JR EAST PASS
What is the Japan Rail East Pass?
The JR EAST PASS is an economical and flexible rail pass to travel around Eastern Japan. It is valid for travel on all the 72 railway lines of JR EAST: 5 Shinkansen Super Express Lines & 67 Conventional Lines. The JR EAST PASS comes in several variations to meet your itinerary and is available as a 5-day, a 10-day, and a Flexible 4Day.
Who can buy a JR East Pass?
The JAPAN RAIL PASS is a special ticket that is available only to travelers visiting Japan from foreign countries for sight-seeing. You are eligible to purchase a JAPAN RAIL PASS if you meet one of the following two conditions:
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 "temporary visitor". Only persons who have a passport bearing this stamp can use a JAPAN RAIL PASS.
* Japanese living abroad can not use this pass.
How to obtain Japan Rail Pass
Purchase an Exchange Order before you come to Japan
You need to purchase a JR East Pass Exchange Order from an authorized sales agent in US prior to your arrival in Japan. JTB USA is one of a few authorized sales agents for Japan's National Railway Group and offers a full selection of rail pass options.
* Don't forget that the JR East PASS cannot be purchased inside Japan
Present your Exchange Order and obtain your JR EAST PASS after you arrive in Japan
You have to turn in your Exchange Order to receive your JR EAST PASS (within three months from the date the Order was issued) at one of the following applicable JR EAST stations with a JR EAST PASS exchange office: Narita Airport (Terminal 1); Airport Terminal 2; Tokyo; Ueno; Ikebukuro; Shinjuku; Shibuya; Yokohama; Tsukuba; Niigata; Fukushima; Sendai; Yamagata; Misawa
Note:
Any transportation cost to get to a JR East Pass exhange office will be at your own expense.
- for a 5-day or a 10-days PASS, you must specify the date that you want to start using the PASS. It can be any date within one month from the date the PASS was issued.
- For a Flexible 4-day PASS, the validity period is "either a consecutive or non-consecutive" total of any 4 days you like within one month from the date the PASS was issued.
Example: If your pass was issued on February 16, you must start using the pass on or before March 15, otherwise the pass will become invalid. (Expiry date is always the previous date of the issue date in the next month.)
Japan Rail Pass types and price
There are two types of JR EAST Passes: Green (for superior-class Green cars) and Ordinary. Each of these types is available as a 5-day, a 10-day, a Flexible 4-day PASS.
* Prices are subject to change without notice
* Pass prices for children apply from age 6 to and including age 11.
JR East Pass Validity
Transportation Services
The JR EAST PASS is valid for travel on all of the 72 railway lines of JR EAST: limited express trains(except private compartments or berths), including Shinkansen super express trains; express trains (except berths, etc.); local trains (except "Liner"/"Home Liner").
(If you want to use the cars or trains referred to in parentheses above, you must pay the respective additional charges in addition to the limited express or ordinary express charge. In this case, the PASS is valid for the basic fare only.)
Note:
Some JR EAST-line trains also travel on other companies' lines. Passengers using such trains traveling on non-JR EAST lines must pay the respective fares and charges applicable to the distances traveled on such lines. Please note the names of the following JR EAST-line trains that travel on non-JR EAST lines: "Hatsukari", "Hakutaka", "Raicho, Hokuetsu, Hakucho", "Shinano", "Odoriko,Super-view Odoriko", "Odoriko", "Tokai".
Caution:
Also please note: The JR EAST PASS is not valid for the Tokaido Shinkansen and the Sanyo Shinkansen lines, which connect Tokyo and western Japan cities, such as Kyoto, Osaka, or Fukuoka, and which start from Tokyo station like JR EAST's five Shinkansen lines. The Tokaido Shinkansen and Sanyo Shinkansen lines are run respectively by JR CENTRAL and JR WEST. (Between Tokyo and Atami, use "Odoriko", "Super-view Odoriko", or local trains.)
Accommodations
Many JR EAST trains have Green cars (superior accommodations); all have ordinary cars. You can use Green cars or ordinary cars with a Green-type PASS, and you can use ordinary cars with an Ordinary-type PASS, without paying additional charges. Refer to the following table for details:
| Trains | Shinkansen | Limited express and ordinary express | Local | ||||||||
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| Accommodations | G1* | O1* | G2* | O2* | G1* | O1* | G2* | O2* | S* | G1* | O1* |
| Green |  |
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| Ordinary | |
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Valid Period
5-day PASS, 10-day PASS
5-and 10-day PASSES are valid for a period of 5 or 10 consecutive days, respectively, beginning on the first day of use of the PASS.
Flexible 4-day PASS
Usable on any 4 consecutive or non-consecutive days within a month: Useful for leisurely-stay-type travel.
Flexible 4-day PASSES are valid for 4 consecutive or non-consecutive days within one month from the date the PASS was issued. (Each date on which the PASS is used will be stamped on the PASS at the respective station's ticket gate or aboard trains.)
Other Usage conditions
Use of a JR EAST PASS is limited to the signer. You must carry your passport during travel, and be prepared to show it if requested.
Refund of an Exchange Order or a JR EAST PASS. An Exchange Order that has not been turned in for a PASS can be refunded only at the same office that issued the Order within one year after the date of issue. (A handling charge and a communication fee, set in the regulations of each issuing office, will be deducted.) A PASS can be refunded (in yen) - only before the first date for its use (for a Flexible 4-day PASS, before its first usage) - at an applicable JR EAST station having a JR EAST PASS exchange office. (10% of the yen price of the PASS will be charged as a handling fee.) No refund can be made for any reason on or after the first day of use.
Neither an Order nor a PASS can be reissued if lost or stolen: Please ensure its safekeeping.
Also neither refunds nor extensions of the validity period can be made on a PASS in the event of train non-operation, delay, or the like.
These and other usage conditions follow the JR EAST passenger transportation regulations and Japanese laws. The validity of an Exchange Order during the period before it is turned in for the PASS, however, shall follow the stipulations and regulations of the office that issued the Order.
Use of the PASS in violation of these conditions and regulations will render it void and confiscated; and a sum of three times the fares and charges for the entire sections traveled will be collected.
Information given here is subject to change without notice: Refunds or compensation will not be made for any such change.
How to make a reservation
Seat reservations can be made without additional payment; seat availability cannot be guaranteed otherwise. To make a reservation, apply at a Travel Service Center (View Plaza) or a reservation office (midori-no-madoguchi) at a JR EAST station. There, show your PASS, and obtain your reserved-seat ticket before boarding.
*The sign for a reservation office (midori-no-madoguchi)
Note:
When reserved seats are full, you should use a non-reserved seat. In this case, no refund can be made of the price difference between a reserved seat and a non-reserved seat. Also note:
Seat reservations cannot be made before you receive the PASS in Japan.
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