Originally Posted by
dhuey
I see. So it might be a seriously long commute that would be much more expensive than $40/day at normal ticket prices. That makes sense. You could go out pretty far from Tokyo, in terms of distance, if you're close to a Shinkansen station.
Keep in mind that 'normal' Japanese workers do this 'seriously long commute' daily (avg Tokyo commute is 58 min each way)
I wonder if Japanese companies are flexible enough to allow remote working during Olympics (this is what the British did for London Olympics )
https://resources.realestate.co.jp/l...te-time-japan/
Tokyo to Utsunomiya is 130km away, 50 min shinkansen @ $48 each way. 100 min by local train @ $20 each way
So yes, tourists have a good/great deal with JR passes. Japanese companies typically pick up most/large% of the commuting cost, so don't feel too bad for the local workers (other than having to spend 2 hours commuting each day)