If you’re planning a trip to the Land of the Rising Sun, you’ll need to figure out how you’re going to get around. Without a doubt, the best way to travel in Japan is by train. The rail system in Japan is among the best in the world. Trains here are fast, reliable, and comfortable – the perfect way to fully explore the country. This post will introduce the rail system in Japan, provide some useful vocabulary, and detail whether or not it’s worth it to buy a rail pass.

Intro to Japanese Trains

In Japan, there are six main regional rail companies. Collectively, these are known as Japan Railways, or JR for short. In addition, there are also many local operators across the country. The JR system covers the country from one end to the other, so you should be able to get anywhere you want to go on one of those trains. They even run buses and ferries, which you can sometimes combine with your rail ticket to make traveling even more convenient. To check times and fares for trains in Japan, use this website.

Types of Trains

When looking at train travel in Japan, you might be a little overwhelmed at the many different types of trains and tickets that are available. Here’s a basic guide to Japanese trains, going from the slowest to the fastest:

• Local (普通列車 – Futsū ressha)/(各駅停車 – kaku-eki-teisha)
• Ordinary Express (急行 – Kyūkō)
• JR Rapid/Express (快速 – Kaisoku)
• Limited Express (特急 – Tokkyū)/(新快速 – Shin kaisoku)
• Bullet  (新幹線 – Shinkansen)

Japan’s bullet trains are world-famous, and they now connect almost all major cities in the country. These trains reach speeds of up to 320 km/h (200 mph), ensuring you reach your destination pretty quickly.

Buying Tickets

First of all, you’ll need to specify if you want a one way (片道 – Katamichi) or round trip (往復 – Ōfuku) ticket. Almost all trains have two different classes of seats – ordinary seats and the 1st class “green car” (グリーン車 – Gurīn-sha). These seats are like business class on an airplane, with a bit more legroom. You usually need a reserved seat (指定席 – Shiteiseki), but sometimes you’ll find a few cars with unreserved seats (自由席 – Jiyū seki) available. Fares are calculated based on the basic fare (普通運賃 – Futsū unchin) plus different surcharges. These may include a limited express fee (特急料金 – Tokkyū ryōkin) for travel on the express lines or a bed fee (寝台料金 – Shindai ryōkin) if you take an overnight sleeper train. An interesting thing about the Japanese rail system is that if you’re taking the bullet train, you actually need two tickets – your basic fare plus the bullet train fare (新幹線特急券 – Shinkansen tokkyū-ken). If this seems complicated, don’t worry – you can just get a rail pass to make things much easier!

Rail Pass

If you’re taking bullet trains and buying tickets individually, you can end up spending a lot of money on train travel in Japan. To save some money and make your travels easier, consider buying a Japan Rail Pass. These cover the entire country and are available for unlimited train travel for 7, 14, or 21 days. Here are a few things you should know about the rail passes:

• They must be purchased outside of Japan. These cannot be purchased in the country.
• There are a few trains they cannot be used on, such as the super express Nozomi line.
• They are not valid on lines run by private operators, only JR lines.
• Children under 6 ride free, while those ages 6-11 qualify for child passes.

Basically, you buy an “exchange order” for your pass before you travel to Japan. Upon arrival, bring your passport and your order to any JR Travel Service Center to have it activated. You can select the date when you want your pass to begin, so you could spend a few days exploring a city before you start to use the pass. Just going round trip from Narita airport to Tokyo and then round trip to Kyoto will save you money, so it’s definitely a great bargain if you plan to take a couple of train trips. For more info on the Japan Rail Pass, check out this short video:

If you’re going to stick to one region of the country, you could also just buy one of the many regional passes. These are cheaper than the country-wide pass, so think carefully about where you want to go before buying one.

Have you ever traveled by train in Japan? What was your experience like? Leave a comment and let us know!