Understanding the Japan Rail Network – fares and tickets

For visitors the Japan rail network
and in particular fares
and tickets can seem very complicated…

In this article, we will explain how the rail fare & ticketing systems operate and, importantly,
where and how to purchase the necessary tickets.
This post is designed for both typical tourists traveling between major cities,
those exploring Japan by train and those exploring Japan’s railway.

• Basic Fare tickets (乗車券 jousya-ken)

For all railway journeys, there is a basic fare, which also applies to travel on Shinkansen and Limited Express trains. Basic fares are generally calculated based on the distance traveled, with the marginal cost decreasing the longer the journey. A potential point of confusion for travelers is that the distance is calculated based on the lines of the specific railway company being used. If your journey spans the networks of multiple railway companies (even without changing trains), the fare calculation resets according to each new company’s fare schedule. Ultimately, the total fare payable is the aggregate of all these individual fares. Nowadays, it is common to pay basic fares using IC cards, but if you are using paper tickets you may have to pay extra at your destination.

Child fares are babies & infants 0~5 years old free (2 per accompanying adult); half price (rounded up to the nearest Y10) for elementary school child (generally 6~11 years old) Junior High school and above full adult fare. When travelling on Shinkansen and limited express trains, 0 to 5 years need to pay the child fare if using a reserved seat (plus the reserved seat fare for children, which is half the adult fare, except for green car)

• Transportation IC Cards (e.g. Suica, ICOCA, Pasmo, TOICA, MANACA etc)

Transportation IC cards are prepaid cards utilized for local train and bus fares, and are also accepted in numerous shops. Typically, these cards do not offer discounts on fares, though there may be minor differences due to rounding. A common question on social media is whether to purchase a JR Japan Rail Pass or an IC card; it is important to note that they serve different purposes. IC cards cannot be used for travel on the Shinkansen (bullet trains) except for certain short trips, and they are generally not valid for journeys exceeding 200 kilometers. For long-distance travel over 200 kilometers, purchasing a ticket is usually easier.

Most transportation IC cards, including Suica, Pasmo, and ICOCA, are accepted across the country in most urban / suburban areas and some other areas. IC cards cam be used in most areas frequently visited by foreign tourists, but be aware that in many rural areas there use may be limited or not available at all.

We have more information below in the Transportation IC Card section

• Shinkansen / Limited Express Tickets (新幹線特急券 (新幹線券) Shinkansen-tokkyu/ 特急券 tokkyu ken)

When you travel on the Shinkansen (bullet train), limited express trains and some rapid trains a supplementary fare is payable. Depending on your journey, you may get a single ticket that combines both the basic fare and the Shinkansen / limited express fare. In other cases you may get two tickets (particularly if your journey involves more than travel on Shinkansen / limited express).

• Reserved / unreserved seats (指定席 Shiteiseki / 自由席 Jiyuseki)

On most Shinkansen and limited express trains there are cars with reserved seats and unreserved seats (in some cases cars may have a mixture of reserved and unreserved seats). If you get a reserved seat ticket, the fare is slightly higher than for unreserved and your ticket will show the Car and seat number. If you book on line the confirmation email will also show this information.

• Green Car / グリーン車 ( Premium Car プレミアムシート)

In Japan, what is commonly referred to as First Class in other countries on JR trains is known as the Green Car. To access this premium accommodation, passengers must pay a higher fare, which provides enhanced seating and comfort. On non-JR railways, the equivalent of first class is typically called premium seat cars, though the specific names may vary as each railway company might use its own proprietary terminology for these upgraded services. JR East also has “Gran Class” on many of its Shinkansen services which is a step up from Green Car class and of course more expensive.

In the Kanto and Kansai areas some local trains also have “green cars”, however although an additional fare is payable they operate slightly differently to those on Shinkansen and limited express trains.

• JR Rail Passes / Regional Passes / Passes for foreign visitors

There are various passes available to short term visitors to Japan (i.e. not generally available to residents of Japan). The JR Rail Pass together with the JR Regional Passes can be very cost effective for some travellers depending on how much rail travel they plan to do on their trip. Whether it is worthwhile to use one of these passes 100% depends on your itinerary, and we strongly recommend people do their own calculation or ask an expert (like TS Japan Rail) to do the calculation. There is a lot of mis information on social media. For more information please read our article “JR Japan Rail Pass – TS Japan Rail’s Guide and all you need to know” which includes TS Japan Rail’s JR Rail Pass Guide with detailed information and links to official information.Rail Pass Guide with detailed information and links to official information. There are also some non JR Rail Passes that offer discounted travel to foreign visitors. These include the Tokyo Subway Pass which allows unlimited travel on Tokyo Metro and TOEI subway lines in Tokyo (24,48 and 72 hour tickets are available) and the Kansai Thru Pass that allows travel on most non JR rail lines and many bus routes in the Kansai region.

