Detailed Customer Review

A review from a customer of the Japan Rail Pass on doing it the cheapest way possible.

Just a few months ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Japan. I immediately planned out my 15-day itinerary, booked hostels, and scoured the internet for ideas to keep my trip as cheap as possible. That is how I came across the Japan Rail Pass.

A Japan Rail Pass is great to have if you want to save money on your many long-distance, intercity train travels. It is available for foreign tourists only and should be purchased before arriving to Japan.

I placed my order for a 7-day ordinary pass that cost about 30,000 yen, and received the exchange voucher in a few days.

My flight to Japan was through the Kansai International Airport, which, thankfully, has a JR Pass exchange office. I was asked to fill out a form, and 10 minutes later, I got my JR Pass, which contained my passport information and the activation date.

I first used it on my trip to Hiroshima. At the JR Shin-Osaka station, I went to the JR ticket office to reserve a seat (no additional charge) on the Shinkansen. I then walked to the station, showed my pass to the gate attendant, and headed to my designated platform.

For the duration of my JR Pass’ validity, I was able to travel to several major tourist cities in Japan.

I used the pass to get on the JR ferry from Hiroshima to Miyajima, where I ran into street performers in samurai and ninja costumes, rode the cable car to Mt. Misen, and took photos of the Itsukushima Shrine during low tide.

In Kyoto, I walked the Philosopher’s Path and was awestruck at the grandeur of the Ginkaku-ji temple, marveled at the majestic Kiyomizu-dera temple and other UNESCO World Heritage sites, and completed the climb up and down the Fushimi Inari Shrine in three hours.

I did day trips to Nara to see the iconic, 1,200-year-old Todai-ji temple, to Kobe to sightsee around the Harbor Land, and to Nagoya to explore the historical Nagoya castle.

In Tokyo, I fed my anime and manga fandom in Akihabara, tried ramen and takoyaki sold at street kiosks in Shibuya, and people-watched in Shinjuku and Yoyogi.

The entire trip was packed and hectic, but having the Japan Rail Pass allowed me to make the most of my very short trip to Japan. I was able to have a cheap trip but using the Japan Rail Pass and finding hostels on the way.