: 64,120 yen (S$637) or 72,310 yen (S$719)
• 21-day: 140,000 yen (S$1,392)
  • Current: 83,390 yen (S$829) or 91,670 yen (S$911)

In line with the price revision, the sales of the pass and seat reservations will be done via a dedicated website, designated Japan Rail outlets and agents.

Expansion of railway coverage

Besides a price change, the company also announced an expansion in product content.

At the moment, the “Nozomi” and “Mizuho” bullet trains on the Shinkansen lines are not included in Japan Rail Pass.

With the new changes, holders of the pass would be able to use the stated lines by purchasing an additional ticket before boarding.

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Top images via Facebook/Japan Railway Pass