Which Japan Rail Pass To Choose?

Above, one of the first shinkansen trains I made use of a Rail Pass on. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Planning a trip to Japan that includes venturing out of Tokyo to other areas of the country? Getting a Japan Rail Pass will get one there and save a lot of money.

I've used Rail Passes several times and they are very handy and I saved a lot of money.

But which Rail Pass to get?

Tokyo Cheapo has a handy guide that will provide the needed information to decide.

They begin with:

Japan Rail Passes (JR Passes) are available to anyone visiting Japan on a short-term tourist visa. They provide a fantastic discount on bullet train (Shinkansen) and regular train travel, but if you don’t have experience with Japan’s rail transport system, it’s difficult to know a) if you need one, and b) which JR Pass works with which Shinkansen. To add to the confusion, the various regional companies that constitute JR (JR East, JR West, JR Central, JR Hokkaido, JR Shikoku and JR Kyushu) all have their own passes! Each is priced differently and has different conditions. Read this guide for a better idea of which JR Pass to choose.

Above, a couple of Rail Passes I've used. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here.