Buying a pass: who can, where and when

Who can buy

• JAPAN RAIL PASS: foreign tourists who enter Japan with Temporary Visitor (短期滞在) status. [1]
• Automated immigration gates do not stamp your passport. Use a staffed lane or ask an officer for the Temporary Visitor stamp or sticker, or you cannot collect the pass. [1]
• JR West area passes also need Temporary Visitor status. [2]
• The JR EAST PASS only needs a non-Japanese passport (JR East lists it, the JR TOKYO Wide Pass and some others as exempt from the Temporary Visitor rule). [3]
• JR Hokkaido passes are open to all non-Japanese passport holders; Temporary Visitor status is not required. [4]
• You need your original passport to buy or collect a pass; a copy is not accepted. [5]
• You cannot hold two JAPAN RAIL PASSes (of any kind) for overlapping dates. [6]

Online, abroad or in Japan

• Official website price (JAPAN RAIL PASS Reservation) for 7 days: 50,000 yen ordinary car, 70,000 yen Green Car; children half. [7]
• From an agency abroad (exchange order) it costs more: ordinary car 7 days 53,000 yen. [7]
• An exchange order must be exchanged within 3 months of purchase, and no earlier than 1 month before the first day of use. [8]
• Some regional passes cost more at the station in Japan: the Hokkaido Rail Pass (5 days) is 22,000 yen bought in advance and 23,000 yen at a station. [4]
• JR West passes can be booked online from one month before the start date, from 10:00 Japan time. [2]
• The JR Kyushu Mobile Pass is bought on a smartphone and needs no pick-up at a station. [9]

Picking up the pass

• Collect a JAPAN RAIL PASS bought online before its start date or during its validity, at a pick-up office (e.g. at airports and major stations) with your passport and booking number. [10]
• Only designated passport-reader ticket machines in the JR East and JR West areas can issue it; elsewhere use a counter. [10]
• To collect a pass from a ticket machine your passport needs an IC chip; otherwise go to the ticket office. [2]

Start date and validity

• JR passes run on consecutive days from the start date you choose; you cannot skip days. [11]
• Once you have the JAPAN RAIL PASS, its dates cannot be changed. [6]

Applies to

JR East (East Japan Railway Company), JR Central (Central Japan Railway Company), JR West (West Japan Railway Company), JR Kyushu (Kyushu Railway Company), JR Hokkaido (Hokkaido Railway Company), JR Shikoku (Shikoku Railway Company)