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. 

Which Japan Rail Pass To Choose?

Above, a shinkansen arrives at Atami Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If you are heading to Japan and are planning on extensive excursions outside of Tokyo, and want to purchase a Rail Pass but don't know which one to get, Tokyo Cheapo has an article that will assist in helping you to made a decision.

They start with:

Japan Rail Passes are available to anyone visiting Japan on a short-term tourist visa. They provide a fantastic discount on regular rail travel, but if you don’t have any experience with Japan’s rail transport system, it’s difficult to know if you need one and which pass you should get.  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. 

Japan Rail (JR) Pass Online Reservation: If you know you want to buy the main JR pass for the whole of Japan, then you can order it online here. 

However if you’re not sure, we put some of the confusion to rest, and try to explain the exact conditions of the main JR Pass and those of the two biggest regional companies: JR East and JR West.

To read more, go here. 

Kiss My Nagasaki!

Posters are sprouting up all over Kyushu and other places in Japan with the words, "Kiss My Nagasaki". 

People are wondering what the purpose for the posters is and Japan Today has the answers.

They wrote:

TOKYO —An American friend recently posted a poster he spotted in Kyushu on social media with the comment, “Someone at the Nagasaki tourism board getting creative.” It was this eye-catcher poster at left. 

The poster is actually part of a new promotion by JR Kyushu to promote seven sightseeing areas around the city of Nagasaki. Japanese pop culture-loving readers might already be savvy to the reference they are making, but the aggressive sounding tagline seems rife with confusion for international visitors. When I shared the photo to see what people thought, responses from abroad were largely befuddled.

To read more, go here.