You consider a trip to Japan and immediately think about acquiring the JR Pass or Japan Rail Pass. But is it really worth buying? The most appropriate answer would be “depends.” In this post we tell you how to calculate it in a simple way to know if it is worth it.
First of all, if you want to know everything about the Japan Rail Pass or JR Pass, we recommend that you read our comprehensive guide to using the JR Pass. This guide includes even the most frequent questions you may have.
The reality is that the first time we see the prices of this pass almost everyone thinks the same. And it is that the JR Pass is not cheap, although in most cases it will be extremely useful and will avoid headaches when planning displacements. And is that being able to use local trains and almost all shinkansen without worrying about buying the ticket is very comfortable, as it is also being able to change our itinerary at the last minute. Therefore, on a large number of occasions, the purchase of the JR Pass is profitable by far.
However, each trip is different and each traveler has special needs, with itineraries that leave the typical ones.
And it is that only the price of those two shinkansen tickets plus the price of the reserved seat will be the same or more expensive than the Japan Rail Pass. As we will surely have other transportation needs, such as going to / from airports, getting on local JR trains, limited express trains from the JR for excursions, etc., it will definitely be worth buying the JR Pass.
