Japan is known for its highly efficient and widespread railway network, and the Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) is a popular option for tourists to explore the country. In this post, I will talk about my experiences using the JR Pass and make three suggestions for improvement: better pickup options, a better web search and a tap-and-go Suica+JR pass combo.
Japan Rail has also announced price increases for the JR Pass, so one should consider whether it will offer them value for money for their itinerary. A JR Pass might not make sense when I consider my future travel style because I plan to spend more time in each region and not zip across the landscape as often. Perhaps a regional pass might suit me more. However, the JR Pass might still make sense for the time-pressed traveller wishing to take in the key cities.
Getting the JR Pass was a hassle. The Narita Airport Terminal One office closed at 6 pm, and queues to the alternative pickup location were over two hours. The regular ticket machines also had long lines of 20 minutes or more. Therefore, queuing for the JR pass on arrival was frustrating because we had friends waiting at the end of a two-hour train ride. So, it's worth considering potential delays when planning your arrival time. Ultimately, I stayed in the JR Pass line, and my wife went to purchase one-time tickets from the machines - at extra cost because we couldn't keep our friends waiting any longer. We subsequently collected the JR Passes from a large train station when we left our friends' small city a few days later.
Reserving a seat is easy enough once you know how - which follows a general pattern in Japan that things are easy once you know how. Unfortunately, some seat reservation machines are JR Pass only; for others, you have to look for the JR Pass button first, or you'll be minutes into input screens and passport scans before you release you missed a key button right at the start. Still, with trial, error and bystander help, we eventually got tickets. It's worth noting that even if you use the online seat reservation system, you'll still have to collect a paper seat ticket. However, the paper seat ticket seemed redundant since we never had to show our tickets, and the train staff knew who should be where because they responded quickly to anyone sitting in the wrong seat.
The online seat reservation system is janky when looking for specific trains on busy routes because the results screen only shows three route options. For example, when we tried to book Narita Express tickets from Shinjuku to Narita, there were multiple sub-optimal train options near our travel times which took up our three result slots. As a result, we had to micro-adjust our departure and arrival times to find the train we wanted. In addition, some trains only appear online the day before.
Another downside of the JR Pass is that it is a paper ticket. While this may seem nostalgic and charming, we both got our cards stuck at least once in the machines, and they gradually wore over time. Also, using paper tickets was less convenient than using a pre-pay Suica card, which is tap-and-go. It would be great if a Suica-style card were available that used JR Pass where possible and the Suica balance where JR Pass wasn't available. I would pay extra for this convenience.
Of course, Japan Rail spells out in great detail which lines support the pass, but it can take time to decipher when on the ground. Usually, we just tried, and if the pass failed, we went and found a ticket machine. Eventually, we brought a Suica card for local trains because it's much faster and works in more places. Crucially, you're not holding up the people behind you because slightly inconveniencing others is impolite in Japan.
The JR Pass can be an excellent option for tourists exploring Japan. However, it's essential to consider costs, the potential delays when picking up the pass and the inconvenience of the paper ticket. On the positive side, reserving seats is easy, but navigating the online reservation system can be challenging.
If I had to choose just two improvements to JR Pass, the first would be a combination JR Pass plus Suica card, and the second would be eliminating compulsory seat reservation tickets.
I hope I don't sound too negative - the Japanese rail system is fantastic because it makes so much of the country easily accessible. I enjoy sitting on the train eating an eki-bento and drinking a hot vending machine coffee as the scenery whizzes by!
Here's a 21s video I shot showing the beautiful Sakura blossoms:
Moodscape: Sakura Kamakura 鎌倉の桜 (3speak)
Until next time.
