Many who wish to travel to Japan are familiar with the famous JR Pass (Japan Rail Pass), which consists of a pass that allows you to travel on several trains, including the Shinkansen (bullet train) unlimitedly. In this article, we'll see if it's really worth getting this pass and how to buy it.
The JR Pass is a pass that tourists can use to take unlimited trains from JR and partner companies for periods of 7, 14 or 21 days and travel by bullet trains without paying except on nozomi and mizuho (the fastest trains in Japan ).
With the JR Pass you can travel seamlessly from Tokyo to Osaka, Hokkaido, Kumamoto and 90% from other cities in Japan, no matter the distance. It can be very advantageous if you want to travel all over Japan and are not willing to pay more than 10,000 yen (+350R$) to take a shinkansen (bullet train) trip.
I made a video talking a bit about the JR pass and you can watch it below:
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How much does the JR Pass cost? Where to Buy the JR Pass?
The JR Pass currently costs about $250$ for 7 days, $415$ for 14 days and $550$ for 21 days. There are places where the 21-day JR Pass can exceed the value of 3000 reais, which is apparently quite expensive.
In yen a 21-day JR Pass can cost up to 80,000. If you have been using shinkansen for about 8 times, it may already be an advantage to buy it despite the high price. &Nbsp; A trip from Tokyo to Osaka by shinkansei can cost up to 13,000 yen.
To buy the JR Pass you need to do it outside of Japan before your trip. You can order it through the official website or from other websites and agencies that represent and sell the JR Pass in an official and secure way. You will receive an exchange note by mail, in Japan you must present it at the specific toll booth to activate it.
You must pay attention to the deadline to activate your JR Pass and also the expiration date after activation. Although some guards will look big when you look at their pass, don't try to use it after defeating. Only people with a Temporary Visitor visa can get and use a JR Pass.
Is it worth buying the JR Pass?
With each passing day, the value of the JR Pass and the Real currency depreciates, which does not become so advantageous. There are several situations where it is not worth using the JR Pass. For example, if you are visiting Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, it may be more advantageous to buy a one-way ticket to and from Osaka.
If you do this you will only need to use the shinkansen once or you can save even more by using local trains from Tokyo to Osaka and even discover more cities. Not to mention the JR Pass doesn't work everywhere, especially in the Kansai region which is dominated by other company's train stations.
There are other card and pass options in cities like Tokyo and Osaka that can replace the JR Pass if you want to use it more within these big cities. If you only want to travel to the South or North of Japan there may be better options than using a Shinkansen.
For example, I will go to Hokkaido, the JR Pass can be advantageous, but I chose to take a plane to Hokkaido and get off the local train stations until I arrive in the Sendai region or more in the center of Japan. Sometimes buying a plane ticket is much more practical and cheaper than using a bullet train with a JR Pass.
The JR Pass is only worth it if you travel a lot, in different cities and using the bullet train. In this case, it is worth making the high investment in the passes of 250, 415 and 550 dollars. What do you think of the JR Pass? It is worth it? We want to hear your opinion in the comments.
