Oct 6, 2016, 11:40 pm
Last edit by: muji
About Japan Rail Pass
JAPAN RAIL PASS, a joint offering of the six companies comprising the Japan Railways Group (JR Group).
__________________________________________________ _____________
Eligibility
(1) You are a foreign tourist visiting Japan from abroad for sight-seeing, under the entry status of "temporary visitor" or
(2) You are a Japanese national living outside of Japan who has both their Japanese passport and written proof—obtained from the embassy or legation of Japan in the foreign country where they live—that they have been living legally in the country for 10 consecutive years or more.
__________________________________________________ _____________
Validity Period
The validity period of a JAPAN RAIL PASS is the consecutive 7, 14, or 21 days period beginning on the date the PASS is first used.
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).
more information: http://www.japanrailpass.net/en/index.html
JAPAN RAIL PASS, a joint offering of the six companies comprising the Japan Railways Group (JR Group).
__________________________________________________ _____________
Eligibility
(1) You are a foreign tourist visiting Japan from abroad for sight-seeing, under the entry status of "temporary visitor" or
(2) You are a Japanese national living outside of Japan who has both their Japanese passport and written proof—obtained from the embassy or legation of Japan in the foreign country where they live—that they have been living legally in the country for 10 consecutive years or more.
__________________________________________________ _____________
Validity Period
The validity period of a JAPAN RAIL PASS is the consecutive 7, 14, or 21 days period beginning on the date the PASS is first used.
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).
more information: http://www.japanrailpass.net/en/index.html
Japan Rail (JR) Pass questions (consolidated)
Mar 8, 2018, 6:25 pm
#362
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Central California
Programs: Former UA Premex, now dirt
Posts: 6,531
HyperDia | Timetable and Route Search in Japan.
Mar 19, 2018, 5:41 pm
#363
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,383
is JR train fare calculated by distance?
ueno->UTSUNOMIYA is > 100km, so I was going to do a daytime stopover at Oyama(TOCHIGI)... but it's cheaper to just purchase the two legs separately?
all results are on local trains, not shinkansen
ueno->UTSUNOMIYA - 1940 yen
HyperDia | SearchResult
ueno->Oyama(TOCHIGI) - 1320yen
HyperDia | SearchResult
Oyama(TOCHIGI) ->UTSUNOMIYA - 500yen
HyperDia | SearchResult
ueno->UTSUNOMIYA is > 100km, so I was going to do a daytime stopover at Oyama(TOCHIGI)... but it's cheaper to just purchase the two legs separately?
all results are on local trains, not shinkansen
ueno->UTSUNOMIYA - 1940 yen
HyperDia | SearchResult
ueno->Oyama(TOCHIGI) - 1320yen
HyperDia | SearchResult
Oyama(TOCHIGI) ->UTSUNOMIYA - 500yen
HyperDia | SearchResult
Last edited by paperwastage; Mar 20, 2018 at 7:29 am
Mar 20, 2018, 4:29 am
#364
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: TYO
Programs: Tokyo Monorail Diamond-Encrusted-Platinum
Posts: 9,633
Your stopover (according to your search results) is in OYAMA(TOCHIGI), not OMIYA(SAITAMA).
Buying a through ticket and requesting to break up the trip will typically save you money if you're taking Express trains because you don't pay two Express surcharges. But in this case, there *shouldn't* be a difference in the purely distance based fare.
I checked the fares in Jorudan and your sums appear to be correct - Jorudan confirms that it's actually 120 Yen cheaper to split the journey and buy separate fares. In fact, if you use your IC card (eg.. SUICA) to pay the fares, you will only pay 1317+496 = 1813, whereas the through fare is 1944 yen). I can't understand it. Perhaps JR has calculated the distances as 77km + 28km, rather than 77.2 + 28.9, resulting in a lower fare when you combine separate trips. But even if that's the case, I can't understand why the IC fare is 1944 to Utsunomiya rather than 1940.
I expect @AlwaysAisle will know the answer ...
Buying a through ticket and requesting to break up the trip will typically save you money if you're taking Express trains because you don't pay two Express surcharges. But in this case, there *shouldn't* be a difference in the purely distance based fare.
I checked the fares in Jorudan and your sums appear to be correct - Jorudan confirms that it's actually 120 Yen cheaper to split the journey and buy separate fares. In fact, if you use your IC card (eg.. SUICA) to pay the fares, you will only pay 1317+496 = 1813, whereas the through fare is 1944 yen). I can't understand it. Perhaps JR has calculated the distances as 77km + 28km, rather than 77.2 + 28.9, resulting in a lower fare when you combine separate trips. But even if that's the case, I can't understand why the IC fare is 1944 to Utsunomiya rather than 1940.
I expect @AlwaysAisle will know the answer ...
Mar 20, 2018, 5:59 am
#365
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,383
Your stopover (according to your search results) is in OYAMA(TOCHIGI), not OMIYA(SAITAMA).
Buying a through ticket and requesting to break up the trip will typically save you money if you're taking Express trains because you don't pay two Express surcharges. But in this case, there *shouldn't* be a difference in the purely distance based fare.
