Travelling in Japan can cost an arm and a leg but thanks to the Japan Rail Pass offered by Japan Railways (JR), you can navigate the whole length of Japan without breaking your wallet. The thing is, JR offers a bewilderingly wide range of Japan Rail Pass options for foreigners, so choosing the one that best fits your itinerary can be a tad confusing. But fret not! This article details the procedure of applying for a JR Pass, a succinct summary of the various JR Pass options available as well as recommendations of some happening shinkansen trains you should take.

Applying for a JR Pass Please note that you can only buy the JR Pass at authorized tour agents like H.I.S and JTB (Japan Travel Bureau) in your home country, after which you need to activate it at a major JR station or Narita Airport. Also, although the pass is available for 7-, 14-, and 21-day periods, it is valid only for consecutive days from the date you start to use it. Therefore, you must not stay too long in a city as you will be better off buying individual shinkansen tickets or exploring other options like overnight buses! So plan your itinerary so that you will get back your money’s worth!

Or using a regional JR Pass Securing a Japan Rail Pass enables you to use all shinkansen services, except for Nozomi trains (Tokyo to Hakata) and Mizuho trains (Hakata to Kagoshima). However, you may rather take it slow and explore a particular region of Japan thoroughly. For avid travellers like you, regional JR passes are then the way to go. Not only do they enable you to soak in Japan’s enchanting vibes at a leisurely rate, they also ease your travel preparation since they can be bought in Japan. Some regional JR passes even let you travel on Nozomi and Mizuho trains! There are regional JR Passes offered by 5 JR companies, namely JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR West, JR Shikoku and JR Kyushu. So no matter where you go, you are well covered by the myriad JR Passes!

Which regional JR Pass to use First, the JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass which was recently launched in April 2016 allows you to travel directly from Tokyo to Shin Hakodate Hokuto in as fast as a little over four hours! Once you get to Hokkaido, you can choose from 3-, 5- and 7-day JR Hokkaido passes as well as a flexible 4-day pass to travel all over Hokkaido.

Next, the JR East Pass allows you to explore the marvels of the Tohoku region. Use it to travel on any five days within two weeks to get up close with these prefectures: Tokyo, Yamagata, Akita, Aomori, Miyagi, Iwate, Fukushima and Gunma. On the other hand, if you are compelled to travel to the three prefectures of Hokuriku (i.e. Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui), the JR West Rail Pass offers you unlimited shinkansen rides for four consecutive days. Expanding your reach to Kansai will require you to purchase a 7-day Kansai Hokuriku Area Pass for 15,000 yen, but it is worth it because you can traverse across Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Wakayama in addition to the three Hokuriku prefectures.

Moving down south, you can buy the All Shikoku Rail Pass to visit the four prefectures of Ehime, Kochi, Tokushima and Kagawa. 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-day passes are available, thus addressing your travelling needs perfectly. What’s more, you are even empowered to use services provided by private companies like Tosa Kuroshio Railway, thus gifting you an interesting mix of travelling experiences.

Last but not least, JR Kyushu provides you not just one, but two pass options to navigate Kyushu. The Northern Kyushu Pass helps you explore the northern part of Kyushu – Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki and Kumamoto whereas the All Kyushu Pass enables you to get to Miyazaki and Kagoshima as well. Regardless of which pass you use, you can board Mizuho trains, something that the Japan Rail Pass prohibits.

Cool trains to board Travelling with JR is not a mundane affair of moving from point A to point B but a chance to collect some awesome experiences under your belt. For example, if you board the Toreiyu Tsubasa from Fukushima to Shinjou, you can soothe your aching muscles at a foot onsen inside this shinkansen train! Similarly, on the Gonoen Resort Shirakami train that runs between Akita and Aomori, you can be entertained by an authentic Tsugaru-jamisen (shamisen) performance. Some trains look irresistibly cute. Look no further than the Anpanman anime that run in various routes in Shikoku. Not only the train facade, but also the seat cushions are lovingly decorated with Anpanman characters! On the other hand, train otaku will love to find out what travelling on a steam locomotive is like by taking the SL Hitoyoshi train in Kumamoto!

I hope that this article helps you to navigate the complicated world of JR Passes. Indeed, you are spoilt for choice, so choose the JR Pass that best suits your budget and travelling style!