Japan Rail Pass Guide

The Japan Rail Pass is a very economical way to see all of Japan. Travel is aboard the Shinkansen ‘bullet trains’, limited expresses and local services. It is offered by the six companies that make up the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), including JR Kyushu, JR Shikoku, JR West, JR Central, JR East and JR Hokkaido. This pass will cover both East and West Japan.
Read More at STA Travel    Read More at ACP Rail

Step1

Purchase an Exchange Order first from the table above

IMPORTANT: *This Exchange Order CANNOT be purchased inside Japan - you MUST buy it NOW before you travel!

Step2

Once you arrive in Japan the immigration official will stamp your passport to show a temporary visa.

Step3

Take your stamped passport and Exchange Order to a JR station that has an exchange office.

You will be asked to fill out a short application form called the Japan Rail Pass Exchange application. (You can download it here to save time)

*You will be asked to show your passport with the "Temporary Visitor" stamp received when entering Japan.

*This will process the Rail Pass Exchange Order.

To summarize step 3 - you must show:

• Your Exchange Order (purchase now from STA Travel, Purchase now from ACP Rail)
• Your passport with the Temporary Visitor stamp
• Completed Japan Rail Pass Exchange Application form – click here to download it

Once these have been submitted, you then receive your Japan Rail Pass!

Note: There is a 20% cancellation charge if the Exchange Order/Voucher is returned to our offices within the 3 month validity period. If it is returned after this period, the voucher is non refundable.

Japan Rail East Pass

The JR East Pass is an affordable way to travel around Eastern Japan. It covers all JR-service within the JR-East Area, including popular stations, such as Tokyo, Nagano, Niigata, Sendai, Morioka, Misawa, Akita, and more. This Japan Rail Pass is valid for travel on all the 72 railway lines of JR EAST: 5 Shinkansen Super Express Lines & 67 Conventional Lines.
Read More

Step1

Purchase an Exchange Order first from the table above

IMPORTANT: *This Exchange Order CANNOT be purchased inside Japan - you MUST buy it NOW before you travel!

Step2

Once you arrive in Japan the immigration official will stamp your passport to show a temporary visa.

Step3

Take your stamped passport and Exchange Order to a JR station that has an exchange office.

You will be asked to fill out a short application form called the Japan Rail Pass Exchange application. (You can download it here to save time)

*You will be asked to show your passport with the "Temporary Visitor" stamp received when entering Japan.

*This will process the Rail Pass Exchange Order.

To summarize step 3 - you must show:

• Your Exchange Order (purchase now from ACP Rail)
• Your passport with the Temporary Visitor stamp
• Completed Japan Rail Pass Exchange Application form – click here to download it

Once these have been submitted, you then receive your Japan Rail Pass!

Note: There is a 20% cancellation charge if the Exchange Order/Voucher is returned to our offices within the 3 month validity period. If it is returned after this period, the voucher is non refundable.

Japan Rail West Pass

This pass covers the smaller area of West Japan. There are two distinct types of rail passes available for travel in the JR West area: Kansai Area Rail Pass and the Sanyo Area Rail Pass.

Japan Rail West Pass Kansai
This excursion pass is great for the visitor that would like to explore the many sightseeing locations of the area including: Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara and Himeji. It is available from 1 to 4 days of consecutive travel starting from the first travel date, and allows unlimited use of the Ordinary class cars. This includes the rapid-service and special rapid-service trains. This pass cannot be used for the Shinkansen trains.
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Japan Rail West Pass Sanyo
This excursion pass covers an area of western Japan stretching roughly from Sasebo to Osaka. This western area includes the famous sights such as: Hiroshima, Okayama and Hakata. This pass is available for 4 or 8 consecutive days of travel starting from the first date of travel. The pass is only available in Ordinary Class travelling on the 500-Series ÔNozomi' and other Sanyo Shinkansen trains (reserved and non-reserved seats).
Read More

Step1

Purchase an Exchange Order first from the table above

IMPORTANT: *This Exchange Order CANNOT be purchased inside Japan - you MUST buy it NOW before you travel!

Step2

Once you arrive in Japan the immigration official will stamp your passport to show a temporary visa.

Step3

Take your stamped passport and Exchange Order to a JR station that has an exchange office.

You will be asked to fill out a short application form called the Japan Rail Pass Exchange application. (You can download it here to save time)

*You will be asked to show your passport with the "Temporary Visitor" stamp received when entering Japan.

*This will process the Rail Pass Exchange Order.

To summarize step 3 - you must show:

• Your Exchange Order (purchase now from STA Travel)
• Your passport with the Temporary Visitor stamp
• Completed Japan Rail Pass Exchange Application form – click here to download it

Once these have been submitted, you then receive your Japan Rail Pass!

Note: There is a 20% cancellation charge if the Exchange Order/Voucher is returned to our offices within the 3 month validity period. If it is returned after this period, the voucher is non refundable.

Kyushu Rail Pass

This pass allows unlimited travel by Japan Rail on the island of Kyushu but does not include Sanyo Shinkansen. The pass can be used on limited express trains and ordinary trains of the Kyushu Railway Co. The All Kyushu Area Rail Pass can also be used for Kyushu Shinkansen “bullet” trains. You may choose to travel the entire island or just the northern parts.
Read More

Step1

Purchase an Exchange Order first from the table above

IMPORTANT: *This Exchange Order CANNOT be purchased inside Japan - you MUST buy it NOW before you travel!

Step2

Once you arrive in Japan the immigration official will stamp your passport to show a temporary visa.

Step3

Take your stamped passport and Exchange Order to a JR station that has an exchange office.

You will be asked to fill out a short application form called the Japan Rail Pass Exchange application. (You can download it here to save time)

*You will be asked to show your passport with the "Temporary Visitor" stamp received when entering Japan.

*This will process the Japan Rail Pass Exchange Order.

To summarize step 3 - you must show:

• Your Exchange Order (purchase now from ACP Rail)
• Your passport with the Temporary Visitor stamp
• Completed Japan Rail Pass Exchange Application form – click here to download it

Once these have been submitted, you then receive your Japan Rail Pass!

Note: There is a 20% cancellation charge if the Exchange Order/Voucher is returned within the 3 month validity period. If it is returned after this period, the voucher is non refundable.