Conditions for Use
of Japan Rail Pass
1. The JAPAN RAIL PASS is valid only for the person whose name appears on The pass, The user must meet the usage qualifications such as being a foreign national visiting Japan with the entry status of Temporary Visitor. Please note also that the pass is valid only when it has a JAPAN RAIL PASS ticket attached.
2. When you begin using your pass, present it to the attendant at a manned ticket gate. The attendant wiII apply a stamp in the space provided for official use. When passing through the gate, always present your pass to the attendant so that the period of validity is visible.
3. While using JAPAN RAIL PASS, you must carry your passport and be prepared to present it to a station attendant or car conductor if requested.
4. The JAPAN RAIL PASS is valid for reserved and non-reserved ordinary car travel on all Japan Railways (JR) Group Shinkansen “bullet trains” (except for the “Nozomi” and “Mizuho” services), limited express trains, express trains, and local trains (Green Car passes are valid for Green Car travel) and the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit system). The pass is also valid for travel on the JR Miyajima Ferry between Miyajima and Miyajimaguchi Station, buses operated by JR Hokkaido Bus, JR Tohoku Bus, JR Bus Kanto, JR Tokai Bus, West Japan JR Bus, Chugoku JR Bus, JR Shikoku Bus, JR Kyushu Bus, and the Tokyo Monorail. However, please note that JAPAN RAIL PASS is not valid for travel on JR Group buses that travel on expressways and some local bus routes.
* The JAPAN RAIL PASS is not Valid for travel on the “Nozomi” and “Mizuho” Shinkansen services (including non-reserved seats on both). To board those services, you must pay in full for the basic fare and the limited express charge.
*The routes covered by JAPAN RAIL PASS are subject to change.
* When using JAPAN RAIL PASS to travel on JR Group transport services that extend through lines operated by companies other than JR Rail, JR Miyajima Ferry, JR Bus (excluding some routes such as expressway bus lines), and the Tokyo Monorail, you must pay separately for the fare and other charges of the distance traveled on such sections. However, no separate fare or charges are required when you just pass through the following segments without stopover.
a) The Aoimori Railway between Hachinohe and Aomori. Aomori and Noheji, or Hachinohe and Noheji. (Valid only for use on ordinary trains)
b) The IR Ishikawa Railway between Kanazawa and Tsubata.(Excluding travel on trains other than JR lines extending beyond that segment)
c) The Ainokaze Toyama Railway between Toyama and Takaoka. (Valid only for use on ordinary trains) (Excluding travel on trains other than JR lines extending beyond that segment) You must purchase a Liner ticket in addition to the PASS to use “Ainokaze Liner”.
5. JAPAN RAIL PASS itself does not insure seating options. If you want to use reserved seating, be sure to get seat reservations before boarding (no additional payment needed). To obtain a reserved-seat ticket, present JAPAN RAIL PASS at the ticket office (Midori-no-madoguchi) at a JR station, a Travel Service Center, or is sales office of a major travel agency. When using some trains, you are required to receive a reserved seat ticket, too. You can use non-reserved seating with JAPAN RAIL PASS alone. Please note, however, that some trains do not have non-reserved seating. Also, if you wish to travel in a private compartment on a Shinkansen or a limited express train, you will be required to pay the limited express charge for the private compartment, as well as the Green Car charge if the private compartment a a Green Car accommodation. An extra charge is also required if you wish to travel in a sleeping car, a DX Green Car or Gran Class accommodation. If you ride in a Green Car using an ordinary car pass, you will be required to pay the Green Car charge, as well as the limited or regular express service charge. (No extra charge applies when using a Green Car pass.) You must also pay an extra charge in advance to travel on a local train requiring a numbered ticket or a liner ticket.
JAPAN RAIL PASS does not allow you to change to a reserved seat or sleeping car after boarding.
6. If you use non-reserved seating, or if you travel in an ordinary car using a Green Car pass, no refund shall be paid for the fare or other charges.
7. The JAPAN RAIL PASS can be used only within its validity period.
8. The JAPAN RAIL PASS cannot be exchanged for other types at passes or tickets. Nor can the validity period of the pass be changed.
9. Please note that JAPAN RAIL PASS cannot be reissued in the event that it is lost or stolen.
10. If you have purchased an Exchange Order in a country other than Japan, a refund for your Exchange Order is available only at the sales office of the travel agency from which you purchased it. If you have purchased a JAPAN RAIL PASS in Japan, a refund is available at domestic sales offices. In both cases, the application for a refund must be made before the starting date of the validity period, in principle. Please be aware that if you have purchased an Exchange Order/JAPAN RAIL PASS with a credit card, a refund is available only at the sales office of the travel agency from which you purchased it. You will be refunded the value of the PASS in yen, less a 10% handling fee.
11. Once you have started using JAPAN RAIL PASS, the validity period cannot be extended, nor will any refund be issued, even if trains and other qualifying transportation services are suspended or delayed for any reason. Moreover, the JR Group will not bear additional costs due to changes in your route, such as alternative transportation costs or accommodation charges.
12. In addition to the terms and conditions set forth above, when using JAPAN RAIL PASS you must obey the JR Group’s regulations, terms and conditions, and the laws of Japan.
13. The use of JAPAN RAIL PASS in violation of the terms and conditions above or the JR Group’ s regulations, terms and conditions may result in the invalidation and confiscation of the pass, as well as assessment of a penalty amounting to twice the basic fares and charges for all transportation services for which the pass was used.
14. The official terms and conditions of JAPAN RAIL PASS are written in Japanese, and the text of the Japanese version shall be given priority of interpretation in the event of questions regarding transportation conditions that may arise regarding conditions written in other languages.
(*The details shown above are current as of July 2018. They are subject to change. When using the pass, please confirm the latest terms and conditions with a JR attendant.)