Is the JR Pass Still Worth It? Japanese Rail Fans' Verdict on the 70% Price Hike

What Japanese people said — picked from the top 80 of 239 comments

• It was just too cheap until now. Prices overseas are high — this is about right.

  今までが安すぎた 海外は物価が高いからこれぐらいは適正

  — @SFSKNI44 likes

• The whole tourism industry has been trying to shift from quantity to quality because of overtourism, so in that sense too, moving upmarket on price is reasonable.

  観光業界全体がオーバーツーリズムの観点から「量から質へ」のシフトを図ろうとしていたかと思いますので、そういう意味でも高価格化は妥当かと思います。

  — @乾巽115 likes

• I've lived overseas for 20+ years and I'm the type to travel all over Japan when I'm back — so if anything I'm glad, for the pass's survival. JR actually turning a profit is what matters most. Otherwise the nationwide version disappears eventually, right?

  海外在住20年以上です。日本帰ったらあちこち行く派なので、存続のためにもかえって嬉しいです。JRにとって利益が出ることこそが、最も大切なんですよ。でないと、いずれ全国版はなくなりますよね。

  — @hitsu431680 likes

• At the Rugby World Cup in Japan four years ago, basically every foreign fan was using one to get around, and I was so jealous. I'm in favor of raising the price to keep numbers in check.

  4年前に日本であったラグビー・ワールドカップで外国人ファンが移動の時にほぼ全員使っていて、羨ましくて仕方なかったです。 抑制のための値上げは賛成です。

  — @aikoku-banzai65 likes

• QB House started as the ¥1,000 barber and raised prices to ¥1,350 — and customers didn't noticeably drop. Same here: this hike won't feel like a burden, and foreign visitors won't decrease.

  1000円の床屋として創業したQBハウスも、値上げで1350円になりましたが、 利用者が減った感じはしません。 ジャパンレールパスもこの値上げは負担にはならないと考えられ、 外国人観光客は減らないと思われます。

  — @きみどりん29 likes

• Just the fact that an all-you-can-ride pass for shinkansen and limited expresses *exists* — do you know how enviable that is...

  新幹線特急乗り放題券があるというだけでどれほど羨ましいことか…

  — @hrsm-chn23 likes

• Seriously, sell it to us Japanese too.

  日本人にも売ってくれよマジで

  — @sunami8081 likes

• Fair enough that the base fares and convenience are totally different, but given the coverage and European price levels, the Eurail Pass is absurdly cheap by comparison lol

  元々の鉄道の運賃とか利便性がかなり違うとはいえ乗れる範囲とヨーロッパの物価水準を考えるとユーレイルパスってめちゃくちゃな位激安ですねw

  — @tako3378ae145 likes

• As I said elsewhere, Japan's rail fares are high by world standards, so foreigners don't experience this as cheap. Germany's DB has a 7-day nationwide pass for €243. Even the Eurail Pass — unlimited rail across multiple European countries — is only $445 for 22 days. In other words, Japan's one-country pass now costs more than a pass for an entire continent. And it covers the ICE Sprinter, which is the German equivalent of the Nozomi. As for overtourism, it is mostly driven by visitors from neighboring East Asian countries, and most East Asian visitors already knew about and were using each JR company's regional area passes back in the 2010s. Japan Rail Pass buyers are more likely to be long-haul travelers from far away.

  @yosemite0808   他のコメントでも述べたように、日本の鉄道運賃は世界中として高いため、外国人には安くと感じません。例えば、ドイツDBの全国7日間フリー切符は、243ユーロ。旅行者がヨーロッパの複数の国を行き来する鉄道を無制限に利用できるEurail Passでさえ、22日間で445米ドルしかかかりません。つまり、日本で国一つのフリー切符価格は、大陸一つ全体のフリー切符価格よりも高くなります。のぞみと同格のICE Sprinterにも乗れることができます。そして、オーバーツーリズムの問​​題について、大抵は近隣の東亜諸国からの観光客による問題ですが、ほとんど東亜からの観光客は、2010年代頃にすでにJR各社のエリアパスを認識・使用してる。ジャパンレールパスの利用者は、遠方からの長距離旅行者である可能性が高い。

  — @C.Q.Q3 likes

• For people coming from dollar countries the impact is small, but for visitors paying in Taiwan dollars, won, euros or Australian dollars — currencies that have also weakened — the gap is much smaller. And since Japan's rail fares are actually high internationally, a price Japan considers fair reads as expensive abroad.

  米ドルを使用する国から来た人には影響は少なくなりますが、台湾ドル、韓国ウォン、ユーロ、オーストラリアドルなど他の通貨を使用する国から来た人には、これらの通貨も価値が下がっているため、その差ははるかに小さくなります。 そして、日本の鉄道運賃は実際には世界中で比較的高いため、日本で適正と考えられている価格は国際的には高いと考えられます。

  — @C.Q.Q11 likes

• Compare high-speed rail fares directly and Japan is double Taiwan or Korea. So sure, raise the foreigner rail pass — but then cut shinkansen ticket prices for those of us who live here.