• Other passes available to everyone

There are very many passes that are available to everyone. For example many railway companies offer 1 day or even 2 day passes that allow unlimited travel over their networks ( 一日券 Ichinichi ken). Some passes even offer travel on buses and other modes of travel, for example Odakyu’s Hakone Free Pass. In Tokyo Tokyo Metro, TOEI, JR East and most of the non JR Rail Companies have one day passes that can be bought from ticket machines. This includes tickets that combine travel on say JR and Tokyo Metro Lines, or travel on a non JR Line to / from central Tokyo and then free travel on subway lines (Tokyo Metro).

Travellers to Japan should also be aware of the following:

There are broadly two types of railway company in Japan:

• JR Railway Companies – which consist of JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Tokai, JR West, JR Shikoku and JR Kyushu (and JR Freight). These regional companies were formed when the former state owned Japan National Railways (国鉄 Kokutetsu) was privatised in 1987. They operate local, regional and shinkansen services in their respective areas.
• Non JR Railway Companies (often referred to as Private Railways or 私鉄 Shitetsu). These companies as the name implies are not part of the JR “group” and include companies like Tokyo Metro, Tobu, Odakyu, Kintetsu and Hankyu. In fact there are around 170 different passenger railway companies in Japan.

The important thing that inbound visitors need to recognise is:

• JR Japan Rail Passes are only valid on JR lines and trains (some regional passes however include travel on specified non JR railways). Some JR services operate across non JR Lines, in which case JR Japan Rail Pass holders will be required to pay a supplement either to the conductor on the train or at their destination ticket office.
• Fares are calculated on the basis of distance travelled on a particular railway company’s lines, and each company has its own fare table. This is why often, even within a station, you need to go out and in ticket barriers to change trains.

A further important point is that for most railway companies and trains you can only purchase tickets up to one month in advance and for local travel (on local trains & where the fare on JR is less than Y1,500~Y1,600) tickets are only valid for day of purchase.

JR Rail Passes

JR Rail Passes allow travel all over the JR rail network, including shinkansen, limited express and local trains. They can also be used on local JR buses and the Miyajima ferry. In October 2023 they were subject to a massive cost increase, which changed the whole economics to buying a JR Rail Pass. Contrary to what you will often read on social media, even at the higher prices a JR Rail Pass can make sense: The important thing is todo your homework and work out whether it makes sense for your trip! (if you are using TS Japan Rail’s service we will do this for you. This post explains all:

If you come to the conclusion that a JR Rail Pass makes sense then we would highly recommend that you order your JR Rail Pass through the “official” JR Rail Pass web site (it is operated jointly by the JR companies).

Why we recommend using the JR website to buy your JR Rail Pass (https://japanrailpass.net)

• The biggest reason is that once you have bought your pass, you can start making reservations. This is before you get to Japan and get the physical ticket. Even though you may not want to book everything , there are some trains and some periods of time, where it is advantageous to book in advance.
• As you will get a booking number by email rather than having to wait for a coupon to be sent to you, you can buy your JR Rail Pass right up till when you travel or even when you are in Japan.
• You get all the above for the same price (in Yen terms) as buying your JR Rail Pass through an authorised travel agent (in the past buying direct from JR was more expensive).

(Important) TS Japan Rail does not receive any commission or other benefits

To reserve seats on Shinkansen, Limited Express trains you can:

• On the JR Japan Rail Pass website (if you bought your ticket through the JR website)
• At JR Ticket Offices
• At some Shinkansen / Limited Express ticket machines

You can also buy regional JR Rail Passes on line, however these need to be purchased through the individual JR company websites. The website shown above tells you how to buy these passes as well.

As we still see many people buying Japan Rail Passes when it is not really economical for them to do so we highly recommend checking out our article fist (link above)! Also please be aware that JR Japan Rail Passes are only valid on JR lines and trains (some regional passes however include travel on specified non JR railways).

TS Japan Rail as part of all its planning services researches which tickets or passes are best for your itinerary, both in terms of cost and convenience… We will also explain why. As part of our service we will also provide the details in both English and Japanese.

The next sections explain how to buy tickets,

particularly for those who are not using a JR Japan Rail Pass or if they are, travelling on non JR lines.