I checked the fares in Jorudan and your sums appear to be correct - Jorudan confirms that it's actually 120 Yen cheaper to split the journey and buy separate fares. In fact, if you use your IC card (eg.. SUICA) to pay the fares, you will only pay 1317+496 = 1813, whereas the through fare is 1944 yen). I can't understand it. Perhaps JR has calculated the distances as 77km + 28km, rather than 77.2 + 28.9, resulting in a lower fare when you combine separate trips. But even if that's the case, I can't understand why the IC fare is 1944 to Utsunomiya rather than 1940.
I expect @AlwaysAisle will know the answer ...
Buying a through ticket and requesting to break up the trip will typically save you money if you're taking Express trains because you don't pay two Express surcharges. But in this case, there *shouldn't* be a difference in the purely distance based fare.
I checked the fares in Jorudan and your sums appear to be correct - Jorudan confirms that it's actually 120 Yen cheaper to split the journey and buy separate fares. In fact, if you use your IC card (eg.. SUICA) to pay the fares, you will only pay 1317+496 = 1813, whereas the through fare is 1944 yen). I can't understand it. Perhaps JR has calculated the distances as 77km + 28km, rather than 77.2 + 28.9, resulting in a lower fare when you combine separate trips. But even if that's the case, I can't understand why the IC fare is 1944 to Utsunomiya rather than 1940.
I expect @AlwaysAisle will know the answer ...
Rounding down makes some sense
Mar 24, 2018, 11:18 am
#366
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The Cinnabar Mines
Programs: UA Kayaker and LVF, OZ Carbonesque
Posts: 104
Exchange at Haneda or Shinagawa?
Would you recommend exchanging the voucher for the JR pass at Haneda or Shinagawa? I will be arriving on an international flight into Haneda around 3 PM in May, after Golden Week, and would like to travel onward to Kyoto or slightly further west (perhaps Kobe or Okayama) that evening. I have used the JR pass many times before, but have always done the exchange at KIX or NRT, both of which have been pretty busy with the increase in visitors over the past decade. I was hoping to bypass the tourist lines by doing the exchange in Shinagawa. According to Hyperdia, there is a 5:10 PM Hikari departure from Shinagawa. Do you think I would be able to make this connection?
Mar 24, 2018, 1:09 pm
#367
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: TYO
Programs: Tokyo Monorail Diamond-Encrusted-Platinum
Posts: 9,633
Would you recommend exchanging the voucher for the JR pass at Haneda or Shinagawa? I will be arriving on an international flight into Haneda around 3 PM in May, after Golden Week, and would like to travel onward to Kyoto or slightly further west (perhaps Kobe or Okayama) that evening. I have used the JR pass many times before, but have always done the exchange at KIX or NRT, both of which have been pretty busy with the increase in visitors over the past decade. I was hoping to bypass the tourist lines by doing the exchange in Shinagawa. According to Hyperdia, there is a 5:10 PM Hikari departure from Shinagawa. Do you think I would be able to make this connection?
JAPAN RAIL PASS exchange offices | JAPAN RAIL PASS
You'll be coming from the Keikyu station at the top of this plan and walking to the bottom (North is at the bottom):
•iì‰wb‚i‚q“ŒŠC
The cheapest way to do it would be to go to the Monorail station at HND and exchange the pass there. Then you could use your pass to ride the monorail to Hamamatsucho, and the JR Yamanote Line to Shinagawa. Despite the less direct routing, this is also a do-able connection. (My advice is to stand at the end of the platform closest to the ticket gate - that puts you in the rear-most car of the monorail - and that positions you to take the back stairway at Hamamatsucho). In a sense, this approach would give you a second "bite at the cherry," in terms of avoiding long queues - You can assess the situation at Haneda and get the pass there or pay your fare to Shinagawa and do it there.
I'd probably take the Keikyu line ...
Mar 24, 2018, 5:35 pm
#369
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The Cinnabar Mines
Programs: UA Kayaker and LVF, OZ Carbonesque
Posts: 104
Thank you very much! I am supposed to be arriving exactly at 3 PM. For the sake of simplicity, I think I will take the Keikyu route, as I will have one larger suitcase, and would want to minimize transfers. Thanks again.
Apr 22, 2018, 7:42 pm
#371
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Central California
Programs: Former UA Premex, now dirt
Posts: 6,531
In general, no. We've seen reports that there may be a way but it really isn't worth the trouble. Seat reservations with a Rail Pass are so easy at virtually any station that I wouldn't waste the time.
Apr 22, 2018, 11:47 pm
#372
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,856
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/ticket/reservation.html
Note that JR East does NOT run the shinkansen between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka so you cannot pre-reserve the most important single route.
Apr 24, 2018, 11:09 am
#373
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Gold, Marriott Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 39
Just got back from my Japan trip. Word to the wise, treat your Rail Pass like it's a passport. I lost my 7 day green pass 3 days in. It can't be replaced and it's such a hassle (and irritating due to the added costs) to have to purchase my tickets while my wife had it easy.
Apr 24, 2018, 6:23 pm
#374
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,383
Just got back from my Japan trip. Word to the wise, treat your Rail Pass like it's a passport. I lost my 7 day green pass 3 days in. It can't be replaced and it's such a hassle (and irritating due to the added costs) to have to purchase my tickets while my wife had it easy.
always goes into my zipped coat pocket after use
Apr 25, 2018, 12:11 am
#375
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Posts: 18,405