Massive price increase announced for Japan Rail Pass; cost to jump by up to 77%

I am sure we will never get the true reason for the price increase, but I have a feeling its not really about the money / revenue.

I know many Japanese who believe that the Rail Pass and its pricing is absolutely unfair and discriminatory against Japanese citizens because of just how favorable the pricing was / is for non-Japanese tourists. And they weren't / aren't wrong, as current pricing really is very cheap. Good for tourists, not fair for citizens.

I do think, however, that the magnitude of the increase is going to make it cost prohibitive or even uneconomical for most non-Japanese tourists. It really will only make sense for those visitors who plan extensive long-distant traveling during their stay. Which may only be a small percentage, especially for the 7 day pass.

If this was really about revenue, they would have done something like a 30% increase. say to 40,000 yen for the 7 day pass. At that price, many visitors might still actually consider buying it, reasoning that they could justify based on a mix of long distance and shorter distance travel.

But, again, back to my point regarding the underlying motivation / reason for the increase.

The JR pass was one of the great things about travelling in Japan this price hike just makes it overpriced and hence unviable. Stupid decision!

People will fly instead. Very expensive now.

With air fares and accommodation costs rising, this will concentrate foreign tourists in Tokyo, as more will skip the pass and stay there. From the capital you can see a huge range of places on cheap day trips. Tokyo to Yokohama will give you a low cost taste of the shinkansen. You'll still be able to fill your itinerary. Places outside Tokyo and its environs will lose out, but might not want foreign tourists. Whether this is deliberately limiting where foreign tourists roam, reducing their use of the shinkansen or just poor management of the scheme, we are unlikely to find out.

There are lots of regional only passes that are still available. Some of them for foreign residents but most of them still for tourists only. These will not have price increases at the moment

It’s been a poor deal from the beginning, with the forced consecutive days rule. Compare to Eurail pass, which is cheaper, and can be used day by day.

Baffling. I had a friend come visit recently. He bought the rail pass and I happily went around with him - better than driving for many places we went to. This increase will definitely bite into the wallet in the future. I guess JR knows they have a captive customer base. The people buying these passes probably aren't ridiculously rich, so they use them to cut down on costs. Sad.

The old price made it cheaper for tourists to get around, but now I think it's not. I used to take the shinkansen between Sendai and Tokyo every weekend to see my girlfriend. That cost me about 20,000+ yen each time x 4 times a month so about 80,000+ yen a month. So if someone had the pass they would have saved something like 20,000 yen a month. But now using the pass they would pay 20,000 yen more per month.

Just an example.

Well, flight ticket prices have increased, of course, and now this. Why not increase the expressway tolls as well? I mean, come on!

I understand prices going up, but this increase is enormous, and now makes what is an already expensive visit to Japan, beyond my budget, as yes, the Rail Pass was fantastic, and the main reason I visit. I hope they re-think the increase amount, as Im now canceling my plans to visit Japan, sadly.

Well this is dumb. The pass has always proven to be a draw for tourists wanting to experience the bullet train while traveling around Japan. They've basically handed airlines their customers on a pretty silver platter. Greed gets you nowhere.

Another keen marketing move.

Like when stores advertise one item for JPY250.

And two items for JPY500.

I understand prices going up, but this increase is enormous, and now makes what is an already expensive visit to Japan, beyond my budget, as yes, the Rail Pass was fantastic, and the main reason I visit. I hope they re-think the increase amount, as Im now canceling my plans to visit Japan, sadly.

@ David Connor; I highly recommend checking out the regional passes. It takes a bit more effort when planning out a trip. But you can still get such a fantastic deal out of one of the regional passes.

I once did Tokyo - Tohoku - Hokkaido - Tohoku - Tokyo with 2 (6 day) JR East South Hokkaido passes that are 27,000 yen each.

The passes came to a bit more than the 14 JR Pass. But these regional passes offered so much more flexibility.

