Japan Train Fares To Surge For Foreign Tourists

Above, Sendai Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Starting Sunday, October 1, the cost for JR Rail Passes will sharply increase for foreign visitors.

According to Nikkei Asia:

TOKYO -- The Japan Railways Group (JR Group) will sharply increase fares for foreign travelers under the Japan Rail Pass program for unlimited access to all JR trains, effective on Sunday.

Depending on how the pass is purchased, hikes will be 49% to 69% for economy-class train cars and 56% to 77% for first-class cars, called Green Cars.

At present, the over-the-counter price of the seven-day pass is roughly the same as the fare of a Tokyo-Osaka round trip aboard a bullet train, known in the country as shinkansen. The low fare has become possible "as a result of efforts to expand and upgrade services," the JR Group said.

But Japanese travelers have complained that the program unfairly favors foreign visitors.

The generous program started when prices were extremely high in Japan. Recently, however, it has become difficult to maintain the low prices because of a steep increase in the number of users. 

The surge of foreign visitors is causing other problems in Japan, to read further, go here.