You
Must Purchase Japan Rail Passes before Your Departure.
Japan Rail Passes are not sold in Japan. You must purchase Japan Rail
Pass Exchange Vouchers before your departure. Exchange Vouchers must
be processed in Japan within three months of the issuance.
Eligibility
for Using Japan Rail Passes.
Any foreign visitors entering Japan for sightseeing purpose can use
Japan Rail Passes. In case of U.S. citizens Japanese visas are exempted
to enter Japan for sightseeing. If there is no Japanese visa stamped
in your passport, you are considered a tourist and are eligible for
using a Japan Rail Pass. If a business, diplomatic, student and other
types of visa is stamped in your passport, you will be refused to
exchange your voucher for an actual Japan Rail Pass in Japan.
How
to Process Your Voucher for an Actual Japan Rail Pass.
You can exchange your voucher for an actual pass at Travel Service Center
of major Japan Railways (JR) stations, including those in Tokyo's Narita
Airport and Osaka's Kansai Airport.
When processing a Japan Rail Pass you specify the starting date of your
Pass. The processing date and the starting date can be different, e.g.,
you can process a Japan Rail Pass on June 10 and request its starting
date on June 20.
Seat Reservations on Long Distance Trains.
Long distance
trains, including the Shinkansen bullet trains, have reserved-seat car
and non-reserved-seat car. With a Japan Rail Pass you can take any train
(except for "Nozomi" Shinkansen bullet train) if you ride
in a non-reserved-seat car. If you know your travel date and city pairs,
however, it is strongly recommenced that you request seat reservations.
There is no extra cost for requesting seat reservations. You can request
reservations when processing your Japan Rail Pass. You can also request
seat reservations at any JR station while your are traveling.
In case of Green Pass (first class) you are always required to make
reservations because all green seats are reserved seats. If you ride
on a train with Green Pass without reservations, you need to ask a train
conductor on board if green seats are available for you. If green seats
are not available, you will end up riding in coach.
To
Buy or Not To Buy Japan Rail Passes.
A simple round-trip between Tokyo and Kyoto costs almost the same
as 7-day Japan Rail Pass. If your travel plan covers longer distance
than that, it is more advantageous to purchase a 7-day pass.
If you plan to travel similar distance of Tokyo-Kyoto-Hiroshima and
back, even 14-day Japan Rail Pass will save money for you.
Refund
of Japan Rail Pass.
Once you process the exchange of voucher for an actual Japan Rail
Pass there is no refund at all for whatever the reason.
If you have not processed the exchange, the voucher can be refunded
after deducting a 10% handling charge.
If you have lost an exchange voucher, we need to verify that your
voucher has not been used. This verification takes about a half year.
If your voucher is not exchanged, a 90% of the price will be refunded.
If your voucher has been exchanged, no refund will be made.
How
to Order Your Japan Rail Pass Exchange Vouchers.
Click the "Order Form" icon at the top of this page to access
the order form.
Fill out all necessary information and click the send button at the
bottom of the order form, if you pay by a major credit card (Amex, Mastercard
or Visa). If you pay by a check, please print out the order form and
send it together with your check to NTA America, Inc.
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