Is the Japan Rail Pass worth it?
This is one of the most asked questions when preparing for a trip to Japan, and although the JR Pass can save you a lot of money, sometimes it isn’t worth it. This is why I decided to create this tool, so you can check easily if you should buy the pass for your trip or not. It compares the price of regular tickets (mostly Shinkansen tickets) with the price of the JR Pass.
How to use the JR Pass Calculator?
- Select your departure city
- Select your destination city
- Check the round-trip box if you’re doing a round-trip
- Hit the ADD ROUTE button to add the selected route to your itinerary
Did you make a mistake? No problem, you can delete a route by hitting the DELETE button at the end of the row. Each route you add or remove will change the total price, so you can see in real-time if the JR Pass is worth it. For now, this tool only includes the fastest routes where the JR Pass is available. The price of the seat reservation is also included in each route price.
| Pass type | Ordinary Pass Adult Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Japan Rail Pass 7 days | 50000 | Buy this pass |
| Japan Rail Pass 14 days | 80000 | Buy this pass |
| Japan Rail Pass 21 days | 100000 | Buy this pass |
This tool is still being upgraded and doesn’t have yet all the stations available. Therefore, there are some things you should be aware of when using this tool:
- You won’t see cheaper options, like buses, for example. For now, only Shinkansen and limited express routes are available.
- Ticket prices aren’t updated daily, so there might be a small difference between the actual price and the one provided in the tool (until our next update)
- Only major stations are included in the tool for the moment (other stations will be included progressively).
If you want to give your feedback about this tool, please use this form.
Disclaimer
This tool is meant to help you have an idea if a Japan Rail Pass is worth it for your itinerary or not. Individual ticket costs may not be 100% accurate, even if we try to keep them updated regularly, and they also might vary according to the season.
Please notice that the tool only compares the fastest transportation types, where you can use the Japan Rail Pass. Other options that might be cheaper, like night buses or local trains, for instance, are not analyzed with this tool.
This is an independent tool provided “as is”. We recommend using Japan Travel by Navitime to check each individual ticket price and every route available.