Guide to plan your trip. Fare Calculation

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This website shows you a lot of the train passes. But some of you plan to buy a regular ticket. Even if you will use the rail pass, you may have to compare the price of the pass and the regular fare to make sure that you can get the worth of it or not.

In this post, I would like to share the information about the fare calculation with you.

Hyperdia

You can get a fare very easily. (click to view larger image)
You can get a fare very easily. (click to view larger image)

This is the easiest way to get the fare and the timetable of most trains in Japan. Please refer the link below to learn more:

Google map

Google map can show you the train and the public bus routes. It also shows you the fare.

JR’s rule on passenger’s ticket

JR companies have the biggest train network in Japan. If you travel between major cities, you will take JR train in most cases.

The fare rule is so difficult to understand for the tourists from overseas. Even some travel agents in Japan do not understand the rule completely.

I wrote about this rule as simple as possible in the post below. You can learn the rule of purchasing and using a regular ticket.

JR company’s official site

Some JR companies have the timetable and fare search engine in their official sites.

JR Hokkaido official website

This website offers you the fare and timetable search of most JR trains.

JR West English website

This website offers you the fare and timetable search of most JR trains.

JR Shikoku English website

This website shows you the fare table of most of JR Shikoku lines.

Comments

  1. Ayus says:

    Hi,

    Im glad that i came across your site as i have been having confusions on which pass i should get, the 7 days pass or the 14 days pass. 
    Here’s my itinerary:

    Day 1 –     arrive in Tokyo
    Day 2        Tokyo
    Day 3 – 5  Sapporo
    Day 6–       Tokyo
    Day 7 –      Kyoto
    Day  8-       Osaka
    Day 9 –       Tokyo
    Day 10 –     Mt Fuji
    Day 11.  –   Yokohama
    Day 12-      Tokyo
    Day 13-      Tokyo

    Can i use JR pass in Sapporo?
    Need for your advise,thanks

    Regards,
    Ayus

    • JPRail says:

      Hi Ayus,

      Yes. You can use the pass in Sapporo. I think 7 days pass is for Day 3 to Day 9 is the best way to save your budget.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  2. Colin says:

    Hi,
    Next month I will spending 2 weeks in Tokyo except to travel to Kanazawa and return 4 days later. I may take another short trip to Kamakura but it will be outside the 7 day time limit. I will get a Suica card on arrival at Narita and for all my other travel within Tokyo. I’ve checked the fares on Hyperdia and would like to know if I am correct in saying a 7 day JR Rail Pass would be around the same price as buying a return ticket to Kanazawa when I arrive? Am I right or should I get a the 7 day pass?
    Many thanks, Colin

    • JPRail says:

      Hi Colin,

      If you use JR Pass 7 days for just return trip to Kanazawa from Tokyo, single fare is about 2000 yen cheaper. Especially the fastest route to get Kanazawa is Joetsu Shinkansen and Limited Express Hakutaka combination. But Hakutata goes through non JR line partly. You need to pay extra. Please see the following post to get details:
      https://jprail.com/travel-informations/tips-for-japan-rail-pass/how-to-get-kanazawa.html

      If you pay single fare, this extra charge for Hakutaka is included. So if you use JR pass for other than trip to Kanazawa, JR pass may be cheaper than your total cost. It depends on how much you use the pass other than Kanazawa trip.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  3. Mark says:

    Hello … I will be taking golf clubs with me, so I can take them on ANY trains ?

    Hyperdia – they OK with golf clubs on trains ?

    Will be traveling from Osaka to Omitsu …

    Thanks

    Mark

  4. […] gentleman who is only too happy to answer in English your questions about the rail system:   https://jprail.com/travel-informations/fare-calculation.html The Landscape of Saikai National Park, en route to Nagasaki Bio […]

  5. Kat says:

    Hi jprail,

    Im glad that i came across your site as i have been having confusions on which pass i should get. Its gonna be my first time in japan and im planning to go there with my bf for my birthday. Ive been thinking about the passes for two weeks already and i still cant decide. I also want to ask for advise on where to stay based on my itinerary. Osaka or kyoto? Heres my itinerary:

    Day 1 – arrive in osaka, go straight to kyoto (visit 5 temples and shrines) gion, fushimi inari
    Day 2 – go to nara (am), explore osaka (pm), flight to tokyo
    Day 3 – mt fuji
    Day 4 – disneysea
    Day 5 – explore tokyo

    Thanks and more power to your site!

  6. Faith & John says:

    If we purchase a 14 day JR pass, what does it mean? Does the 14 days begin from the first time I use it, or does it mean I can use it any time for example in a month for 14 days on and off?

  7. Heraa Nasim says:

    Hello,

    I am Heraa and I live in Beppu but I am a foreigner and cannot speak Japanese..

    I want to go to t.Fuji so I am thinking to go to the Kawaguchiko Base. Can you please help me how reach the station from Beppu? By the way if you dont know Beppu is in Oita prefecture 🙂

    I am planning to travel on 24th August. It would be awesome if you could email me the answer

    Thank You.

  8. Graeme says:

    Hi Just wanted to say thanks for your comments. I priced up an 8 day trip while over for Fuji rock using your technique but found a JR Pass was not worth it for me holiday.

    Appreciate you trying to help foreign visitors spend wisely!

  9. Jocelyn says:

    Hi,

    We are heading to Japan and want to know how if it will be cheaper to buy train tickets as we go or get the JR pass?

    Our itinerary is Tokyo 2 days-Kyoto 4 days- Matsue 4 days- Osaka 3days-Koch i4 days-Osaka 1 day. We are there for 24 days with 4 of this days in china. the 3week JR pass is very expensive.

    Many thanks
    Jocelyn

  10. Sonja says:

    Hi 🙂
    My boyfriend and I have booked an unplanned holiday to Japan.
    we have booked it spontaneously so a lot of it has not been planned and neither
    of us know japan.

    We arrive at narita on the 20th of June… so in a few days…
    So far all we really want to do is go to tokyo then kyoto and Osaka and then back to tokyo.

    We aren’t sure if we should just pay normal rates for maybe over night bus or a night train
    or even just a normal train fare to these places or buy a JR pass… although we are in Japan for 3 weeks…

    Would it just be cheaper to pay for the ticket on the spot?

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