Buying your train tickets on line

This is may be the easiest way for visitors to book trains for long distance travel.

JR company ticket booking sites

Nowadays most locals buy their long distance rail travel tickets on line. All the JR Rail Companies have English language booking sites:

JR Companies On-Line Booking Sites (English)

Unfortunately the English sites and apps have limited functionality and you can only buy tickets for trains in the areas specified in the above table. You also need to be aware that generally you can only pick up tickets at the station booking offices and ticket machines of the particular rail company you have booked through, with some exceptions. Please make sure that you read the information on ticket collection on the respective websites.

Be aware that on the English sites they only allow you to book the basic fare + Shinkansen / Limited Express ticket together, not separately. This is ok for most inbound tourists, but if you are planning to Explore Japan by Train, or Explore Japan’s Railways, this may not be the most effective way of buying your tickets and does not work if you are using a local pass.

For those living in Japan and can understand Japanese, we recommend that you use the Japanese websites. Except for Smart EX you can book tickets on all JR lines and trains irrespective of which site you use. You can also book basic fare and Shinkansen / limited express tickets separately which is useful when using (domestically available) passes and as you will see later may save you money if you are travelling to multiple places.

Private Railway Booking sites

A number of non JR railways operate Limited Express and other special trains that require a seat reservation before travelling: A list of the main ones that inbound tourists are likely to come across are:

An important point to remember – when using a non JR railway company limited express or sightseeing train, when you book you only pay for the limited express / sightseeing. You need to buy a basic fare ticket, or use an IC card. Also in most cases when you book on line you will only receive an email which will have all your train / seat information, you will not get a ticket. be sure to take the email with you!

You can also usually buy the limited Express tickets from dedicated ticket machines (at stations where the limited express train stops and in some cases at the respective company’s ticket offices

Third party booking sites

There are a number of third party sites / apps that sell Japan rail tickets. These include Klook, KK Day, Japan Travel-Navitime, & Japan Transit-Jordan. Although (those we know about) are all legitimate and the operators are licensed travel agents in Japan, you will generally pay a lot more than the normal fare, in most cases 25%~30% more. You will also usually not be able to choose the seats. We would only use these sites to buy ordinary tickets as a last resort (e.g. having trouble using the JR sites ). An exception to this is that there are some discount passes, usually issued by smaller railway companies that can be bought on line through services like Japan Travel-Navitime and Japan Transit – Jordan. They also allows you to pay for them by credit card, whereas buying at a railway station can usually only be done using cash. (However often the paper versions of these passes make good souvenirs)

Buying tickets at Ticket Offices

Although often crowded and nowadays only available at large stations, using the ticket office to buy your long distance tickets may be advantageous. this is particularly the case if you are planning to explore Japan by Rail or Explore Japan’s Railways, or your trip involves multiple visits to places and you are not using a travel planner like TS Japan Rail. The reason we say this, is that the staff in the ticket offices understand how the ticketing system works, understand all the different routes and can help you with the best ticket arrangements. The simple example below will show you why this may save you money:

This is just a simple example and is just following the standard ticket rules. As fares are based on distance travelled and the marginal km cost gets lower, the longer the distance you buy the ticket for the greater the savings compared to buying tickets for each leg. Further, the validity of the ticket depends on the distance travelled, with unlimited stop overs allowed, except in the departing and arriving cities. For those exploring Japan by Train or Exploring Japan’s railways the potential savings can be even higher.

For those resident in Japan and can understand Japanese it is also possible to do this on the Japanese language JR booking sites

As mentioned earlier for any complicated travel plans the staff at JR tickets offices can be very helpful. But, beware, many of the people (locals) in the ticket office may also be working on complicated travel plans (easy ones you can buy tickets on line or at ticket machines) so any queue may take time to move!

Buying tickets at Ticket Machines

If you are not using an IC card (and in some areas they are not available) and travelling on local trains, for example exploring Tokyo or Osaka, then you will need to buy a basic fare ticket. These usually can only be bought on the day of travel from ticket vending machines, which you will see at all but some small rural stations. You can also buy Shinkansen and Limited Express tickets from some specially designated tickets (but beware some only sell tickets for that day of travel). Some are very simple, some are quite sophisticated, particularly those that sell Shinkansen / Limited Express train tickets. Some have video / voice links to a central support centre where staff can help passengers remotely. Local train fares are also based on distance travelled, and ticket machines selling these tickets will either display the different prices, you can check which fare ticket you need to buy by looking at the fare map situated above or besides the ticket, or on smaller railway company lines (and some JR lines) will display or have a button with the destination station name.

