On 26 July, the Japan Rail Group as well as the individual JR companies announced further information relating to upcoming price changes for the nationwide Japan Rail Pass as well as regional passes offered by each individual company.
(*Note: The Japan Rail Group includes 6 independent rail companies: JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku and JR Kyushu.)
The price change for the nationwide Japan Rail Pass (known as the JR Pass) as well as the individual regional passes will go into effect for sales from 01 October 2023.
Passes may be purchased a maximum of 3 months prior to the first date of use, so passes purchased by 30 September 2023 (at the current price) must be activated by end December 2023.
(*Our understanding is that a pass purchased on 30 September must be activated by 29 December; for usage on or after 30 Dec you would need to purchase the pass on or after 01 October).
The new prices for the nationwide Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) are as noted in this image:
Passes for children under the age of 12 years old, as of date of purchase, are at a reduced rate. Enquire with your travel agent for details.
From 01 October, JR Pass holders will be able to use Nozomi and Mizuho trains on the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen routes if they purchase a designated ticket. Details about this system will be published on the Japan Rail Pass website in September.
JR Pass holders will also be eligible for discounts at tourist facilities from 01 Oct, and further details on this will also be published on the Japan Rail Pass website in September.
As of 27 July, the above information has been published in Japanese only, in a
press release on the
Japan Rail Pass website. English information is expected soon. This is all of the information that we have available at this time so please note that we cannot answer detailed questions about the changes to the JR Pass.
