I’ve written a number of posts about Japanese train travel.
Here’s another one, albeit with a more urgent tone: the autumn JR rail pass, or 秋の乗り放題パス (aki no norihoudai pasu).
On sale until 18 October, this particular autumn JR rail pass was introduced to coincide with Japan’s “Railroad Day” which takes place on 14 October. In fairness, it went on sale on 13 September, but can only be used between 5 October and 20 October.
The cost is ¥7850 (~$55 as of today) for adults, and ¥3920 (~$27.50 as of today) for children.
Before you rush off the the JR ticket machine, you might want to learn about the two major caveats of the autumn JR rail pass.
1: This pass is for folks who appreciate the slow burn of Japanese rail. In other words, only local (普通 futsuu) JR trains, and “rapid” (快速 kaisoku) JR trains that have free seating, can be used. However, BRT buses (they’re not common), and the JR Ferry to Miyajima island (near Hiroshima) are also included.
To figure out ticket costs in advance of buying any rail pass, check out the Japan-based website Jorudan, or stick with Google Maps if you must.
As an example, Jorudan tells me that a one-way JR ticket between Kyoto and Nagoya — taking between two hours 10 minutes and two hours 35 minutes with transfers — is around ¥2640. If you are open to having a full day in either city, then you’ve already covered much of the rail pass cost.
But that’s a lot of time on the train, innit? At least you can easily move about the cabin.
I’ve done the early bird wake-up numerous times with the Seisshun 18 Kippu (another slow burn rail pass):
2: The autumn JR rail pass is only valid for three consecutive days.
Combined with the very limited (two week) window, I think it’s much more appealing to frequent Japan visitors.
For example, since they’re just local and rapid trains, you’d be forced to transfer at places that had never been blips on your radar.
Places such as Niimi, in Okayama prefecture.
I was traveling between Okayama city and Yonago, a route which required a transfer in Niimi. It’s not a touristy place by any means, but I did appreciate the hour-long transfer to stretch.
*Fortunately, users of the autumn JR rail pass can go through automatic ticket gates, as opposed to stationmaster gates other rail passes require.
Ultimately, if you’re new to Japan and/or aren’t so keen on trains, you might want to overlook this. On the other hand, if you’re open to some itinerary planning, or have a bizarre fixation on certain aspects of Japanese culture, this pass could be for you.
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