Japan's JR Pass Has CHANGED For WORSE* | Updates & Alternatives You MUST KNOW!

For those looking to go on the Golden Route, fly into KIX (Kansai) and travel to Osaka/Kyoto/Nara locally, then take a one way shinkansen train ride to Tokyo. Saves a lot of money.

My wife and I are going in December and will be paying $500USD for a 14-days pass which we will use to go up and down Japan so it’s still worth the $$ and cheaper than 2-weeks car rental + gas in the US.

I'm really looking at doing the domestic flights to go where I want, thank you for posting that information.

Will it also affect the kansai thru pass and osaka amazing pass? I know they are different company from jr lines but would you know if they will also increase?

Hey, I have a question.
I want to visit Japan and I want to stay at a Ryokan and visit an Onsen. But I have tattoos and I know most of them don't allow to go in there with tattoos. Do you know any Onsen that do allow that or do you know how I can find out without knowing any japanese yet?

Also I wanted to ask if you know where to start with japanese when visiting Japan and what kind of words and sentences I should definitely learn to get by.
Thanks for the really informative videos, they are really helpful.
Greetings from Germany

Even after the price hike for me and my wife the JR pass is worth it...riding JR only lines in Tokyo and taking 3 Shinkansen trips will more then pay it off for us. For those just doing the normal Kyoto route or one Shinkansen trip it might not be worth it anymore, unless you take a lot of JR lines in Tokyo. What a slap in the face for general tourism, the original JR pass was an amazing value.

Hi Harblife, I’m Monica and I’m going to Japan with my friend Adri in Oct, I’ll land in Haneda airport, I’m a little bit confuse about trains and sun ways, I want to ask if I can but the JR pass now on line and use it in October with the old price ?
You don’t mention that in your videos.
I’m planning, 3 nights Tokyo, 2 Kyoto and 1 Osaka and flight back to the states.
Our hotel is in Chiyoda, you thing the JR pass is the best for us? For our week in Japan ?
Can we use it also for si ways ?
I’m close to station.
Thank you in advance for your answer!

When I knew that during corona period JR opened the Rail Pass to foreigner who live in Japan, I was so disappointed at myself for not knowing about it while available! Cheers! Great video!

Considering the JR Pass has been basically the same price since the 80s, and inflation has seen the cost of things effectively double in countries like the US and UK, it doesn't really feel so bad. You do have to remember that the pass gives you unlimited travel within the 7, 14, or 21 day window. If people are just using it for Tokyo/Osaka return then yeah, it won't be worth it anymore, but does it really need to be?

And of course car rental...

JR Passes in their new prices are probably 90% not worth it for most itineraries. I mean sure you can go to Fukuoka to Sendai and make the money back. But will that be a wise move for a mere 7 days? Best stick now with regional passes where the price increase is not as stark vs the Japan wide pass.

What about overnight trains? Those could be useful if youre going a far distance (Osaka to tokyo) and you get to fully lay back and sleep. Hotel and transportation in one, and you dont lose time during the day from traveling

Yes, it was all bad news. Price hike but still no nozomi or mizuho access is terribad.
But what worse is, for a railfans like me, its the only option to enjoy unlimited train rides😢

I’m going to miss the sieshun 18 kippu tickets by 2 days 😭

I am a Japanese with schizophrenia living in Japan and I pay full fare for a long-distance ride on the JR Shinkansen bullet train. JR fare discounts are conditionally available for the physically handicapped and intellectual disabilities, but not for the mentally handicapped. In the shadow of foreign tourists being able to purchase the discounted JAPAN RAIL PASS, please do not forget that there are so many mentally handicapped Japanese who only have the option of riding the Shinkansen at the full fare. New price for JR PASS is still CHEAP.

Have a nice trip!

Being cautiously optimistic with companies is pretty dumb lol. They will always try to fuck you over.

Japan doing its best to destroy itself

It’s Railpass Terrorism!!!

The background music is distracting for someone trying to listen to the dialogue.

How far in advance can you buy a JR Rail pass? If the price hike goes into effect Oct 1 , can I buy one now for use in December?

Omg! I went to Japan before the pandemic and I am going next February, I was so confused but I am understanding more thanks to your videos! 😁

Thanks, you’re the best!

The calculator is an awesome tool, thanks for sharing. Made it clear, that even if I am going to visit in the early spring a rail pass will be a good idea. But I am planning to hop cities approximately every other night while covering a route from Kagoshima to Aomori, starting in Osaka and landing in Hiroshima or Kyoto. Since I've been to Japan before I just want to test out as many new places as possible to get a feel for where to stay the next time

what if i buy the pass now and wait to activate it after the price increase, lets say May 2024. Is it still valid?

