[Guide d’achat du JR Pass édition 2025] Le JR Pass n’est plus le meilleur choix.

[Guide d’achat du JR Pass édition 2025] Le JR Pass n’est plus le meilleur choix.

Are you wondering if you should buy the Japan Rail Pass? It used to be an easy choice. In the past, a 7-day pass cost just about 29,650 yen. It was very easy to get your money’s worth. But now, the price has jumped to nearly 50,000 yen for 7 days, which means you really need to think carefully about your travel plans. In this video, I’ll explain in detail when the Japan Rail Pass is a great deal and when it’s not. Let’s get [Music] started. Let’s start with the basics. The Japan Rail Pass, often called the JR Pass, is a special unlimited travel ticket for foreign visitors. It allows you to ride almost all trains operated by JR or Japan Railways Group across the entire country. You can also use some JR buses and the JR ferry to Miaima Island near Hiroshima. The JR pass is available in three durations, 7 days, 14 days, and 21 days. You can choose the pass that best matches the length of your trip. There are also two types of passes. The ordinary pass for standard class cars or the green pass for first class green cars. Green cars offer more spacious seating, a quieter atmosphere, and extra comfort, ideal for longer journeys. Ordinary cars are more budget friendly, and still very comfortable for most travelers. Now, let’s look at the official prices. Even with a green pass, you cannot use the Grandass seats available on some Tohoku and Hokuriku Shinkansen trains. You also cannot use premium green cars on certain limited express trains like the Safhir odor rico and other premium services. Another important point on many Shinkansen trains there’s a clear difference between ordinary cars and green cars. Ordinary cars often have a 2 + 3 seating layout. Green cars usually have a 2 plus two layout with wider seats and extra leg room. However, on some trains like the Narita Express, both ordinary and green cars have a 2 plus two seating layout, and the difference in space and comfort may be smaller. And here’s something you should know about seat spacing. In most Limited Express trains, the seat pitch in ordinary cars is around 1 m or 39 in. And in green cars, the seat pitch is usually about 115 cm, around 45 in. For comparison, in international flights, even wider economycl class seats usually have a seat pitch of about 34 in or 86 cm. In other words, even ordinary cars in Japan offer much more legroom than economy class on airplanes. Unless you are very tall, you will likely find the ordinary car spacious enough for comfortable travel. Before buying, think carefully about how long you’ll be traveling, how far you’ll be traveling, and whether extra comfort is important to you. Now that you understand the basics, let’s move on and explore where you can actually go with the Japan Rail Pass. The JR network covers almost the entire country from the northernmost tip of Hokkaido all the way down to Kyushu. Let’s explore the main destinations starting from the north and moving south. Hokkaido. With the JR pass, you can travel to Wakana, the northernmost city in Japan. Asahikawa, gateway to BA and Furano flower fields. Aashiri, famous for drift ice cruises. Kushiro, known for wetlands and nature. Obihro, Tokachi area, famous for food and gardens. Furano, beautiful in summer with lavender fields. Saporo, Hokkaido’s largest city. Otarut, a charming port town close to Saporo. Kuchchan, access point to Nikico ski resorts. Hakodate, beautiful night view from Mount Hakodate. Although JR trains take you to these cities, reaching sightseeing spots like flower farms, drift ice tours, or ski resorts often require local buses or taxis, which are not included in the JR pass. Tohoku region. In Tohoku, you can reach Amori, home to the Nebuta Festival. Hiroaki, famous for cherry blossoms and a beautiful castle. Akita, city of festivals and lake Tazawa nearby. Morioa, gateway to the Hajiman Thai mountains. Sai, biggest city in Tohoku, close to Matsushima Bay. Yamada, scenic mountain temple near Yamagata. Fukushima. Access to samurai town Aizu Wakamatsu. Again, local sightseeing beyond the train stations may require extra transport. Kanto region. In the KTO region, Tokyo, full access to JR lines, including the Yamanote loop, Yokohama, Minato, and Chinatown, Kamakura, Great Buddha, and historic temples, Niko, UNESCO, World Heritage Temples and Shrines. Hakon and Mount Fuji are not fully covered. JR can take you part way, but you’ll need to transfer to private railways or buses and pay extra fees. Chubu region, you can visit Nagagoya, castles, museums, and shopping. Takayama, historic preserved townscape. Toyama, start point for the Tatyama Kurob alpine road. Kanazawa, home to Kenkuen Garden and Tamurai districts. Matsumoto famous castle city. The Tatyama Kurob alpine route including Kurob Dam and mountain crossings requires separate tickets. Shiraakawa go is not reachable by train. Access is by bus from Takayama or Kanazawa not covered by JR pass. Kansai region. In Kansai the JR pass is very useful. You can visit Kyoto, traditional temples and shrines. Osaka, modern city life, doto bori, Universal Studios. N