Introduction
Welcome to the Blog. An Aspie’s Guide to Japan RailPass, my trip to Japan was planned relatively meticulously in advance, towards the end of my week long trip I knew that I had to be in the Chiba area for a couple of days to attend an exhibition at Makuhari Messe Exhibition Halls, but wanted to make the most of a short 7 day trip to visit Japan.
Here I will outline over a series of blog posts all that I managed to fit into such a short trip, realistically though, and from my own experience on this trip. I would recommend at least a three week or 21 days in Japan to fit everything in that you might like to see without feeling too rushed.
As despite the bullet trains being fast and running like clockwork, it still eats up time getting in and out of super busy stations and travelling between cities. I recommend you get a Green Car JRPass for the extra space, more below.
If you plan to travel to Japan for the revered Cherry Blossom festivals, we have included the nationwide dates for this below, which shows the location, cherry blossom flowering date and cherry blossom full bloom dates for the whole of Japan. (based on 2021 weather data).
The Japan Rail Pass cannot be purchased in Japan, you must get them in your home country in advance of your trip, they can be purchased for 7-days, 14-days or 21-days. The prices for the JRPass have recently increased substantially, although at the time of my purchase, I managed to lock in at the lower price before the price increase on the 11th October 2023.
Therefore, you will need to weigh up the pro’s and con’s of whether a JRPass is suitable for your trip, how much rail travel you will do and whether or not to purchase individual journey tickets for each leg of your journey. (for example if you plan to stop at every station between Tokyo and Osaka to explore, there is no point getting the Nozomi shinkansen as it will not stop at all of those stations, therefore a slow train service would be more suitable for you). Regional JRPasses are also available, for example if your trip is only in the region of Hokkaido in Northern Japan, you would be better off with a regional JRPass not a national JRPass
JRPass Meet & Greet Service
As an Aspie traveller, who doesn’t speak Japanese, before writing this Aspie’s Guide to Japan RailPass I decided to try out the JRPass Meet and Greet service which was pre-purchased with the JRPass. I was met at Narita Airport [NRT] arrivals by a chap holding a sign with my name on it, he said he was from Bangladesh and spoke fluent Japanese, he was friendly and attentive (apologies I cannot remember his name).
He basically became my guide for around two hours, helping me find a cash machine, helping me exchange my JRPass coupon letter for the physical Japan Rail Pass tickets. As well as booking seat reservations, explaining how to use the rail ticket machines, helping me when the initial ticket got spat out of the ticket barrier entry gate, and getting it replaced with a new one.
The Meet and Greet service is available at Haneda Airport, Narita Airport and Kansai Airport.
Welcome Suica Cards
The guide from my JRPass Meet and Greet service advised me to buy a ‘Welcome Suica’ card upon arrival. These cards, typically red for Welcome Suica and Green as a more permanent Suica like London’s Oyster Card. You can use the cards at any location displaying an A, B, or IC logo.
As Aspie’s Guide to Japan RailPass points out, you must pre-load the Suica card with Japanese Yen. You can top it up as needed, but it remains valid for only 28 days. So if you don’t use the full amount that you pre-load, you lose it essentially. You can use the cards to pay for buses, metro/subway rides, and purchases at vending machines across Japan, which offer a variety of hot and cold drinks, snacks, toys, and more.
My JRPass Meet and Greet guide advised me to load a minimum of 3,000 Yen onto the card. (but pushed towards 4,000 Yen). However, I pre-loaded 2,000 Yen, but, even for one person on a 7-day trip that was too much.
I don’t think the guide was on a commission to pre-load the card with more Yen. But if you are somebody who drinks a lot of fizzy drinks from vending machines. Then, even 2,000 Yen goes a long way as the drinks cost circa Y120 to Y180. Depending on what you buy. Pocari Sweat (an Asian ‘Gatorade like’ grapefruit drink is Y160 in most vending machines). When I left Japan, I gifted my Welcome Suica card to the airport check-in girl with its remaining 1,460 Yen balance left on it.
Using the Japan Rail Pass
With Aspie’s Guide to Japan RailPass in mind, I pre-booked a Green Car Japan Rail Pass. The Green Car is essentially the First Class/1st Class carriage or carriages on the Shinkansen trains. I travelled on a standard car for an unreserved train once. I can now see what the differences are. The Green Car seats are more comfortable, less crowded and they are both wider and have a greater pitch. They also recline a fair way without annoying the passenger behind you.
Green Car benefits
This Aspie’s Guide to Japan RailPass, says that the Green Cars have at seat power outlets for USB-A and USB-C. To charge a phone or laptop. There is WiFi available on the trains, however as it’s open wifi, I recommend that you use a VPN. I have used NordVPN for many years and highly recommend it. A train host brings a sealed wet-wipe (this wet-wipe thing is quite common in Japan). Although I am not sure what the wet-wipe’s purpose is. Other than for anything more than advertising the company branding on the packet. Not even the coffee is free of charge in First Class. There is however, an onboard smoking room for Green Car passengers if you smoke or vape, and toilets.
Shinkansen Line names
Nine high-speed Shinkansen lines operate across various regions of Japan: Tokaido, Sanyo, Tohoku, Akita, Yamagata, Joetsu, Kyushu, Hokkaido, and Hokuriku. Approximately 1,000 Shinkansen trains service these lines daily, necessitating advanced seat reservations and attention to carriage number entry gates.
Aspie’s Guide to Japan RailPass suggests you position yourself with proper alignment with the designated entry gate. Marks on both the platform and overhead gantry signs guide passengers, ensuring they board the correctly named train successfully. You only have 60 seconds to get on, halved if passengers are getting off.
Bilingual gantry signs in Japanese and English facilitate this process. Despite the prevalent language barrier, as most Japanese citizens do not speak English. For example the gantry may say:
Platform 14:
- Nozomi 215, 11:33 Shin-Osaka, Non-Reserved Car No 1-3
- Hikari 505, 11:43 Okayama, Non-Reserved Car No 1-5
- Nozomi 129, 12:16 Hakata, Non-Reserved Car No 1-3
Prior to my journey, advertisements highlighted certain exclusions from the JRPass, specifically the Nozomi and Mizuho trains—the network’s fastest. However, Aspie’s Guide to Japan RailPass learned during my trip, from a bilingual British tourist. That these trains have become accessible for a small supplementary fee, offering a significant time-saving option. I will delve deeper into this valuable tip in a forthcoming blog post. Giving my experience, utilising this upgrade, to expedite my return to Tokyo.
Crucially, the JR Pass encompasses all Shinkansen trains, including the Nozomi and Mizuho on the Tokaido and Sanyo lines. However, the Nozomi and Mizuho are contingent upon buying a supplementary ticket. This new integration transforms the JR Pass. Into a comprehensive tool for efficient and seamless travel, throughout Japan’s extensive high-speed rail network.
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