Japan Rail Pass for Sight-seeing

Eligibility for Japan Rail Pass

The JAPAN RAIL PASS is a special ticket that is available only to travelers visiting Japan from foreign countries for sight-seeing. To be eligible to purchase a JAPAN RAIL PASS you must meet one of the following two conditions.

1. You are a foreign tourist visiting Japan from abroad for sight-seeing,under the entry status of temporary visitor.

Temporary Visitor entry status, according to Japanese Immigration Law, allows a stay in Japan of 15 days or 90 days for sight-seeing, etc. If you apply for a stay for sight-seeing when you enter Japan, entry personnel will stamp your passport as Temporary Visitor, as shown above. Only persons who have a passport bearing this stamp can use a JAPAN RAIL PASS.

CAUTION:
Even if you visit Japan with an Exchange Order, to be turned in for a JAPAN RAIL PASS, the exchange cannot be made unless you have Temporary Visitor status; if you enter Japan under any other official status, such as Trainee, Entertainer, or Reentry Permit, you cannot change the Exchange Order for a JAPAN RAIL PASS. Please note that according to strict interpretation of the Japanese Immigration Law, Temporary Visitor status differs even from other types of stays that are also for only short time periods.

2. You are a Japanese national living in a foreign country,

who is qualified to live permanently in that country, or
who is married to a non-Japanese residing in a country other than Japan.

Persons meeting condition (a) must provide written proof of the following:

Right of permanent residence
That they are living in a country other than Japan

Persons meeting condition (b) must provide written proof of the following:

That they are living in a country other than Japan
That they are married to a foreign national
That their spouse (a foreign national) is living outside Japan

CAUTION:
If an applicant is unable to provide written proof that he or she meets condition (a) or (b) and the clerk is unable to verify compliance using electronic data or other means, the PASS may be denied.

Japan Rail Pass Pricing

There are two types of JAPAN RAIL PASS: Green (for superior-class Green cars), and Ordinary. Each of these types is available as a 7-day, 14-day, or 21-day PASS.See "JAPAN RAIL PASS validity", for services that can be used with a JAPAN RAIL PASS.

1. Price of Exchange Orders (as of December 2023)

Type	Green		Ordinary
Duration	Adult	Child	Adult	Child
7 Days	70,000 Yen	35,000 Yen	50,000 Yen	25,000 Yen
14 Days	110,000 Yen	55,000 Yen	80,000 Yen	40,000 Yen
21 Days	140,000 Yen	70,000 Yen	100,000 Yen	50,000 Yen

The above are yen (JPY) prices for a JAPAN RAIL PASS Exchange Order; the actual cost in local currency is calculated at the time the Exchange Order is issued. Note that the purchase exchange rate may differ from the exchange rate in effect when you actually visit Japan.

The local currency price, applicable exchange rate, and issue date for an Exchange Order are specified on the Exchange Order itself. PASS prices for children apply from age 6 to and including age 11. Prices are subject to change. The applicable price is the price valid on the date when an Exchange Order is issued.

2. Validity Period

Within three months from the date the Exchange Order was issued, you must turn in your Exchange Order to obtain your JAPAN RAIL PASS (for example, an Exchange Order issued on April 15 would have to be turned in by July 14). At that time, you have to specify the date that you want to start using the PASS. It can be any date within one month from the date the PASS is received.
Once a starting date has been assigned to the PASS, it cannot be changed.

Validity of Japan Rail Pass

1. Transportation Services

The JAPAN RAIL PASS is valid for the railways, buses, and ferry boats shown in Table 1.

Railways	All JR Group railways: Shinkansen super express (Except "NOZOMI" and "MIZUHO"), limited express trains, express trains, and rapid or local trains. (Not usable on some trains)
Buses	JR Bus companies: Local lines of JR Bus Tohoku, JR Bus Kanto, JR Tokai Bus, West Japan JR Bus, Chugoku JR Bus, Shikoku JR Bus and Kyushu JR Bus
	JR Bus Divisions: Local lines of JR Bus Tohoku, JR Bus Kanto, JR Tokai Bus, West Japan JR Bus, Chugoku JR Bus, Shikoku JR Bus and Kyushu JR Bus

Ferry	JR Ferry Only the JR-WEST Miyajima ferry is covered.
(Table 1)

IMPORTANT INFO:

The JAPAM RAIL PASS is not valid for any seats, reserved or non-reserved, on "NOZOMI" and "MIZUHO" trains on the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyusyu Shinkansen lines. If you would like to use only the PASS for taking Shinkansen bullet trains, please use it to take "HIKARI", "SAKURA", "KODAMA", or "TSUBAME" trains. From October 1, 2023, JAPAN RAIL PASS holders can use the "NOZOMI" or "MIZUHO" trains by purchasing an "[ONLY WITH JAPAN RAIL PASS] NOZOMI MIZUHO ticket" with the PASS. For more information, please visit the official page here.

2. Train Accomodations

Most JR trains have Ordinary Cars (coach class) while many long-distance trains also offer Green Cars (superior class). With a Green-type JAPAN RAIL PASS you can use either class, while with an Ordinary-type JAPAN RAIL PASS you can use only Ordinary Cars without paying an additional charge. Refer to the table below for details. The cars with can be used with JAPAN RAIL PASS. Use of the cars with X requires paying additional charges.

Trains	Accomodations	Green	Ordinary
Shinkansen (except any reserved or nonreserved seat on "NOZOMI" trains)	Green Car
	Ordinary Car
	Green private compartment
	Ordinary private compartment
Limited express and ordinary express	Green Car
	Ordinary Car
	Green private compartment
	Ordinary private compartment
	Sleeping car

Japan Rail Pass for Sight-seeing | Japan Deluxe Tours