TOKYO: (Bernama-Kyodo) JR group companies will raise prices for the Japan Rail Pass, a ticket aimed at foreign tourists that allows unlimited travel on trains across Japan, including most shinkansen bullet train services, Kyodo News Agency reported.
Prices for the pass offered by the six passenger railway operators will increase by around 5 to 6 per cent from Oct 1 under the first revision in three years, they said. The price of a pass depends on its validity period.
An adult seven-day pass will increase by 3,000 yen (US$19) to 53,000 yen for travel in ordinary train carriages, and by 4,000 yen to 74,000 yen for premium Green Car carriages.
Other price changes for adult passes include an increase of 4,000 yen to 84,000 yen for a 14-day pass for ordinary train carriages and a 5,000 yen rise to 105,000 yen for a similar 21-day pass.
JR group companies last revised prices for the Japan Rail Pass in October 2023, when they were hiked by around 70 per cent.
The companies said the latest revision reflects fare adjustments made by some of their member companies since then.
Last month, East Japan Railway Co. raised fares on its trains by an average of 7.1 per cent in what was the first full-scale hike for the former national railway operator since its privatisation in 1987.
Under the hike, the minimum base fare of 150 yen for local trains increased to 160 yen.
The Japan Rail Pass covers travel on trains and shinkansen operated by all six companies, with services including limited express, express, rapid and local trains, as well as some buses and ferries.
Exceptions include the super-express Nozomi and Mizuho shinkansen on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines, for which pass holders need to pay a supplementary fare.
The pass is only available to foreign tourists visiting Japan under the entry status of "temporary visitor” or Japanese who have been non-resident for 10 years or more.
Travellers can buy passes before arriving in Japan at designated sales offices and through official agents overseas, as well as via the official online platform, Japan Rail Pass Reservation.
To encourage use of the online platform, the companies said prices for passes purchased online will remain unchanged for a limited time. - Bernama-Kyodo
