not everything can last forever 🥲🥲 let me know what you think about these changes and if you have any advice for fellow travelers in the comments!!

The calculator on the JR site allows you to plan out each trip/stop in your itinerary. The site also allows you to calculate the fares of each leg and they take a lot to add up to the 70k/110k/140k marks Allison mentions in the video. I have been planning a trip this year and the JR pass price marks are much better to simply pay per fare. It is unfortunate that the pass is so expensive now but as mentioned in the video, see if it is the answer for you, don't just buy it.

Based on the web forums, they had interviewed a rail conductor in the JR Hokkaido region and he said they primarily raised the prices because of the overcrowding of the Tokkaido shinkansen line. Many tourists arriving into Japan typically only travel the Golden Route (Tokyo > Kyoto/Nara/Osaka > Tokyo). They don't travel anywhere else. Because of this, the Hikari and the Kodoma lines on the Tokkaido line are often overcrowded and many Japanese passengers were heavily complaining. These folks pay full priced fares especially all of the business folks traveling on that line. However, jacking up the JR Pass 70% fold is A LOT. What they could have possibly done was to reasonably raise the rates of the pass (maybe 30-35%) and then limit the times on when you can travel on the Tokkaido line during heavy congestion(say block travel between first train and say 1-2pm, and the block it again from 6pm to 9pm or of that sort). What JR also could have done was to sell the JR Pass at a lower cost (still raise the prices resonably) WITHOUT allowing travel on the Tokkaido line period. Trust me, there are no crowding issues on the Joetsu, Tohoku, Yamagata, Hokuriku, and Akita lines. JR has mentioned the increase of price of 70% is also a test to see if demand wanes. If it does, they mentioned they can still adjust the prices to try to hit a sweet spot. If is does not, don't be surprised if they raise the prices even higher.

Really good information.thank you for sharing 🥰👍

Thanks for the update!

Thank you for always making update videos! A lot of my friends ask me about Japan travel as I've gone a couple of times so I've just been linking these changes videos as all my knowledge was JR train pass based RIP ! Cheers!

Arrigato Gozaimasu Allison!! Special thanks for the JR rail pass updates!! Your content is very beneficial for our family Japan trip upcoming November 2024!!

i just want tot say thanks for all the videos, me and my mom are planning a trip to japan and they're very helpful! :)

Thank you for this video!

Helpful vlog especially with our upcoming Japan trip! Thank you. 😊

This was very informative. Thank you!

Super useful! Thank you Allison :) I really enjoy all your content.

you rock Allison! thanks for giving us info and options in post covid JR

Very helpful vid. Thanks for explaining

This was the most EXTREMELY INFORMATIVE KZfaq video on one subject I have seen & heard. I absolutely love it !!! Thank you for no Baloney Sasuage. Lot's of edit stops and starts but done well...completely understandable. Just can't say enough. Current info for 2024 even better...WOW Blown away...it will take me awhile to land from this overwhelming delight. Seriously!

This is extremely informative and also humorous. Thank you very much!

Thanks for the information 🤔

I had no idea how complicated trains are in Japan. This is eye opening, thank you for being so informative!

Very useful exactly what I needed rn ❤

Wow! A lot of great information. A bit confusing for sure 🧐 but definitely need to know for tourists 👏

Thank you for the update!! What day trips would you recommend from Tokyo? ☺️

Hello, Thank you, Allison😀: thanks to you and your videos I purchased the JR Pass in August and used it in November ( of 2023 ).

Thank you so much for this video! You saved me some precious Yen. I agree that the price update was necessary, but did it have to happen when I'm planning to go? 😅

tks, that is very informative!!!

I wish they hadnt raised the price so much. Next time I will buy a normal return ticket when I go to Kyoto from Tokyo. I was in Japan in November last year and we luckily found out about the new prices just a week before they changed them, so we managed to get our JR passes at the old price. Love your videos 🙂

Good vid, ty.