If you have a moment to answer my question, I have a trip to arrive in mid October for two weeks. So if I purchased the tickets in September then I can redeem them for the old price before the price hike? Or am I screwed?

Moneygrabbing JR Pass.

So i'm going to Japan in October ( 23rd) I was going to get a JR pass but now, I don't think it's worth it. So my itinerary is Osaka 3 days ( 1 day in Wakayama), Kyoto 3 days, Nagoya 3 days and Tokyo 8 days ( 1 day in Yokohama), I will definately get a IC card, but might just buy 1 day passes in each city, some places I want to visit are out about an hour out of the cities. It may be a hassle but I'm kinda on a budget and want to save where I can.

Hey there so im going to Japan in March and we plan to mainly stay around Tokyo and Osaka but a few spots way outside those to, would it be a good idea to rent a car or just take a train the short trips inside tokyo and Osaka?

Interestingly, is it eligible to buy the JR Pass in September before the price hike, but to start using it in mid-October?

I guess the economy in Japan must be doing exceptionally well if they feel they can afford to screw over tourists like that. Perhaps my 4 year old Suica card would still work, but everything considered, it's just not very tempting to go back - and that's before you take the rise of xenophobia into account. I'm just not feeling like I would be very welcome anymore.

JR pass simply not good value now. Better to fly and buy individual segments on early bird offer. Pretty clear they are hoping to exploit naive tourists for profit.

With domestic flights, JAL offer discounted 'Japan Explorer Pass' fares to overseas tourists, which can be a good deal. I flew HND-Osaka (ITM) return last year for AUD$140, not a bad deal when checked bags are also included. When booking flights with this discount, you will need to include the PNR for your inbound flight, so you will have to book these flights after your inbound flight to Japan.

I am traveling to Japan at the end of December. I think I will still purchase the 7 day pass as I should get my moneys worth with that. I am planning on traveling to the Osaka, Kyoto, Sapporo, Hiroshima, and many more places.

damn 😮
tokyo wide pass even changed the fare
i plan to go to tokyo with 3 friends in early november. i still thinking of just go around tokyo with 72hrs ticket
or buy tokyo wide pass to go to ibaraki or nikko or kazawa.

harb, do you think it's still worth it to go 3 days to those places?

do you have suggestions? we are will be on 4 days only tp explore and i never visit japan anyway

those 3 friends are old ladies, they need me to create itinerary and im so confused 😢😢

The expensier the better! It means less tourists. So I can at least once to sit on the train when I go to work! Because here in Kyoto we can’t move! Too many fucking tourists!!!!

Man, it's exhausting trying to figure out what my best option is 🤦‍♂️ so many passes. My plan is to start from Tokyo, go to Nagoya, explore Gifu area few days, then to Osaka and Kyoto.
JR railpass probably isn't the smartest option for me 🤔

That mouth ulcer must have hurt a lot. So brave of you still putting out content.

Despite the price hike, it's still much cheaper than not using the pass considering how many trip can be ridden.

Knowing ofthis hike, for my trip this Novmber we've switched plans to use the Hokuriku Arch Pass, which doesn't seem touched by the increase in price? Though I think it was already a little pricy to begin? Or maybe it's a newer product? With Kyoto being swarmed with tourists I think it'll turn out more economical to justdo a day trip from Kanazawa as a home base instead of staying there.

When I was last in Japan I used the Willer Night Buses to get around primarily- they were efficient and comfortable, and much more affordable than the Shinkansen

so willer night buses would be a pretty cheap way to get around. tip as a fellow creator. dont add "subscribe" 50 times in the video xD

I was told to get a JRPass for my trip. I'm arriving September 16 and departing September 30, so what would be the best option for only 2 weeks?

The fact that they are hiking the price and just hoping everyone just goes with it, it's such a Japanese way to think lol

How are they going to police the add-ons for the Nozomi? More on-board ticket inspections?

First time travelling to Japan in Mid October with my brother. Great to hear that we will see the prices rise after decade right when we finally decided to travel there!

Went to Japan 2016 and 2017, the JR pass issued was big and in the plastic cover. Came back (now) to Japan, the JR pass issued is like a subway ticket! So easy to lose AND deteriorate after a week of use.

I can tell you this how I travel when I’m there it will definitely not be worth it for me. It has been in the past but not now!!!! Great Video as always!! And you know Roll Tide!!!!

Thank you for the bus tickets part!!
Did you ever heard of luxury night bus , they have private seats , what you think about that?

So if i buy a pass at the cheaper rate before the hike, will i be able to access the nozumi line (even if the extra fee)?

i have trip to japan from 23dec to 6 jan, do i have to get increased price JR pass or is there any way to save money??