great Buddha and friendly deer in N Park. Himei, home to Japan’s most beautiful original castle. Coobe, stylish port city. Local city travel like Osaka Metro or Kyoto city buses are not included. Chuoku region. You can travel to Okama, Korakuan Garden and the old town of Kurashki, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the ferry to Miaima. Matsu beautiful castle and Lake Shinji, Izzumo, famous Izumo Taisha Shrine, Shikoku region. Accessible cities include Takamatsu, gateway to Shikoku, known for udo noodles and during garden. Matsuyama, home to do onen, one of Japan’s oldest hot springs. Tokushima, famous for Awa Odori dance festival. Kochi, Kochi Castle and Pacific coastline. Kyushu region. In Kyushu, you can reach Fukuoka, lively food scene, easy access to other cities, Nagasaki, historic sites and peace museums, Kumamoto, Kumamoto Castle and Suenji Garden, Beepu and Yuing, famous hotring resorts, Kagashima, gateway to Sakurajima volcano. Before we move on, there’s one more thing you should know. The Japan Rail Pass doesn’t just cover trains. It also covers some local JR bus routes in certain areas. Let’s quickly go through the main examples. Hokkaido in Saporo. You can use certain local JR buses within the city. JR buses connecting Saporo and Otaru are also covered by the pass. ToHoku region from Hachin Nohi station, Almori station and Shin Almorti station. You can use JR buses to reach Lake Toada, a beautiful nature spot. Kanto region from Nagan Nohara Kusatsuguchi Station. You can take a JR bus to Kusatu Onsen, one of Japan’s most famous hotring towns. Chubu region in Kanazawa. Some JR operated city buses are covered. However, be careful. Kanazawa also has many buses operated by other companies that are not covered. Always check carefully. JR buses usually have signs near the entrance showing that the JR pass is accepted. Chugoku region in Hiroshima. The sightseeing bus Hiroshima May Purupu is fully covered by the JR pass. It connects Hiroshima station with major tourist sites like the atomic bomb dome, Hiroshima Castle, and downtown areas. Some important notes. Local JR buses are generally covered. Highway buses, night buses, and nonJR buses are not covered. Always look for the JR bus logo or a notice near the entrance saying JR pass accepted to be sure. If you plan to move around local cities by bus, checking in advance whether JR Bus is available can help you save money and travel more smoothly. Now that you know where the JR pass can take you, let’s move on and talk about where the JR pass does not cover. Although the Japan Rail Pass covers an incredibly wide network, there are several important limitations you need to know about. Let’s walk through them carefully with realworld examples. First, you cannot use the Japan rail pass on Nosomi trains on the Tokaido and Sano Shinkansen. Mizuho trains on the Syo and Kyushu Shinkansen. However, you have an option. You can pay an extra fee to ride Nosomi or Mizuo using a special ticket. But honestly, it’s rarely worth it. Here’s why. For example, from Tokyo to Kyoto, Nosomi is about 2 hours and 20 minutes. Hikari is about 2 hours and 40 minutes. The difference is only around 20 minutes. In terms of frequency, noi trains operate at least six times per hour between Tokyo and Shin Osaka. During peak hours, there can even be up to 10 Nosomi trains per hour. Hikarati trains, on the other hand, operate about two times per hour. Clearly, Nosomi offers much greater convenience in terms of frequency. However, even with two Hikari trains per hour, the service is still frequent enough for most travelers. If you plan ahead and are a little flexible with your departure time, you’ll find that using Hikari or Sakura trains is perfectly manageable without paying an extra fee. So, unless you have an extremely tight schedule, we recommend sticking with Hikari or Sakura services to make the most of your JR pass. Private railways and subway systems are not covered. The JR pass only covers transportation operated by JR. Private railway companies and subway systems are not included. Subways exist in many Japanese cities. Here’s a list of major cities with subway networks. Saporo, Sai, Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Coobe, and Fukoka. In all these cities, if you want to use the subway, you’ll need to purchase separate tickets. Similarly, private railways like KQ, Ola, Kintetsu, Hungu, and many others are also not covered. Street cars and trams are also not covered. Japan has many charming street car systems, but the JR pass does not cover them either. Here’s a list of cities with major tram systems. If you plan to explore these cities, remember to bring cash or an IC card to pay separately for trams. Be careful with trains running beyond JR lines. Some limited express trains start on JR tracks but later continue onto nonJR railways. In these cases, the JR pass only covers the JR section. Examples are Fujisan Limited Express, JR coverage up to Oski station. Beyond Oski, you enter the Fuji Railway and you must pay extra to go toward Kawagucho. [Music] Niko and Kinugawa Limited Express from Shinjuku to Kinugawa Onsen. The JR pass covers the JR East section, but you need to pay