This video was so thorough, thank you! JR Pass has always confused me

Using the JR at present, it’s been great, the price did go up a lot end of last year, but for this trip, two weeks it’s been worth it as we traveled all over, the little local trips that are not included have been very cheap

Alison, I missed your videos! Also, my cousin and her mom are visiting in March (never once visited, don't speak japanese) and asked me for some advice, and can I just say, I love how you did the adding up with difference in regular tickets vs JR pass's new price. That's exactly what I did. They were like why do you have so much advice? Cause you're asking me damnit. People should *REALLY* watch these vlogs, even if you think you know everything, there's always some new stuff!

We have opted to do both individual tickets and flights when we come over in June for 3 weeks from Australia. It didn't work out for us to use JR pass anymore. Going all over Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Kanazawa, and Koya-san. Flights were super cheap but factor in the cost of the train from and to the airport.

I am SO glad you posted this. Everyone was raving about the JR pass - "you can't go wrong they said". Yet I crunched the numbers for each trip, short and long and found no way to make the JR pass pay off. The only pass that works is two five day regional JR West passes. Other than that, it will be individual tickets. Much appreciated!

Here's a tip, if you send you luggage with Yamato for example from Tokyo to Nagano, you can even send it let's say 4 days before you leave Tokyo, offcourse you'll need to have to separate the needed amount of clothes for the remaining days in a separate backpack, but either way you'll travel with the essential. Once you arrive at Nagano, your luggage will be waiting for you in your hotel room like it happen with me when I did this.

Went to Japan in November (bought the pass before the price increase) and we definitely managed to use it beyond it's value because we went to Hokkaido and Hiroshima. Booking seats on the bullet train in advance as a life and time saver!! You can do it at kiosks in most major train stations, and they have it in multiple languages so we just chose it in English and was good to go. The catch is you can only make seat reservations a few days in advance. If you need to make a seat reservation change, that's when you need to go see a ticket agent. Overall though, my partner and I don't think the JR passes are worth it anymore.We would most likely be getting regional passes moving forward

I'm leaving Japan after being there for a month and it is truly a super affordable vacation. Food is more than half off than the US and hotels are affordable too

Thanks for making this video. We are planning to come from SFO via red-eye flight to Hanedo airport and then take the Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka station. Should I be worried about getting delayed when arriving in Tokyo station on reserved seats?

Nice summary. One thing I would add is that there are only one or two Hikari trains per hour between Tokyo and western Japan whereas Nozomi trains run several times an hour. Back when the JR Pass started, Nozomi trains were the exception rather than the rule. Domestic flights can be booked using miles from United (ANA) or American (JAL). It may only cost 7500 miles one-way. It has become almost impossible to use miles to book flights between the U.S. and Japan at reasonable rates.

Great info. I hope to visit Kumamoto & Yamaguchi someday.

Ótimo vídeo. obrigado pelas dicas.

Thanks Alison I needed this as I'm travelling in May. Any tips if I'm travelling from Tokyo to Nagoya. Return. I also got to use the pass in September before price went up.

It was sometime after Japan opened the country back open for regular movement again. I remember reading that "they" were feeling overwhelmed with the influx of people. The price hikes for the JR was to discourage the massive wave of people exploring the villages that couldn't support that many tourist.

JR pass was a godsend for us when we visited in 2016. The staff were super helpful and really nice. This reminds me of stuff that happens in the UK, especially where I live. The bus pass for a small town would increase every April, now since COVID its been February and April!

Thanks for sharing this info! I m planning a trip in nov and was thinking of making this Tokyo to Kyoto route, now knowing this, not going to happen any more😢

thanks Allison! Very helpful. I am now looking at purchasing tickets for my family and our trip to Japan. Do you have any suggestions for doing this in advance and being able to select seats? I seem to make progress on certain sites but then I cant get to the next city. For instance we are looking at Tokyo - Nagano - Kanazowa - Kyoto - Tokyo actually, i just found Klook. Is that what you would suggest?

Thank you

I just got mine and it’s really only worth it if you are taking a lot of Shinkansen in a short amount of time. If you are mostly staying local to Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka probably not.

