Japan: JR Pass, regional pass or tickets? Do the maths before you buy.
Since its October 2023 price change, the Japan Rail Pass is no longer an automatic yes, and from 1 October 2026 it costs more again when bought through an overseas agency. Pick your journeys, see what each one costs on JR's own fare search, and compare it with the national pass and the regional passes, journey by journey.
2026 prices at a glance (adult, ordinary car)
| Product | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Japan Rail Pass, official site | ¥50,000 / ¥80,000 / ¥100,000 | 7, 14 or 21 days on JR nationwide; Nozomi and Mizuho cost extra |
| Japan Rail Pass, overseas agencies (from 1 Oct 2026) | ¥53,000 / ¥84,000 / ¥105,000 | Same pass, bought through an overseas sales agent |
| Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass | ¥17,000 | 5 days: Kansai, Okayama, Hiroshima, Miyajima ferry |
| JR EAST PASS | ¥35,000 | 5 days on JR East, Tokyo to Aomori and Niigata |
| Tokyo – Kyoto Shinkansen | ¥13,850 | One way, Hikari reserved seat, regular season |
Guides
Is the JR Pass still worth it?
Five real itineraries priced journey by journey, the October 2026 agency price rise, and the Nozomi trap.
JR Pass vs regional passes
Kansai Mini, Kansai WIDE, Kansai-Hiroshima, Kansai-Hokuriku, JR-WEST All Area and JR EAST PASS: what each covers and when it beats the national pass.
Tokyo to Kyoto and Osaka by Shinkansen: what it costs
Every seat and train type, children, seasons, and why one return trip never justifies a JR Pass.
Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima and Miyajima by train
The classic western loop priced three ways, with the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass shortcut.
Kansai day trips by train: Nara, Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, Himeji
What each trip costs from Kyoto or Osaka, and whether the Kansai Mini Pass pays off.
How the Japan numbers are checked
Every fare comes from a JR company's own pages: the Shinkansen and JR West fares from JR Central's official access search (one regular-season sample day per route, recorded with the train used), pass prices from japanrailpass.net, JR West and JR East. They are stored in one data file, so the calculator and the articles always agree, and each journey links to its source. Where we could not confirm a fare on an official page, it is left out rather than guessed. See the editorial policy.