Kitty Trail: Japan 2008 -> Getting a JR Pass

April 25, 2008, Friday -

It has been a crazy week. Workload has upped so I've only spent 12 midnight to 1 am to research about my upcoming trip.

I've been hearing about the Japan Rail Pass the last couple of weeks. I came across it in a Jap lesson pod cast for Ipod, and its also been mentioned in a couple of Japan travel books.

Links you can check out for more detailed information:

http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en001.html
http://www.japanrail.com/index.html

If you plan to travel extensively in Japan to see many different places and must engage in long-distance journeys, then you can save money if you purchase a rail pass as train fares in Japan are nothing to sneeze at.

For example, a round trip reserved seat ticket on the Shinkansen (Bullet train) from Tokyo to Kyoto could cost (well at least at the time of this writing and trip) around 26K Yen, or approximately USD $250.

Yessirree, it is almost 3 "lapad" as we say. One "lapad" is 10K Yen. For those who don't know the Cebuano dialect.."lapad" means "wide" and since the Yen bills are not scrawny looking bills but are fat and wide..hence the term..or that is how I would interpret it.

In my case, my plan of travel was from Fukuoka, to Nagasaki, then back to Fukuoka, to Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and then to Tokyo..or whatever else I could squeeze in my tight schedule. (Remember, I have to work for 2 days while on this trip!).

Where to buy? 

You cannot buy the pass in Japan, it is only available outside of the country. There are also regional rail passes available (but since I didn't buy them, I cannot vouch if they can be bought in or outside of Japan) which you can use if you want to concentrate on exploring a particular place..examples: JR Kyushu Rail Pass, JR East Pass, JR Hokkaido Rail Pass.

Check out the JR websites I have listed for the different distributors per country where it may be applicable in your case.

Who is eligible?

To use the pass, you need to be a foreign tourist visiting Japan for sightseeing with temporary visitor status.

What other benefits?

Although I did not take advantage of it, having a JR Pass also entitles you to a discount 10% upwards for room rates at the hotels of the JR Hotel Group. I wanted to try Hotel Granvia in Kyoto, Nara Hotel in Nara etc. but after computing it, it was still quite expensive since I would be the only one paying for it..hehehe...

Where can you use it?

You don't need to worry anymore about computing and buying individual tickets, and you can reserve your seats at JR Trains for free (WARNING: on Golden Week, the problem is more of who gets to reserve first). Look for the special reservation counter called “Midori-no Madoguchi” or Reservation Ticket Office, recognizable by its green sign.

You are entitled to unlimited travel on all JR train lines including the Shinkansen as well as most JR buses and the JR ferry to Miyajima.  The pass cannot be used for the Nozomi Super Express (the fastest)...you can only use it on the Kodama (slowest) and the Hikari (limited stops)....but hey, I figured if the difference is less than 30 minutes...I can sacrifice some time for the wait.

As for me…

I've finally been able to get the Japan Rail pass today. I got it from Universal Holidays, Inc. at Hotel Nikko Dusit Thani, near SM Makati. JAL also offers them though I could not get through their telephone lines.

How much?

If you look at the JR website, you will see that the 7 day pass is worth 28,300 Yen. It  is already a bargain since I had to travel back from Nagasaki passing Fukuoka again, on the way through Hiroshima and onwards to Osaka.

For the 14-day pass its 45,100 Yen. 21-day pass is also available. Remember you get the most value by the distance you travel, and not the frequency of use. For fellow Filipinos, if you get it from Universal Holidays, you can pay in Philippine pesos or US dollars, credit card or check or cash.

Exchange, Refunds etc.

Upon forking over the money for your rail pass, you will be issued a voucher (Exchange Order) which you will exchange for the pass itself once you reach Japan and visit your nearest JR station. There is a list of stations and their hours that you are given which handles the exchange. Upon exchange, you must specify when you will start to use it.

You have 3 months to exchange the pass from the date of issue of the Exchange Order. If you do not use the Exchange Order by changing it for the Rail Pass, you can have it refunded. Handling fees will be deducted. I think you have 1 year from the issue date for the refund. If you already exchanged it, you can return the pass for a refund if it is before the stamped starting date. But hey, why think of that? Think of how useful and handy it is, just waving it like a magic wand when you go through train stations at the polite train officials.

I finally was able to meet up and talk personally to a very nice and helpful lady, Universal Holidays' Marketing Manager Christine Manalang. I had emailed the travel agency earlier this week asking about JR pass and one thing led to another, and next thing I know, I was interviewing her on tips on where to go in Japan.

When I did get to see her today, not only did she talk to me about where to go, she also was so kind to give me even the rarer brochures and map about Japan...and unexpectedly, when I mentioned about finding some foldable bags, she also gave me a souvenir bag...*wheee*

Ok, next problem: yen

Note: Any information posted on this blog may change or may not be applicable anymore as time passes. The author recommends that readers check out the official websites of Japan Railways to get the up-to-date information.