Hi Allison! Thank you for your video as I’m trying to do some research for my Japan trip later this year as far as train pass options go. Can I ask what you would recommend for a 18 day trip (7 in Tokyo, 4 in Kyoto and 7 in Osaka), with travel being confined to within those cities whilst there?

I returned from Japan last November after spending two weeks and I’m glad I had the JR Pass. I would buy it again without hesitation.

Thank you very much for the information. We intend to visit Japan in November for about 2 weeks and do the "regular" trip that you mentioned - Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka with an emphasis on fall colors - Japanese maple comes to mind. Would you recommend the JR pass in this case? We don't intend to changes cities every day, and hoping to do no more than 3 hotels locations.

Thanks for making this video; if I hadn’t seen it I would have probably purchased the JR pass. Is there any kind of app that calculates train prices for routes?

Thanks for your video and information! We're going to visit Japan at the end of may and stay for two weeks at Tokyo. So visiting Studio Ghibli Park at Nagakute would cost already around 100€ one way, I guess. So for two person it would be already 400€ for traveling, making the JR pass more appealing since its just 200€ more and we could visit kyoto, osaka or the universal studio park aswell. What are your thoughts? thanks for your help!

Thanks! Are the regional JR passes interesting if I want to stay at least 2 nights ( or even more) at one destination?

Luckly I was able to use the JR Pass when I went early last year. For my next time, I’ll probably look into the regional ones, if they don’t get a price hike, like the JR Pass.

The last time I went to Japan was in 2019 and I did buy the 7 day JR Pass. At the time it paid for itself with a round trip from Tokyo to Osaka and a day trip from Osaka to Hiroshima but at the current price I would not be able to justify it. Besides I’m a slower traveler and prefer to spend more time in a place and letting my whims set where I want to spend more time. When I go back in May I’ll do point to point travel

I was lucky enough to get a green JR pass last spring (2023). Even then, I think I remember hearing that a price hike was coming. It sucks, but your explanation made it make sense...can't believe I was taking advantage of 1980's travel prices! Next time I go, I plan on getting a regional pass. I want to see more of the Tohoku region, and Hokkaido.

Ahhh so many details! Taking like 13 teenagers from Aichi to Gifu in June... Sounds like we're reserving seats.

Thank you, Allison. This is so informative. How about trains going to Hokkaido? How much would that be from Tokyo?

Thank you for your video. Do you know anything about luggage limits for the busses? I'm going to be transferring to a different region soon, so I have to basically fit everything I want to keep into the two suitcases I arrived with. They are airplane-friendly size.

Well done Allison, Your maps very informative'. I was last there just before the price adjustment. My big trip was Tokyo to Kagoshima, Hired a car to drive to the James Bond monument at Bonotsucho Akime. Next one will be to Nagasaki.

Hey! So I'm new to your channel and just wanna start by saying I love your videos! But I have a question, if you haven't already, could you make a video on how to become an English teacher for Japan? I currently live in arkansas in the US and am gonna be going to live in japan but I wanna become an English teacher over there just not sure on the progress 😢😅

Great info update. I appreciate you taking time to get the word out. Side note: Your complexion looks really good with the green jewel tone shirt.

I'm currently researching going to Kyushu for Cherry Blossom season, and I looked at trains, buses and planes. It turns out the domestic planes were the best option for me after quite a bit of study. I'm currently looking at the JR Kyushu regional pass versus buses to get around the island. You're right about the need to preplan the itinerary making this less of a holiday, and more stressful. Sounds like focusing on one region per trip will be better for travelers moving forward... Your video was the best on the subject of the JR Pass yet, so I do appreciate your explanation! ❤

I got the pass on my last two trips and zipped all over the country. With the new price hikes, it’s just not worth it to me personally. I learned on my previous trips that there are other train companies in different regions, and other transit options. It can be a lot of fun to focus your trip in just one region as well- there are so many overlooked destinations within each region that taking the time to slow down and explore can be a fantastic reward.