separately for the Tobu railway section. Train conductors will usually announce when you’re leaving JR territory, but it’s better to know beforehand. Sample itineraries and regular prices. Now, let’s look at some real examples of travel costs and find out if the Japan Rail Pass can really save you money. We’ll start by looking at typical one-way fairs between major cities, then check some sample travel itineraries. Major one-way fairs from Tokyo. Here are the approximate one-way fairs from Tokyo using reserved seats on JR trains. As you can see, traveling between major cities can cost tens of thousands of yen just for one trip. Major one-way fairs from Osaka. And here are the main one-way fairs from Osaka. Even within Kai, some trips can add up if you move around a lot. Now, let’s see some sample travel plans and compare the costs. Sample one, classic golden route. Tokyo to Kyoto, Kyoto to Osaka, Osaka to Hiroshima, and Hiroshima to Tokyo. Regular ticket prices: Tokyo to Kyoto approximately 14,170 yen. Kyoto to Osaka approximately 1,200 yen. Osaka to Hiroshima approximately 11,000 yen. Hiroshima to Tokyo approximately 19,000 yen. Total around 45,370 yen for regular tickets. Comparison 7-day JR pass which is 50,000 yen. If you add even one or two short trips inside cities, you’ll already break even and traveling becomes much easier without buying tickets each time. Sample two, Tokyo plus day trips. Tokyo to Niko, Niko to Tokyo, Tokyo to Hakon, Hakon to Tokyo, and Tokyo to Yokohama, Yokohama to Tokyo. Regular ticket prices: Tokyo to Niko, round trip approximately 5,600 yen. Tokyo to Odawara, round trip for Hakon, approximately 4,000 yen. Tokyo to Yokohama, round trip approximately 1,200 yen. The total is around 10,800 yen for regular tickets. In comparison, the 7-day JR pass is 50,000 yen. In this case, the JR pass would not be cost effective. Individual tickets or a regional pass would be much cheaper. Sample three. Northern Japan adventure. Tokyo to Sendai, Sendai to Morioa, Morioa to Hakodate, and Hakodate to Saporo. Regular ticket prices: Tokyo to Sendai approximately 11,000 yen. Sendai to Morioa approximately 6,000 yen. Morioa to Hakodate approximately 16,000 yen. Hakodate to Saporo approximately 9,000 yen. Total around 42,000 yen for regular tickets. In comparison, 7-day JR pass is 50,000 yen. It’s close, but if you add even a small trip from Saporo or value the convenience of unlimited rides, the JR pass still becomes a smart choice. Important tips. The Japan Rail Pass shines when you make long-d distanceance or multi-ity trips. If your plan is mostly staying within one city, buying individual tickets is usually cheaper. Remember, the JR pass also lets you reserve seats for free, saving you extra fees on almost every Shinkansen trip. Plan your itinerary carefully, and the Japan Rail Pass can either be a huge moneysaver or unnecessary cost. Now, let’s move on to some final tips for making the best use of your JR pass. Now that we’ve explored the Japan Rail Pass in detail, let’s wrap up with some final tips for making the most of your trip. Tip one, match the pass to your travel style. The JR pass is a powerful tool if you’re planning to travel long distances, visit multiple cities, or take several Shinkansen or limited express trains. If you mainly stay in one city or only take short trips nearby, it’s usually better to buy individual tickets or a regional JR pass. Always plan your itinerary first, then decide if the pass fits your needs. Tip two, understand the limitations. Remember, noi or miso trains without extra payment. No private railways, subways or street cars. Some premium services like Grandass are not included. Knowing these small rules will help you avoid confusion and extra costs while traveling. Tip three, consider seat reservations. With the JR pass, you can make seat reservations for free on almost all Shinkansen and limited express trains. It’s easy to reserve seats at ticket offices, machines, or even online in advance. Especially during busy seasons, reserving your seat will make your trip much smoother. And here’s an important point. If you buy your JR pass online, you can start reserving seats up to 1 month before your travel date. But if you purchase your pass through a travel agency, you can only reserve seats after arriving in Japan. If you’re traveling during peak seasons like Golden Week, summer holidays, or New Year, we highly recommend buying your JR pass online. For more details about how to make seat reservations, please check out our previous video. The link is in the description below. Tip four, don’t force it. The Japan Rail Pass is a great tool, but you don’t have to force yourself to use it. If your trip naturally fits the pass, use it. If not, there’s no shame in buying individual tickets or using other options. The best trip is the one that matches your travel style and your budget. We hope this guide has helped you understand whether the Japan Rail Pass is right for your trip. If you found this video helpful, please like, subscribe, and leave a comment. We’d love to hear where you’re going in Japan. Thanks for watching and safe travels. [Music]

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