  高速鉄道の運賃の単純比較をすると、台湾・韓国の倍なので、外国人用のレールパスは値上げして、日本人向けの新幹線のチケットは値下げしてほしいですね。

  — @18merong24 likes

• Any more than this, though, and — weak yen or not — nobody breaks even except railfans and power users who squeeze everything out of the pass. This hike lands at just about the right level.

  ただこれ以上となると幾ら円安とはいえ鉄オタやパスをフル活用する旅行上級者以外は元を取れなくなるので今回値上げレベルで丁度良いでしょう

  — @tako3378ae112 likes

• Tokyo–Osaka round trip is ¥25,940. Considering the old pass was valid for 7 days, it really was absurdly cheap. That said, people who can tour for 7 straight days are mostly cash-and-time-rich anyway, so the sticker price may not matter much — and if you pick the right regional pass for the area you actually want to see, you can still travel cheaply.

  東京～大阪の往復で25940円ですからね。しかも７日間有効のパスであることを考えると破格の安さだったんですね。 さて７日も連続で観光できる人たちってお金や時間に余裕のある富裕層だと思うので、このチケットの値段はあまり重要ではないのかもしれません。しかも行きたいエリアによって各社の地域パスを使い分ければお得に観光できるようになっているのですね。 それよりも「のぞみ」「みずほ」に追加料金のみで乗れるようになることの方がインパクトは大きいし訪日客にとっても嬉しいのではないかと。JRPの在り方として大きく改善したと思います。

  — @西の旅人-q9c14 likes

• Ah, so it'll cover Nozomi and Mizuho now. I'd heard rumors — that's good news, and at this price it's great. I've seen it happen: a foreign visitor with a JR Pass sitting on a Mizuho, and at ticket check a visibly annoyed conductor telling them to get off at the next station. Deliberate or not, when the Hikari only runs once an hour, the old rule really was inconvenient.

  あゝ、みずほ・のぞみに乗車できるようになるのですね。　そのような噂は実は耳にしていましたが、いいことです。　このお値段なら素晴らしい。　よく見ましたよ、ＪＲパス持ってる外国人がみずほに乗っていて検札の時にムッとした車掌さんに次の駅で降りろと凄まれてる人。　故意なのかうっかりなのか分かりませんが、確かにひかりが毎時一本しか出ていなければ使い勝手悪いですよね。

  — @pointer0253 likes

• Until now you could just buy the Japan Rail Pass without thinking. From here on you'll need to actually research which pass fits your trip. Same as it's always been for us Japanese, to be fair.

  これまでは何も考えずにJapan Rail Passを買っておけばよかったところ、今後は自分の旅に合わせたパスを見つける情報収集が必要になるのですね。日本人にとってもそれは同じことですけど。

  — @yama738913 likes

• Thinking from Kansai Airport: for a roughly one-week trip, Kansai and its surroundings are plenty — and the shorter your trip, the more attractive each JR company's regional area pass becomes over the nationwide one.

  インバウンドも戻ってるし、関空のはるかも早く9両に戻したらいいのにな。 関西空港からを考えると、一週間くらいの旅程だと関西エリアとその周辺の観光で十分かと思うので、短日数になればなるほど各社のエリアパスのほうが魅力的になるでしょう。

  — @やけいしの水3 likes

• If you're not wedded to trains, depending on the itinerary there are more and more cases where something like the JAL Japan Explorer Pass works out better.

  鉄道にこだわらなかったり、旅程によっては、JAL Japan Explorer Pass等の方が良いケースも増えますね。

  — @keitaniguchi57458 likes

Is the JR Pass still worth it after the price increase?

Only if you ride a lot. Japanese commenters do the math: a Tokyo–Osaka shinkansen round trip was ¥25,940 at the time, so roughly two of those and the 7-day pass pays off. The 7-day ordinary pass costs ¥50,000 today (¥70,000 for Green), and from October 1, 2026 the price sold through overseas agents goes to ¥53,000. One rail fan's line: any pricier and "only railfans and power users would break even."

Sources: japanrailpass.net — checked 2026-08-24

Why did the JR Pass price go up about 70%?

The Japanese consensus in the thread: it was underpriced for decades. Top comments (116 and 115 likes) call the hike fair given the weak yen and Japan's overtourism-driven shift from "quantity to quality" tourism. Several compare it to Eurail and argue the old price was unsustainably cheap.

Can you ride the Nozomi with a JR Pass?

Yes, for a surcharge. The redesign that came with the price hike opened Nozomi and Mizuho to pass holders who pay an extra fee. Before that both were off-limits: one Japanese viewer recalls watching a visitor with a pass get told by a visibly annoyed conductor to get off at the next station. Check current conditions when you buy; rules and fees change.

What do Japanese travelers recommend instead of the nationwide JR Pass?

For most itineraries, the regional passes: commenters note that if you stay within one area (Kansai, Tohoku, Kyushu…), each JR company's own area pass is far better value than the nationwide pass, and for long hops one suggests air options like the JAL Japan Explorer Pass.