Shes correct. I just came back from Japan and I am glad I didnt buy the JR Pass. I did, Tokyo, Osaka, Nara and Kyoto and only spent like 25000 YEN.

this was helpful, but I thought I read somewhere that the JR pass would also cover more lines locally? I'm there for roughly 20 days and im going coast to coast basically and a friend had said the JR pass might be better since it'll cover some regular trains in the tokyo area.

Overnight buses from Kansai, Hiroshima and Okayama area usually arrive between 6 and 8am, from Sendai and NAgoya 5-7am. If there is a delay,it's usually within 30minutes. I've used them regularly! Greetings from Tokyo, living here since 2014

thank you for the travel tips i will stand with jr pass 21 days even it is expensive i will go to kyushu in the futur kansai and kanto for a month it is worrth !shinkansen sukidesu

Ohhh 😢 That’s sad news. Had 3 fantastic days getting around on the JR pass back in 2021. Riding the bullet trains without thinking about my wallet was such a treat.

I visited Japan pre Covid and remembered how “easy” it is with the pass. Just showed up at the station and go to the counter and choose the next Shinkansen train. How do I buy the single trip or return trip tickets that this video talk about? Do I have to pre book and stick to a schedule?

You are right in that JR Pass prices were low for many years due to Japanese government trying to encourage foreign tourists to visit the country; in a way, Japan was subsidizing their cost of travels. Yes, Japan should have gradually increased the JR Pass prices bit by bit, rather than by a big chunk in 2023. Still, train travel in Japan is for me the most enjoyable and convenient.

I recently came back from 1 week in Japan and bought the JR Green pass. And maximized it the most we can. The itinerary was packed but we like riding the shinkansen. Narita NEX express to Tokyo to Hachinohe to Sapporo to Yamagata to Mishima to Kyoto to Tokyo to Niigata back to Tokyo then to Narita NEX. Tiring but awesome plus you could different scenery and types of shinkansens throughout the 1 week. Plus the Green JR car are marvellous

Flying made my travel so much better. I flew from Fukuoka to Hokkaido (New Chitose Airport) for 55 dollars and then from Hokkaido to Aomori Airport for only 30 dollars. The first trip would have been like 16 hours by train and the second one around 6 hours, it would have been covered under my JR pass, but the extra 85 dollars for both flights was extremely worth it.

@allisonintokyo can you tell me what is the best transportation we can use if we are coming from Fukuoka to Osaka? Our itinerary includes also Nagoya, Kanazawa, Yokohama and Tokyo. We'll be in Japan for 2 weeks and we are starting our journey from Fukuoka. I'd really appreciate it. Thank you.

We used Smart EX on our trip last year before the JR Pass price change. If sticking to the usual "golden route" I would highly recommend it today post-pass changes. We took the Nozomi from Tokyo to Kyoto for about 14,000 yen each in Green Car... on our other major leg, Nagoya to Tokyo, I think we paid 9,200 yen each for Green Car in the all-stops Kodama. The catch is that you have to reserve it three days ahead of time, but it was very cost effective for us and a great way to move comfortably! I believe similar deals can be had for the Nozomi if you take ordinary seats too :)

Thanks! I knew the JRP price went up, but I didn't realize it is so pricy now, so it's useless besically

Hi there, I have a question regarding the Yen. I know that the Yen is currently low right now, I'm just curious if the prices of goods and services increased in Japan?

Hi Allison, thank you for this video. I will be arriving in Tokyo on 3/22 in the afternoon from California and leaving on 3/31. My plan is to go to Kyoto and Osaka using the bullet train. Without the JR Pass, can I buy the bullet train 🚄 tickets (is that also the regional train?) and still can hop on or hop off the train just in case I missed the one I booked originally? What would you recommend given the places I want to go to? Thank for any suggestions.

I am a seasoned traveller. Been to Japan several times. With what they did to the JR Pass, you might as well just plan some cheap domestic flights. Yes not as pretty initially, but just walk and bike everywhere when you’re there, and explore. Or take the longer, cheaper, local trains that take longer. And you’re right, just pay the cheaper local price once you’re done with domestic plane or train, or once again take the cheaper non bullet train, and enjoy the longer ride and scenery.