With the 1st pass, I travelled towards Hokkaido, stopping off in Sendai (with day trips to Yamadera, Ginzan Onsen & Matsushima Bay) and Aomori. And once I was in Sapporo I was able to enjoy as much time as I wanted up there without having to worry about getting back to Tokyo before the pass expired.

And with the 2nd pass, on my way back south to Tokyo, I stopped off in Hakodate and Nikko for a couple of days each.

And my trip is a good example of why it's good to check out the regional passes. I could've tried saving a small bit of money and brought the 14 day pass, but I would've rushed that trip. Or, if I didn't consider the regional passes and just brought the 21 day pass, I would've spent more money than what I paid for the 2 regional passes.

Even at the old price I had to do my due diligence. Unless I was travelling long distances or doing multiple daytrip commutes it wasn't always worthwhile. Even on trips of 25 and 33 days, I was rarely more than 100 bucks (give or take the sine wave of the money markets) ahead using a pass. Hyperdia is gone now, but I used that to calculate the fee for every stage of my journey before committing to the purchase of a pass.

Under the new pricing any advantage to the pass is the value of the TIME saved. I want my boots on the ground the majority of the time; I do not want to spend a long time in transit. Perhaps flying is cheaper, but it's not nearly as relaxing as the Shinkansen or Rapid Express trains. Unlike flying, there are no security line-ups, no hassles of getting to remote airports, lots of seating space, Wi-fi, and plug-ins for your tech.

The shorter-period JR passes that foreign residents can buy still seem to be the same reasonable prices.

I understand price increases, but this is an enormous increase!

I have traveled a number of times to Japan, and the drawcard was this rail pass. Sadly, I am now cancelling my plans for the next visit.

I hope they re-think the size of the increase. It was always an expensive destination, but well worth it. I have now been priced out of the market, and I am hugely disappointed, as I now look to other destinations.

The value of the yen has weakened significantly since pre-pandemic times, going from around 105 JPY per USD to 135 JPY per USD now. However, it's important to note that Japanese citizens are not allowed to purchase or use the pass, so it doesn't make sense to look at the percentage increase in yen. Instead, let's examine how much the pass increased in dollar value. In December 2020, the pass cost about $285 USD (based on the exchange rate at that time). Fast forward to April 2023, and the pass now costs $370 USD (using the current exchange rate). Accounting for American inflation of 5.26%, $370 USD in 2023 has the same purchasing power as $320 USD in 2020. From an American perspective, this represents an increase of approximately 15% in the cost of the pass. Though not insignificant, it doesn’t affect the target audience as much as it seems at first glance.

The value of the yen has weakened significantly since pre-pandemic times, going from around 105 JPY per USD to 135 JPY per USD now. However, it's important to note that Japanese citizens are not allowed to purchase or use the pass, so it doesn't make sense to look at the percentage increase in yen. Instead, let's examine how much the pass increased in dollar value. In December 2020, the pass cost about $285 USD (based on the exchange rate at that time). Fast forward to April 2023, and the pass now costs $370 USD (using the current exchange rate). Accounting for American inflation of 5.26%, $370 USD in 2023 has the same purchasing power as $320 USD in 2020. From an American perspective, this represents an increase of approximately 15% in the cost of the pass. Though not insignificant, it doesn’t affect the target audience as much as it seems at first glance.

Very interesting and helpful points.

The prices seem to assume like someone having 7 day pass would travel 24x7 nonstop. It still would not justify these ridiculous prices.

I think they just screwed themselves. You'd have to buy two round-trip shinkansent tickets (approx. 23,000x2=46,000) and travel extensively around the JR network (avoiding subways; very inconvenient) for this pass to be worth it. Very few people would be able to travel that much in just 7 days.

Oh well. Not my circus, not my monkeys. Go ahead, JR,: make shinkansen travel more expensive. Everyone will just stay put, take local trains, or use a bus.

And it will make more seats available for locals when we want to travel. Maybe that was their intention all along. :)

This price hike, caused by JR Central, will impact them the most.... Look into alternative travel and alternative places, rather than travelling the 'golden route' (Tokyo - Kyoto).

