Japan Rail Pass Price Hikes Will Be A Big Blunder

 

Above, Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji. The rail pass price hike will solve Kyoto's over-tourism. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The planned JR Rail Pass price hikes set for October will effectively kill the convenient and affordable means of travel throughout Japan for many. Paying nearly $500 for a 7-day rail pass would not be cost-effective for foreign travelers unless they take more than two round-trips from Tokyo to Osaka.

The Japanese government had been clamoring for years that they'd like to see foreign visitors travel to other places in Japan besides Tokyo. This will effectively kill that. Is this supposed to encourage the tourism industry? How idiotic!

Prior to the pandemic, Kyoto had been complaining about over-tourism to the city by foreigners, some of which were ill-mannered. Well, this will certainly solve that problem! Who wants to pay sky-high prices to go to Kyoto or Osaka? I went to both cities in 2015 with the JR Rail Pass. It appears that that will be my last time visiting them.

This will also hurt the merchants in Japan. Instead of spending money in shops, restaurants and hotels in areas outside of Tokyo, people will pay for the higher rail pass prices instead or just not travel around the country as they once did. Is this going to aid the Japanese economy?

I could understand a more moderate price increase, but to hike rail pass prices by 70% is ridiculous. It won't be worth getting anymore. If the price hikes as announced goes through, this will land on the list of Japan's biggest blunders. R.I.P. Japan Rail Pass!

Between now and October, people should be raising holy hell over this!

Steep Price Increases For Japan Rail Passes Planned

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

The Japan Rail Pass available to foreign tourists is one great benefit that I and many others visiting Japan have taken advantage of.

It allows visitors to travel around Japan on JR rail lines, including bullet trains, and other affiliated transports at lower cost.

Visitors are able to save a lot of money using the rail pass.

But all that may change this coming October if plans to greatly hike the prices of the rail passes go through. Hardly a "welcome back" for foreign tourists after three years of pandemic closures.

The price increases will greatly affect tour packages as the cost of rail passes are added into the cost of tours. 

If I should go back to Japan, I will likely pass on the Rail Pass if the prices are drastically raised.

The Japan Times reported (some snippets):

Tourists planning to take advantage of Japan’s train network could face a more expensive rail pass starting this fall.

Japan Railway Group announced on April 14 that it intends to raise the cost of its Japan Rail Pass this October.

The pass is a popular purchase for sightseers without Japanese passports and a convenient, discounted way to travel around certain parts of the country via rail, including on some bullet trains.

The change would add an almost 70% average price increase to the flat-fee ordinary and green car tickets. But, according to JR, the price hike will come with expanded services.

While an announcement detailing final changes is planned for a later date, JR has announced that pass-holders will be able to access the Nozomi and Mizuho shinkansen lines — which are currently off-limits with the pass — through the purchase of additional special tickets.

While subject to change, the price hikes for adults have been announced as follows:

• 7-day pass: From ¥29,650 to ¥50,000.
• 14-day pass: From ¥47,250 to ¥80,000.
• 21-day pass: From ¥60,450 to ¥100,000.
• 7-day Green Car pass: ¥39,600 to ¥70,000
• 14-day Green Car pass: ¥64,120 to ¥110,000
• 21-day Green Car pass: ¥83,390 to ¥140,000

To read the full article, go here.

Direct Train From Tokyo To Mt. Fuji To Debut

Above, a shinkansen train view of Mt. Fuji. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A new Japan Rail (JR) train service will take visitors directly from Tokyo to Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture starting next March.

According to The Mainichi:

TOKYO -- A limited express train service connecting Shinjuku and Kawaguchiko stations will debut this coming March, mainly targeting inbound tourists looking to travel directly from Tokyo to enjoy views of Mount Fuji. 

Dubbed the "Fuji Excursion," the service will connect Tokyo's Shinjuku Station and Kawaguchiko Station on Fuji Kyuko's Kawaguchiko Line in Yamanashi Prefecture near Mount Fuji, Japan's highest and most famous peak. 

The launch of the new service will come as part of revisions to the train schedules of the seven Japan Railway group companies on March 16, 2019. The outline of the updated timetable was released on Dec. 14.

To read more, go here. 