I was in Japan for two weeks this past December. We visited 6 different cities and used public transportation the entire time. Our JR passes were absolutely worth it.

I visited Japan just before the changes went live in October 2023, and I still didn't buy the pass. Reason being: it didn't pay for itself even at the original price point. As Allison says, you can't use it everywhere, and to make the most of it, you'd have to spend most of your time moving between locations instead of exploring. Getting an IC card and charging it as needed worked out much better for me. I and my travel buddy splurged on the Green Car from Kyoto to Tokyo, and while it was nice and comfy, it wasn't anything special either. Plan your route, work the numbers and decide for yourself if getting the pass now is worth it for you. Cheers!

So if you dont buy the JR pass or regional pass... do you recconnend using like a reloadabke card or just buying tickets that the station? Im still struggling to number crunch to swe if jr is even worth it (since im doing a few off shoots, and unsure how many legs are covered by jr) but well get there 🙃

I lived in Japan from 1999 to 2002. I am now, many years later, planning to return with kids. I was really (REALLY!) hoping to get this JR Pass. I could not get it when I was living there and I had to spend way more to travel around with friends. And now, just as I'm planning to return, the prices go up. Way up! Ugh. But I get it. You explained the history and all the alternatives very well.

For domestic flights within Japan, both JAL and ANA offers discounted fare exclusive to tourists (JAL Japan Explorer Pass / ANA Discover JAPAN Fare) and it's competitive to LCC but offers more comfort and flight options. Often times you can travel much cheaper than regular Shinkansen fare.

I've used Shinkansen paper ticket non reserved many times with my large fabric suitcase just having it right in front of my seat with my knees right up against it. In the past with the JR pass I always used non reserved seating. My fabric suitcase was too big for the overhead shelving. All my 5 Japan trips were in winter within December to February.

I am arriving in Tokyo in the second half of April but haven't decided where to stay or what to do. I kinda want to see everything, but I also want to enjoy everything. I want to go to Hiroshima and Nara for sure, plus some of the smaller village places for hiking. Will be in Japan for 14 days. Pass or no pass?

I used a JR East-South Hokkaido pass last year to go from Tokyo to Sapporo with few stops on the way and it was cheaper than "the" JR pass even before the price hikes. Would recommend. Except for the last bit from Hakodate to Sapporo. That bit wasn't so nice. Stacking the tickets on the ticket gates was also a bit confusing. Flying back to Tokyo was a 5/5 experience.

I really loved the convenience of the JR pass last year. Still deciding whether we will get it again this year with the price hike

The JR Green Pass is good stuff for cheap. The last week on a 3-week pass is basically the cost of 1 regular fare round trip anywhere and you can go the whole week in first class. Also, for those with a small budget, the Hokuriku Arch pass will get you to Kanazawa or Nagano on your way to Kyoto or Osaka (which you indirectly mentioned).

I've been thinking of the JR Pass as we are going to be in Japan for 21 days. This is our second trip (we also went 20 years ago) but we also have teens this time. Planning to do Southern Japan (Tokyo, Kytoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and maybe Nagoya), Sendai, and Fukuoka (we're also planning to take the Jet Ferry to Korea). The numbers are close, but it sounds like I'm going to have to deal with the counter every time anyway for luggage/seat reservation, so it isn't really all that convenient. Is there any other reason that we should consider the JR pass? Is there anything we couldn't do because of it?

I haven't purchased a JR Pass in almost 20 years now, but I agree that it was insanely cheap for the value. We used the pass for JR subways, buses, a ferry, and even a taxi. I don't know if you can still do that, but it made the value unbelievable.

My wife and kids got the JR pass for 2 weeks in December. We felt it was worth it as we travelled from Tokyo, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima, and Kobe. We literally used the hell out of this pass. I am not 100% sure but I think we got our value out it….that being said we had to use it everyday and we planned our bullet train trips as much as we could.