Get the JR East Tohoku, JR East South Sapporo or one of the other many numerous passes that JR East offers and then go and explore some very beautiful parts of Japan that aren't swarming with tourists.

If heading more west? Fly into Osaka and get the JR West, Kansai Wide Area or one of the other many numerous passes out there.

There are so many different regional passes and options available out there. Yes, the JR Pass was very convenient and affordable (though, not always the cheapest option). But it certainly isn't the end to affordable travel in Japan for tourists.

It provides absolutely zero value at the new price.

Wandora

Why not increase the expressway tolls as well?

Shhhhhh! They might hear you.

The Japanese Government is trying to bring in more tourists, ahh, just the way to do it or not raise the prices on the rail system by 60 percent. Good for us who live here, less tourists means less crowds and with COVID still out there, hopefully keeps down the number of cases.

I suspect that this is phase one of abolishing the pass altogether. Price it so high it stops being bought and then cancel it because no one buys it.

I am sure we will never get the true reason for the price increase

No mystery. It is the national strategy explained many times by officials : "Let's milk the wealthier tourists and deter those traveling on a modest budget from even coming to our country."

They want much less crowd in Kyoto, Mt Fuji, Disney, all trains, Donki, kombinis... They bother locals. There is not enough staff to serve them. And profits are limited if they eat onigiris, travel with a pass, sleep 6 in one Rbnb and buy Porckys as souvenir.

planning to focus more on quality, and loger stays/spend, than explosive short stay trips. 

Not exactly. They think that stays of the length of passes are too long.

They'd want a few more rich elderly or rich Chinese people jet-setting to stay a few days in into palace hotels, burning $$$ in casino, eating only in *** restaurants, playing golf, at the limit doing short sightseeing trips in small group with a chauffeur, guide and interpreter and shopping for over priced luxury items.

Easy short term money as the diehard ‘have to come to Japan’ tourists will still come and take the hit. Long term, hmmmm.

@wandora

Toll prices have already been increased, food prices, electricity have also been increased.

Its still an absolute bargain. The current pricing is just wrong.

Yes, if they do not balance the price, who is going to pay?

Of course the regular users is paying for this.

It's a case of pent-up demand and those travelling not being that price sensitive, especially since the Yen has depreciated.

Blown away at HIGH prices in Ishigaki relative to just even one year ago, many cases SAME item, 50% more and it's NOT food or energy. Just price gouging, as they've had TOUGH few years, since the pandemic!

Not good. It will deter a lot of customers, but perhaps that is the point.

Part of the reason to get JR pass, is to ride the trains, and enjoy the view, from ground level. Not so much to see at 30,000 ft. Will just have to budget for extra cost. Regional passes sound more like a better deal.

Extremely hard to see if now worth it unless you spend a large proportion of your holiday sitting on train. Will now be getting individual tickets for our trip and less likely to visit some out of the way places as day trips.

Wow, another of the Sora 24 stories linked to this article contains an impossible deal that would look even better if you were able to use it than the JR pass, but alas, its time constraints make it unavailable unless you can time travel, too. "If you’re looking for a special deal to celebrate your love in your “full moon” phase of life, consider getting the pass! You can purchase tickets at JR train stations or travel centers until May 31, 2022, and you’ll be able to use it between October 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022."

Train deals seem to be becoming a thing of the past in Japan. I loved the JR pass and often rode from Sapporo to Fukuoka when I visited Japan. Now, I'll just have to fly, as it is much cheaper. Goodbye stops such as Aomori, Morioka, Hanamaki, Sendai, Yokohama, the Izu Hanto Mishima, Toyohashi, Kobe, Himeji, Okayama, Kure, Yamaguchi, and Yahata. I'll just fly over you and wave from the ski.

I never understood why they never allowed locals to buy a rail pass.

Sure, for business men, they would’ve lost money if they used it 2-3 times a day.

but for the casual travelers? They could’ve had so many more customers over the years and spend money throughout Japan.

I looked into ticket prices to Osaka. Plane, bus and Shinkansen.

Surprisingly airplane fares were the cheapest. (For the times and days I wanted to travel.)

