This post is for friends who've asked for Japan travel tips. If you want objective travel advice, a tourism website or YouTube channel is probably better. These are the travel tips that worked for me.
You'll use trains to go everywhere.
Trains are the dominant form of transport in Japan and have a special place in Japanese culture: if you ask a Japanese resident where they live, chances are they'll answer relative to the nearest train station. The Japanese weather channel shows nice relaxing videos of mountains, fields and bullet trains passing Mount Fuji. The Japanese are proud of their trains and rail network for good reason: they're the best in the world! They're punctual, clean, comfortable, convenient and safe: this makes them different to countries where you’re continuously evaluating whether driving/Uber is cheaper than a public transport (if it's available) or whether you'll be mugged. If you want to visit another city, forget the hassle of airports and airlines: the “Shinkansen” high-speed bullet train system is the cheapest and most convenient way of getting there.
Determine whether you want an unlimited JR (Japan Rail) pass, or whether you want to buy individual rail tickets.
Determine whether you want an unlimited JR (Japan Rail) pass, or whether you want to buy individual rail tickets.
As a tourist, you’re eligible to purchase the tourist-only JR Pass that allows you unlimited travel on most trains (including Shinkansen bullet trains, and the Narita Airport-Tokyo “NEX” service) on the JR rail network. There are gaps in the JR Pass coverage (notably the Nozomi and Hikaru-class Shinkansen) but these won't affect your travel as a tourist.
The alternative to the JR Pass is to purchase individual tickets which may be cheaper or more expensive depending on your itinerary. While local rail network travel is cheap (usually ¥140-160), inter-city Shinkansen travel is an order of magnitude more expensive: Tokyo to Kyoto is around ¥ 13000. The unlimited Shinkansen travel is the real value of the JR Pass is, not the local rail.
The cost benefit of the JR pass is basically the à la carte vs. buffet problem: is your travel frequent and structured enough to make it worthwhile? Generally speaking, if you’re visiting multiple cities, the JR Pass is cheaper. If you’re going to stay in one city, the JR Pass is not worth it. If you’re a first time visitor to Japan who intends to visit multiple cities, there’s peace of mind and simplicity in buying the JR Pass. If you're a cheapskate, open your pirated version of Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice Calc and do a cost benefit analysis.
The alternative to the JR Pass is to purchase individual tickets which may be cheaper or more expensive depending on your itinerary. While local rail network travel is cheap (usually ¥140-160), inter-city Shinkansen travel is an order of magnitude more expensive: Tokyo to Kyoto is around ¥ 13000. The unlimited Shinkansen travel is the real value of the JR Pass is, not the local rail.
Advertisement for the N700-series Shinkansen.
It's fast.
Is it worth paying extra for the Shinkansen Green Class?
No. The leather armrests and chairs in Green Class aren't worth the premium.
Which JR Pass duration is right for me, and when should I activate it?
The JR Pass can be purchased for 7, 14 or 21 days. The pass becomes valid when you visit a JR booking office and activate your "JR Pass Exchange Order". You don’t need to activate he pass on day 1 unless you want to use the Narita Airport-Tokyo NEX train (around ¥3000). You should consider delaying activation if your inter-city travel starts several days after you arrive.
The typical 10-14 day tourist itinerary starts at Narita Airport, spends 7 days in Tokyo, then visits other cities. In this case, it makes sense to get a 7 day JR pass (instead of 14 day) and activate it on the day that the inter-city travel begins.
I reside in Australia: where do I buy a JR Pass?
In the past, you could only buy a JR Pass outside of Japan. I've heard that it's now possible to buy a JR Pass within Japan, but navigating a JR booking office is the last thing you want to be doing on holiday. Make your life easy: buy the pass outside of Japan.
The best Australian JR Pass sales agent in my experience has been JTB Travel (I don’t get any commission!). I’ve used them three times and they delivered consistently each time. For reference, here are the prices for JTB, H.I.S. Travel and JapanRailPass.com.au.
Price for JTB
Price for H.I.S. Travel
Price for JapanRailPass.com.au
As you can see, the prices are within $7-10 depending on duration. If you trust H.I.S. Travel or JapanRailPass.com.au, book with them. Regardless of who you buy it from, they will not give you the actual JR Pass: you’ll be provided an Exchange Order which looks like a cheque book. Don’t lose this! When you want to activate your JR Pass, take the Exchange Order to the JR booking office.
What do I do to use a Shinkansen?
To board a Shinkansen, you’ll need to book a ticket at your local JR booking office. The first time I travelled to Japan, I booked all my Shinkansen tickets a few hours before departure without issue. There is nearly always capacity so you don’t need to worry about booking too early. Unless you're booking around NYE, cherry blossom season, or another regional holiday, booking the day before is fine.
Should I use buses?
Don’t bother with buses unless it’s a specialty bus to somewhere special like a theme park (Fuji-Q Highland). If you're going to Fuji-Q, take the bus from Shinjuku station.
Should I use taxis?
Avoid them where possible due to price. Taxis are expensive; ¥350 per km, 20% extra after 10 PM, and their English isn't great. On the upside, Japanese taxis are clean, safe and driven by professionals. If you're going to have a late night out, pick up a copy of your hotel's business card so you can give it to your taxi driver. I've noticed that the taxi GPS systems can covert hotel phone numbers into the address: clever!
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| Beware cherry blossom season. Hotel availability will drop to zero! Book in advance. |
Should I use buses?
Don’t bother with buses unless it’s a specialty bus to somewhere special like a theme park (Fuji-Q Highland). If you're going to Fuji-Q, take the bus from Shinjuku station.
Should I use taxis?
Avoid them where possible due to price. Taxis are expensive; ¥350 per km, 20% extra after 10 PM, and their English isn't great. On the upside, Japanese taxis are clean, safe and driven by professionals. If you're going to have a late night out, pick up a copy of your hotel's business card so you can give it to your taxi driver. I've noticed that the taxi GPS systems can covert hotel phone numbers into the address: clever!
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