Most of tourist buy JR Pass typically only travel between Tokyo>Kyoto/Osaka and this make tokaido-sanyo shinkansen overcrowed. Thats why Japan increase the price of JR pass and introduce Hokoriku Arch Pass. With less cost than JR pass (around US$250) tourist can still travel between Tokyo>Kyoto/Osaka. The disadvantage using this pass is it would take longer route and time to reach osaka than JR Pass. Hokuriku shinkansen from tokyo the train ends in tsuruga station and you have to change using rapid train to osaka The advantage is you can visit new cities between tokyo and kyoto/osaka like nagano, kanazawa, tsuruga, etc

My first ever trip to Japan was back in Nov-2023. Thinking back, I was under pressure to plan out the itinerary on budget after the price increase of JR Pass was announced sometime mid-2023. 😂 I could still pre-purchase it at the pre-hike pricing before Oct-2023 and use it in Nov through Dec-2023. At the end of the day, I didn't get it because my detailed itinerary around Japan stretches out and it barely made sense to get JR Pass. My total cost traveling on JR rails throughout 17 days in and around Japan (round trip via Shinkansen between Tokyo & Osaka) came up to about slightly more than the pre-hike 7-day JR Pass. In hindsight, could have planned out better to only use Shinkansen once and pushing my travel cost further down. Post price hike, it made no sense at all to get it. 😅 Good tip about Highway/Express busses. They really are the way to go price wise and still very comfortable.

We used the JR pass on our first trip back in 2009 and have always loved it for the ease of use, but we won't be getting it on our upcoming trip! We'll just book our shinkansen rides a few days ahead of time and use an IC card for other trains, subway and buses. Should still be super simple!

Can you recommend what app on phone we can use to reserve your seat for the JR pass? or can you only do it physically

Went to Japan for 21 days last month and reserved the seats with the luggage compartment for all our shinkansen travels. Only once did a conductor ask if the luggage behind our seats were ours, and that was in the Hakata to Hiroshima leg. Everywhere else, no one batted an eyelash. I also saw some folks whose seats were the regular ones dump their luggage behind the last seats in the car and the conductors walking by didn’t say anything 🤷🏻‍♀️so ymmv But yes, can definitely say for sure that the JR pass now is more optional than something I would recommend. When I used the 21-day pass prior to the price hike, the value I got out of each pass was more than double the price even when you just go the non-reserved seats route; this last trip we just broke even even with all reserved seats.

Hi Allison, I used the JR Pass this summer and very much got my money’s worth. Loved it. Great deal for the confused tourist. If I went back now I would just buy one way passes the day of the trip. Just to keep things flexible. Thanks for your help, I used you to research my trip 🇯🇵 🇺🇸

Thank you Allison for the super helpful information! Do you know which regional JR pass I should buy for these 3 trips: 1. Tokyo to Kyoto round trip and 2. Tokyo to Kanazawa round trip 3. Tokyo to Yokohama round trip? Thank you !!

I been to Japan more than 30 times and used the JR pass. I would still buy it because it is convenient and it's flexible but it obviously costs more than before. Recently I was in the UK and an 8 day pass cost about the same as the current 21 day pass in Japan, With the JR rail pass there are no queues at booking offices, using cash in ticket machines and you are not restricted to a particular train, for example if the Shinkansen looks full just wait for the next one. It was inevitable the cost would go up after being the same for many years. Not for budget travellers.

Really glad my friends and were able to take advantage of the old pricing before it went up. Bought the 21 day pass for roughly $432 USD while spending a total of 23 days in Japan. We started our trip in Tokyo for a few days before traveling out to Fukuoka and staying for around 4 days(stopped in Kobe and Osaka for 2 days whilst we were on the way there). On our return trip we hit up Hiroshima and Okayama for a day, detouring to Tottori for a day and half, Kyoto for 3 days, southern Wakayama for a day and half for the onsens, back to Tokyo for a few more days before ending the the remainder of the trip in Osaka. Unfortunately did not have time for Nagoya but I would say we more than got our money's worth riding the shinkansen + local JR trains.

Even before 2020 it was worth getting the "X travel days in a Y day period" pass, use it for your long distance, and pay normally for local transit.