What the Japan Rail Pass covers

• Foreign nationals visiting Japan with the entry status of Temporary Visitor. The passport is checked when the pass is exchanged and the pass is valid only for the person registered.
• Japanese nationals living overseas, through the overseas purchase route only. They need a certificate of overseas residence issued within the last 6 months, and someone with both a Japanese and a foreign passport needs at least 10 consecutive years of living in another country.
• Passes with overlapping periods cannot be bought or exchanged on the same passport.

At airport automated gates no stamp is applied, so the Temporary Visitor status has to be added at a manned gate or by asking a clerk.

• JR Shinkansen except Nozomi and Mizuho.
• JR limited express, express and local trains.
• Reserved seats on all of these, with no extra charge. Non-reserved seats can be used where the train has them.
• Green car trains, with the Green pass.
• JR BRT, the JR West Miyajima Ferry (a 100-yen Miyajima Visitor Tax applies), JR bus services in the listed regions, and the Tokyo Monorail.

• Nozomi and Mizuho Shinkansen, including non-reserved seats. A separate ticket is needed (see the Nozomi page).
• Highway buses run by the JR Group and some local bus routes.
• Shinkansen TRAIN DESK cars, cars for passengers traveling with children, and S Work cars.
• Railways that are not JR. Extra fares apply beyond JR lines, except on Aoimori Railway, IR Ishikawa Railway, Ainokaze Toyama Railway and Hapi-Line Fukui Railway in the listed sections. The Ainokaze Liner needs its own Liner ticket.

• Under the conditions of use, the pass works only within its period of use. The period cannot be extended or changed, and the pass cannot be exchanged for another pass.
• Seat reservations may not be issued once more than 110 trains have been issued on one pass.
• Refunds are available before the start date, with a 560-yen handling fee per pass at a JR Pass office or ticket office. An exchange order bought outside Japan carries a 10% fee on the sales price in yen when refunded in Japan.
• After use has started there is no refund or extension, even when services are suspended or delayed. A lost or stolen pass is not reissued.
• Misuse can lead to the pass being invalidated and confiscated, and a penalty of twice the basic fares and charges.

Updated: November 4, 2026