For many travelers to Japan, the Japan Rail Pass was (and still is) one of the most awesome things to take advantage of. By paying a flat rate for 7-days, 14-days or 21-days, you can literally travel Japan entirely using JR trains with a JR Rail Pass as many times you want.
Want to go to northern Japan for several days, then east to Tokyo for a few days and then southern Japan the next? No problem, it was affordable and simple.
But now things have changed in 2023. The weakening yen and other country’s currency doing much better than the yen has made JR reconsider its pricing and announced earlier in the year that prices will go up on October due to the additional services being added for travelers.
Regular seven-day Japan Rail Pass: from $220 (¥29,650) to $372 (¥50,000): 69% increase
Regular 14-day Japan Rail Pass: from $351 (¥47,250) to $595 (¥80,000): 69% increase
Regular 21-day Japan Rail Pass: from $450 (¥60,450) to $744 (¥100,000): 65% increase
Green seven-day Japan Rail Pass: from $295 (¥39,600) to $521 (¥70,000): 77% increase
Green 14-day Japan Rail Pass: from $477 (¥64,120) to $826 (¥111,000): 73% increase
Green 21-day Japan Rail Pass: from $620 (¥83,390) to $1041 (¥140,000): 68% increase
But while price increase looks drastic, because for example, the dollar is doing much better than the yen, the sting of the price increase is not as drastic. In fact, comparing to other countries, especially Europe, the price increase of the Japan Rail Pass is not that bad.
As for the green car, what is the advantage of riding first class? Well, JR Tokai recently announced that they are eliminating food carts on Nozomi and Hikari unless you are riding the green car, and by app, you can order your food and beverage but they are expanding ice cream and coffee vending machines, vendors will also be expanding and of course, you can just stop by your local convenience store and grab food as well to eat on the shinkansen (their is proper etiquette in Japan to not eat something that will make the whole car smell).
And also, the new Japan Rail Pass allows you to use the faster Nozomi and Mizuho shinkansen (with a pass upgrade at an additional cost) which was not possible before. So, those traveling on super long trips especially on the Tokaido, Sayo and Kyusu Shinkansen lines can now take advantage of it. Granted, we don’t know the price of these “pass upgrades” to use these faster shinkansen.
In addition, there will now be automatic ticket gates for those with a pass (so no waiting in line) and JR will also increase the number of seats allocated for reservation for some passes. And for those who get a JR Pass will receive discounts at select stores.
In years past, when the dollar and yen were on even standing, the price increase would be shocking. But as of right now, the price increase is about a $100 USD more. Which is still not bad, considering you can travel throughout Japan as many times you want for the pass you get. For some, going 7-day than 14-day will become more of a reality but it’s the reality of travel to Japan in 2023.
