#57 Price increase in Japan Rail Pass
Impacts on your planning and what you can do about it
Price hikes continue, with electricity, petrol, food, public transport, and, most worryingly for overseas visitors to Japan, airline tickets, going up, and there seems to be no end in sight. And the very shocking announcement was made by Japan Railway Group, a corporate entity comprising six JR companies in various parts of Japan, including JR East and JR Central in the middle of April. The announcement was regarding the price increase of the “Japan Rail Pass “ the Japanese version of the Eurail Pass.
The increase is 50% or even more of the current price, and they say the timing is sometimes around October. They don’t state the exact timing. This topic has been one of the main agendas of social media and travel blogs since then. This pass is very popular among those who travel by train for more than a week in Japan. You will save lots of time and money with this pass. But with the price increase from October, would it still be worth it?
What is Japan Rail Pass?
The Japan Rail Pass is the Japanese equivalent of the Eurail Pass, and you choose between three different periods — 7, 14, or 21 days — and the type of cabin you want to use (standard seat or green car1.)
The pass also allows you to take Shinkansen (bullet train), making the most of the Shinkansen network, which stretches from Hakodate in the north to Kagoshima in the south, for efficient travel.
Here are the current prices of the JR Pass as of today:
A few important things to note:
You can only take certain Shinkansen on some lines which can limit your booking options. For example, the faster Nozomi and Mizuho trains on the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines are unavailable. For instance, if you travel from Tokyo to Hakata by Shinkansen, you must take Hikari from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka and change the train to Sakura to Hakata.
There are three ways of buying tickets: by Japan Rail Pass online, at the ticket office in Japan, and an Exchange Order at an overseas JR-designated sales office or agency. The price varies depending on how you buy the ticket.
How the price will change from October
The following chart shows the difference in prices. 2
The percentage of the increase will be at least 50 % online, and even more, if you buy them at the JR-designated sales office.
They also seem to allow travelers to purchase tickets for Nozomi and Mizuho trains at an additional cost, services that are currently unavailable with the JR Pass.
Currently, the Nozomi trains of the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen and the Mizuho trains of the Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen are not available with the Japan Rail Pass. However, Japan Rail Pass holders can use the Nozomi and Mizuho services by purchasing an additional ticket before boarding. The price and other details will be announced separately. — Source: JR Group
When we compare this kind of pass with other Western railway passes, the Japan Rail Pass has been extremely inexpensive. One can say this increase would be just catching up with other rail passes such as Eurail Pass. But a 50% or even more increase would have a significant impact on international travelers coming to Japan, especially those who have used JR Pass before, at a much cheaper price.
Would you use JR Pass again? — What the surveys say
Japan Guide, one of the largest English language websites about visiting Japan, surveyed the future use of the JR Pass among site users in response to the JR Group's announcement of a major price revision of the Japan Rail Pass in April 2023. In total, more than 1,800 responses were collected from foreign users who are highly motivated to visit Japan. Nearly 60% of respondents to the survey said they had used the JR Pass, showing how familiar the JR Pass has become with international visitors to Japan. On the other hand, more than 70% of respondents indicated that they would not use the JR Pass after the fare revision.
Although it is difficult to predict the specific reactions of users at this stage, the editor-in-chief of Japan Guide, who conducted the survey, pointed out that the Japan Rail Pass could lead to a significant decrease in the number of users, which would reduce visits to regional cities in the extra time that has been available during the period, hurting regional tourist destinations. User behavior is likely to polarize in the future. Cost-sensitive and time-consuming travelers will seek cheaper options, such as buses, while travelers without significant budget constraints will continue to use the Japan Rail Pass.
Is it worth it? A fare comparison
Here, I have listed two examples of just buying round-trip tickets to compare with a 7-day JR Pass standard seat after the price increase. One example is making two round trips to Kyoto and Sendai by Shinkansen, and another is making a round trip to Hakata(Fukuoka) by Shinkansen.
A 7-day JR Pass standard seat: JPY 50,000
The cost of the standard one-week JR Pass is around the same as the following shorter trips:
Round trip from Tokyo to Kyoto and Sendai: JPY 49,600
Round trip from Tokyo to Hakata: JPY 45,900
This example alone suggests that there is enough merit in buying a Japan Rail Pass for the average traveler with limited time. But travelers themselves will have to decide whether they should buy this pass after the price increase, based on their finalized itinerary and the balance between efficiency and cost of travel.
Alternatives to the JR Pass
In particular, JR Kyushu, JR West, and JR East offer several special deals on weekends and for limited periods, and there is potential for significant savings on the cost of travel in combination with such tickets. JR Shikoku has done(no plan yet) JR Shikoku Pass 3 Days.
JR stated that the price increase will take place sometime around October. I recommend buying the ticket before the fee increase if you’re planning to visit later this year. In this regard, it will need to be finally confirmed whether tickets bought before the price increase are still valid after the price increase.
We have to wait until the final conditions are announced particularly regarding the additional tickets to be on board Nozomi and Mizuho.
Finally, I would love to hear some of your opinions about this drastic price increase. Share them in the comments below!
https://japanrailpass.net/en/about_jrp.html
The official press release is in Japanese. https://japanrailpass.net/pdf/JRP_pressrelease_230414.pdf
I just read about the price increase last week and was so shocked! It’s a big jump in cost.