The overnight buses were just slightly more, but not by much.

The Shinkansen prices were at least 3 times more than either of the other options.

ridiculous

Marketing geniuses running JR over there.

JR CEO: How do we attract more foreign people to ride our shinkansen?

Marketing Genius: let’s raise the rail prices by 70%!

JR CEO: I love it.

OK. Two thoughts on this:

Financially there is little pressure for JR to do this. Unlike most other coutries, inflation has been practically zero for decades. The costs involved with providing the service haven't been going up so they don't need to increase costs because of inflationary pressures. It would also seem unlikely that the shareholders would see increasing the cost of the RailPass as a way to an instant windfall, without requiring increases to the costs of other services across the board as well.

Secondly. This is probably part of a bigger tourism reset plan. Tourism numbers 2015+ years were starting to swell out of control (32M in 2019 from 8.5M in 2012). The key destinations were highly centralised (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto/Nara, Hiroshima) witb some seasonal overflow to skiing destination. The benefits/spending were also highly centralised, with little getting to more remote areas which need it most. Locals have long been complaining of overcrowding on transport and at local facilities and atrractions caused by tourist numbers.

I believe that the Japanese government is planning to focus more on quality, and loger stays/spend, than explosive short stay trips. The government still holds considerable sway with JR East/West and other railways so it wouldn't surprise me at all if this was part of the process.

What a large increase, never mind it’s probably for the best.

JR West pass continues, 3 days for 10000 yen, incredibly convenient for my monthly business trip to Okayama. Cheaper than regular price and two extra days of feee train travel after, top stuff. Not forgetting the free JR Eki bike hire, not great bikes though, lol What am I like?

I've used multiple 2-week and 3-week JR passes during every one of my half-dozen trips to the country - all of which ranged from 5-8 weeks - and I've travelled from one tip of the country to the other with the longest daily distance covered in about three hours. I've seen too many cities and towns, museums, temples and parks to count, and even if the price goes up as stated, it would still be a good deal. You just have to use it. Three days in one town or city, a 1-2 hour rail ride to another, and keep going like that. You wouldn't find a better option. Hopping around the country by air is extremely time-wasting, when you consider airport queues for checking in and any luggage-related issues.

JR CEO: How do we attract more foreign people to ride our shinkansen?

They don't want tourists, they want business travellers who pay to use the Nozomi, which has never accepted JR passes of any kind.

That's why they started slugging people with large cases a fee to shove their luggage behind the last row of each car.

As usual, Japan takes two steps forward and one step back on tourism. I think it's funny how they are aiming to hike prices right about a year from when they finally reopened the country.

Expect to see more flight + hotel packages after this. I was hearing about 20,000円 weekend deals in Osaka last year.

Honestly, Shinkansen is great for the routes between Kanto and Kansai, or Tokyo to Sendai, for example. Outside of those use cases, I probably wouldn't use it. Once you start needing to travel four plus hours on it, the extra cost is not worth the slightly greater efficiency.

yokoso

LOL

when greed is KING

Think about traveling to Japan if 160€ is too much of an additional cost. (price difference compared to JR Pass 2019)

Its still an absolute bargain. The current pricing is just wrong.

I welcome this! Hopefully a lot fewer messy tourists with their stupid WAY to big luggages will crowd the trains. My only worry is they might migrate to the Nozomi trains after the price hike, but hopefully that won't be the case. I say this as someone working in tourism, but we of course ALWAYS forward our luggage, properly collect and bin our trash/bentoboxes. I fully understand if the Japanese are tired of loud talking tourists coming onboard with their gigantic backpacks.

It was way too cheap and, even after this price hike, still is, because non-pass tickets have also gone up in prices. There is huge inflation last year up to now, and the yen has fallen in value. Japan is still the best deal to tour the developed world.

Pathetic move to milk tourists. They are shameless.

This was expected since the jr pass was to cheap and over tourism is an issue. The prices are still justifiable. This includes jr shinkansen, jr train, jr bus, jr ferry.