Non JR railway company ticket machines (for basic fare tickets) will display all the available fares (as most non JR railway companies operate in a limited area). For JR, normally only local fares up to around Y1,500~Y1,600 can be purchased from a ticket machine, higher than that you need to go to a ticket office to buy your ticket (*). Some ticket machines will also sell what are locally called “Transfer Tickets” (乗換券 or Norikai ken) which allow you to change to a destination on a connecting railway company’s lines, changing at a specified station. Also some ticket machines allow you to buy 2 or more tickets or combinations of adult & child tickets. In most cases an English menu is available on the ticket machine. One advantage if you use the English menu is that tickets will also be printed in English.

Travelling Long Distance – Should I buy my ticket in advance?

We often see the comment on social media “no need to book in advance, there are always unreserved seats available”… we also sometimes see the comment “the train was very crowded our family could not sit together “…

There is not a right answer to this, but please remember that:

• some trains, including some shinkansen lines, are all reserved seats. In fact some shinkansen lines all trains are all reserved as are some Limited Express routes.
• There are several busy periods for local travel (end / new year; Golden Week; Obon)where many locals are also travelling and long distance trains get booked up early. (see our Japan holiday and travel calendar).
• Not all (Shinkansen) lines have services every 10 minutes to your destination, for some destinations train may be hourly or less.

Our advice is if you can book do so, even if it just a few hours before hand. TS Japan Rail has a fairly good idea as to which trains may be busy and whether it is worth (or need to) reserving seats or where not.

You can, anyway, only buy / book a train ticket 1 month in advance of travel

Transportation IC Cards

Although we have left this to the end, in areas where transportation IC cards are used, which is most places that inbound tourists are likely to visit, then these are the easiest way to travel around with on local train journeys. they can also be used for other means of travel (e.g. bus) in many places. All you need to do is tap in and out either going through a ticket gate; or at stations without a ticket gate at card reading devises usually situated close to the platform exit.

Be sure to tap in and out properly to avoid problems later. If you do not tap out properly, you can only get your card reset at a staffed station of the railway company where you had not tapped out properly!

IC cards are prepayment cards that can be used for transportation (rail, bus, trams etc) and also in many shops for purchases. They can be recharged at designated machines at stations, ATMs at convenience stores and on buses (ask the driver – but generally max Y1,000). You can also load some of the cards (Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA) to smartphone wallets or using the particular IC card app and set up auto charging. (note that this is not universally available as i) some non Japan issued credit cards do not comply with Japan security standards and 2) some non Japan Android smart phones do not have the correct IC chip). Those transportation IC cards that are members of the IC consortium (listed below)can be used on other members trains and buses.

Although IC cards are basically used to to pay basic fares, there are some discount / free pass tickets that can be stored on IC cards)

Un-manned stations and one man trains

It may be a surprise to many, but important for those exploring Japan by train or exploring Japan’s railways to know, that many stations, maybe a majority of stations in Japan are unmanned, without ticket vending machines or ticket barriers. This is particularly the case in rural areas.

In this case the fare is paid to the driver. When you get on the train (usually either at the rear or middle of the train) you need to take a numbered ticket (整理券 Seiri-ken) from a machine by the door.

When you get off the train you pay the fare displayed on a screen near the front of the train that corresponds to the number on your numbered ticket, putting both the numbered ticket and fare in the fare box. You can also get change from Y1,000 notes, but it is best to carry some change. (note if you get off at a manned station then you pay at the station ticket barrier). The system is similar to that used on many route buses. If you have any type of valid pass or already a ticket, you only have to show the pass or ticket to the driver when alighting the train.

Non JR Japan Rail Passes

Available only to tourists on short term visas

There are several passes available to short term visitors to Japan other than the JR Japan Rail Pass and the JR Regional Passes. The best known one is the Tokyo Metro Subway Ticket, but there are some others as well:

Most of these passes are also available at the respective companies ticket machines or ticket offices. Like the JR Rail Pass you must have your passport available for inspection to prove you are a short term visitor to use these tickets.

Rail Passes available to everyone

Issued by both JR rail companies and non JR rail companies the number and type of passes available are far too numerous to mention here. They can be a good way to explore a particular area, usually allowing unlimited within a particular area. It is always worth checking whether such tickets are available and whether they are worthwhile

TS Japan Rail – Ideas and Travel planning for Tourists and Rail Fans

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We take the stress out of planning your trip and help ensure it is successful!

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