Go From One End of Japan To The Other For Under $25

Above, Atami Station, one of the transfer stops in the article. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During my travels to Japan over the years, I have been as far north as Sendai and far south as Kumamoto, Kyushu by train. But these treks have not been during the same trip.

However, if one wants to go from one end of Japan to another (even to another island), visitors can do so for under $25.00 each.

You may wonder, how is this possible? RocketNews 24 has the answer in an article.

They wrote:

For the price of a couple beers in a Tokyo bar, you can go all the way from the eastern capital to the southwestern island of Kyushu. 

When someone says “Time is money,” it’s usually to encourage someone to hurry up, so as not to waste economic resources. However, sometimes that exchange works in reverse, and you can find some incredible bargains if you’re willing to spend some extra time. 

For example Japan Railways, the largest train operator in Japan, offers something called the Seishun 18 Ticket package, which is a bundle of five tickets that each grant you unlimited use of unreserved seats on JR local and rapid (though not limited express) trains. 

While seishun is the Japanese word for “youth,” there’s no age restriction for the Seishun 18 ticket. What’s more, even though the Seishun 18 Ticket is sold as a set of five for 11,850 yen (US$107), they don’t have to all be used by the same person. As such, a single Seishun 18 Ticket works out to just 2,370 yen (US$21), and it turns out that’s enough to get you all the way from Tokyo, near the eastern edge of Japan, to Fukuoka Prefecture, located on the southwestern island of Kyushu.

To read more, go here. 

Japan: A Train Buff's Paradise

Above, bullet trains connected at Tokyo Station.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

American train buffs travel throughout the continental United States to ride the rails of different railroads such as the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado, the Skunk Railroad in California, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in New Mexico, the 1880 Black Hills steam train in South Dakota, the Sierra Railroad in the Gold Rush area of California and others.

There are train buffs who plan train vacations in Europe and other areas.  One such mecca for railroading is Japan.

Japan Railways (JR) is the country's biggest owner and operator of train lines in Japan.  They own and operate about 70% of Japan's railway network.  The remainder belong many other private companies.

The JR Group is comprised of several regional companies including JR East, JR West, JR Kyushu, JR Central, JR Hokkaido and JR Shikoku.  Trains range from long-distance bullet trains to  local commuter trains.  There are some metropolitian train lines (Tokyo's Yamanote Line is one example) operated by JR.

There are several JR Rail Passes that foreign visitors can obtain at relatively low cost.  These rail passes can only be bought in their home countries as a voucher.  Then, when the tourist arrives in Japan, these vouchers can be exchanged at any JR office for the Rail Pass.  The advantage of the Rail Pass is that travelers get unlimited use during specific periods that the pass is valid, thereby saving a lot of money.   The Rail Pass is not valid on certain trains, but it is valid on a majority of rail lines in the JR Network.

Authorized dealers in the U.S. for Rail Pass purchases can be found in most cities or through the Japan Travel Bureau at (800) 777-0112 or visit www.japan-rail-pass.com.  They also can be bought at KIE/Kintetsu at (800) 422-3481 or www.kinetsu.com.

Tohoku, Sendai Planning New Tourism Campaign

Above, Sendai Station, featured in two kaiju movies.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A new campaign to bring back international tourists to the Tohoku region and Sendai is planned for next year.

According to TTG Asia:

THE city of Sendai, Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization, Japan Railways and inbound travel experts in the Tohoku region are coming together to roll out a rejuvenated Welcome to Sendai campaign from April to June 2013, in the hope of regaining tourism numbers. 

Campaign details were still being worked out at press time but are expected to be ready by year-end. Unlike the first Welcome to Sendai campaign held in 2008, which was only targeted at the local market, the second edition will have more international appeal as the global audience comes into the cross hairs this time, with Asia as its core focus, said Sendai City’s economic affairs bureau senior officer, Osamu Arakida. 

The campaign aims to show that Sendai City, the largest city in Tohoku, is safe from harmful radiation and that business is as usual after last year’s earthquake and tsunami, said Arakida, who revealed that foreign arrivals to Sendai dipped from 90,000 in 2010 to 24,000 last year.

 To read the full article, go here.