Japan Rail Pass Calculator - Find the best for you

This application works best on a large screen, such as a tablet or computer.

Calculator

Passes List

F.A.Q.

About

Welcome to the JR Pass Calculator - the complete calculator to check which of the many Japan Rail passes are worth it for your trip to Japan! Calculator available since 2013.

This calculator contains 20 passes, including 18 Japan Rail passes, the private Kinsetsu pass for Osaka region, and the Willer Express Bus pass for extra cheap travels.

Fill in your itinerary and arrange in which days the trips happen so that the calculator can even suggest which day to activate your pass!

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Add a new trip:

Departure	Arrival / Route	Round Trip^?
		Yes

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On the calculator

Q 1. A city I am visiting is not listed on the calculator, why is that?

When choosing trips, make sure there is a direct line. If there isn't, you migth need to make the trip in steps. This is done to keep emphasis on how and when you switch trains. If the city is not listed at all, it might be indeed not in the database. We strive to keep the biggest number of cities covered, but there are indeed some cities that are less traveled mising from the database. If you think it is worth adding, drop us a comment (mail at footer of page)

Q 2. Why some trips have yellow or red background? (doesn't work in some browsers))

Yellow background means the trip is partially covered by the JR Group (just a part of the trip, for instance), Red means it is not covered at all

Q 3. Are there differences in the prices depending on season?

Yes, you should expect a very small difference on prices in different seasons, but they are usually extremely low (~2%) and won't impact the calculator.

Q 4. Are the prices in this calculator up-to-date? How can I confirm? How I find other routes?

All prices for rails are provided by Google Maps and updated as often as every year (It usually takes years for prices to change in Japan). Prices tend to vary according to season and day of the week so allow a 2% margin of error, but overall even with this margin it is a excelent estimate for all year. You can either confirm the prices, or look for other routes at google, all routes that are provided by Japan Rail (or JR) regardless of region (like Japan Rail West) are covered by a JR-Pass. If a travel have an icon beside it, click to go to google maps with the trip selected to check prices and options.

Q 5. The calculator keeps remembering me to check if the trips fit in the pass validity time, why?

If you do not fill in the day in which every trip happens on your itinerary plan, the calculator cannot check if the trips fit in the passes validity. In this mode, the calculator will just check which trips are covered by the pass and how the total would be if all trips fit the pass time. Please fill the day input box at the left of each trip with the day of the trip (starting at 1) so that the calculator can check for the time constrains on the passes.

On Non-JR routes and exceptions

Q 6. What about the Alpine Route?

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is registered on the calculator despite not being covered by any JR-pass. The option is the promotional One-way ticket. Just choose one end (Toyama or Nagoya) to see it. NOTE that the Alpine route price is a lot cheaper if you choose your route when you start (example, go to Murodo and back, or all the way), instead of paying each step of the way - its is extremelly more costly and they will try to persuade you not to do it, the reason being so that they can have control on how many people are on queue for each step and know if people get lost.

Q 7. What about the N'EX Tokyo Round Trip?

The Round-trip promotional ticket is available. The price listed is half since the full price will be registered when you add both to/from trips. Remember: you need to use the return trip within 14 days of using the first. Choose Narita Airport or Tokyo to see the option

On JR Group, Trains and passes

Q 8. The train lines and passes are kind of expensive, can I go cheaper?

Absolutelly. First, you can choose non express/shinkansen lines, which are considerably cheaper (albeit slower). If that doesn't reduce your cost enough, you can try using night busses (check "include Bus lines", which will also add the Willer Express Bus pass in the comparisson), which not only are cheap, but can save you a night stay! Note, however, that a night bus ride can be tiring. It is all a question of cost and benefit. To check that, build your itinerary only with the Fast JR lines, then rebuild it using busses. The price difference will be astonishing, but keep in mind it will be slow and tiring to use only busses.

Q 9. Can I use the JR Passes for local metro/rail?

You can use for all JR lines anywhere in the country (except Nozomi and Mizuho expresses). Note, however, that JR operates mostly the inter-city network, and its presence in intra-city metro/rail is limited, often totally absent in smaller towns. Cities with notable lines operating under JR include Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, though while present, do not offer lines to every point in the respective cities. You can visit a lot of Tokyo or Osaka using only JR lines, but if you don't use other private rail lines you would miss a lot. Also, do not expect to get your value back in metro lines. For instance, you would need to ride the Yamanote Loop Line some 130 times to pay for the 7-day JR pass

Q 10. What is the JR-Pass GREEN and is it worth it?

The JR-Pass GREEN is the equivalent of a good "business class" in airplanes. However, the normal cars are great already, I strongly suggest you buy the normal pass.

Q 11. How do I purchase a JR-Pass?

The best way is using the official reservation site, but you can use a travel agency or third-party site that sells an exchange order (which will arrive by mail). Once in Japan, look for a JR Office (present on airports and big train stations) and get the real Pass showing your exchange order or reservation. You will need to specify the validity dates only when switching the pass in Japan. You can NOT buy the pass in Japan (technically you can go online and order it while there as long you have your Passport with you, but if you are doing it online, better plan ahead).

Q 12. How do I purchase one of the regional JR passes? (JR-west, JR-east, JR-kyushu)

You can buy these online, by travel agency or in a ticket office, and then pay and pick the pass at an "pick up station". Check the correspondent sites for details on how to purchase them

Q 13. Does these JR-passes cover all trains?

No, only those lines operated by Japan Rail (JR). These are mostly the inter-city lines and some intra-city (metro) lines. While you can navigate most of Tokyo or Osaka using only JR metro lines, there are places you are better off using another private company. Check your itinerary and see if you will be using too many private rails, if you do, consider purchasing an ICOCA/SUICA card (in a train station in Japan). These do not offer economy, but are handy since you don't need to purchase tickets every trip, and some are accepted in 7-11 stores. Note there are some rare private lines the JR passes cover (like Tokyo Monorail to Haneda) while some JR express lines are not covered (Nozomi and Mizuho)

Q 14. What is the official JR-Pass site? There are so many!

https://japanrailpass.net/ is the official site, which will direct you to the official reservation site

Q 15. I heard you can now buy the JR-Pass in Japan, is that true?

No, there was a trial sale in Japan in 2017 but that is no longer available. However, you CAN order your pass online while in Japan, though that is cutting it close.

Important Notes

∎ Please keep in mind that if multiple passes are considered worthy, it means you should purchase only one of it, not combinations;
∎ Price comparision is done on top of the alternative that you get from the passes, which usually is reserved seats. Please consider that you can get cheaper prices by riding non-reserved and/or non-direct lines;
∎ Prices are listed from Google Maps and some might be slightly off due to season and day of the week, but hardly anything meaninful (+-2%). You can also check this JR Pass Fare Calculator from jrpass.com (not official site) for the main JR-Pass only;
∎ For simplicity sake, Shin-Osaka, Shin-Hakodate, Shin-Aomori and Shin-Kobe are not listed. Instead, the value for commuting from these Shinkansen stations to the main city station are included in the trip;
∎ For lines with shinkansen and non-shinkansen options, the non-shinkansen option might include non-JR routes;
∎ All passes prices are from the official sites in Japanese;
∎ There are also other passes, which are pre-paid cards so you don't need to buy each single ticket. They don't offer discounts, but rather convenience, with some being valid for JR lines and others not. Some examples are Pasmo, Suica, Pitapa or Icoca.

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Important Notes