For non JR pass travellers. Guide to use JR single ticket, basic rules, validity and stopover

Fare table
2013.07.04
This is not a regular JR ticket but a typical JR train ticket looks like this.

I have received many inquiries about Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka one way trip. I always recommend to use a regular ticket for this one way long distance train ride, such as from Tokyo to Kyoto, from Osaka to Tokyo. Because this one way trip is not enough to get the worth of JR Pass 7-day. I have written the post about the fare calculation before.

Guide to plan your trip. Fare Calculation
This post explains you the information about the fare calculation of the trains in Japan.
jprail.com
2010.08.29

But I think this post was not enough to explain the fare rule. JR single ticket rule is very complicated for the tourists from oversea. But you do not need to know everything. If you understand some basic rules, single ticket is more useful and it gives you a trip at more affordable rate.

In this post, I will show you some basic rules of the regular ticket for the long distance train ride and how to use and purchase it.

How to purchase it

Simply you can purchase it at the station. If you make a short distance trip in the city or city to just outside city, you can purchase a ticket at the vending machine.

e.g.
Ueno to Tokyo (inside city)
Tokyo to Yokohama (city to just outside place)
Osaka to Universal City (inside city)
Osaka to Kyoto (city to outside place)

If you make a long distance trip, you still can buy a ticket at the vending machine. But the ticket window may be easier to purchase a long distance ticket for the foreign travelers. Especially if you intend to make a stopover on the way, you have to buy a ticket at the ticket window. Because you have to explain your trip plan.

If you want to take a limited express train, you have to purchase a limited express surcharge ticket too. Even if you want to take a non reserved seat on a limited express train, you have to purchase it. You can purchase both a reserved and a non reserved ticket for a limited express (the Shinkansen as well) at “Midori no Madoguchi”. Midori no Madoguchi is the name of JR reservation ticket window. You can purchase a base fare ticket at Midori no Madoguchi too. Please get the detail about reservation at the post below.

How to reserve a seat of Japan Railway trains at the station and online
Japanese train seat reservation is a bit tricky. The online reservation is very limited and you have to book it in most cases. This post explains you how to manage the booking.
jprail.com
2009.12.30

In the case of purchasing both base fare ticket and limited express surcharge ticket, you can purchase it in advance. An express surcharge ticket is on sale one month prior to a departure date.

e.g.
Tokyo to Kyoto travel on Dec 1
You can purchase the tickets after Nov 1.

You also can purchase the tickets at any JR stations if you buy both base fare and limited express surcharge at same time. For example, if you start to travel from Tokyo station, you can purchase it at Narita airport station on the day of arrival.

Base fare ticket can be purchased at any JR stations where station staff is on duty. There are many station without station staffs in remote area. In major cities and major stations, there are station staff. Even if you take a train at the station without station staff, you can purchase it from the conductor in the train.

How to get a fare

You can use Hyperdia to get the fare quite easily.

Hyperdia perfect guide, train timetable and route search engine
If you want to build your itinerary by yourself, Hyperdia will help you a lot. This site is transportation search engine. You can search the timetables and routes of all trains, flights and airport shuttle bus. But this site is a bit tricky and too many functions and options to you. This guide will help you to find the way to use this site.
jprail.com
2013.11.26
Click to enlarge.
Click to enlarge.

As you see above capture image of Hyperdia, you can get base fare and seat fare (includes surcharge). In this image, total fare is the following:

Base fare – 9560 yen
Shinkansen Nozomi (Tokyo – Shin-Osaka) – 5740 yen (reserved seat)
Ltd Exp Haruka (Shin-Osaka – Kansai airport) – 820 yen (reserved seat)
Total – 16120 yen

*The above image was captured in 2013. The fare was raised in April l, 2014 because of consumer tax was increased to 8% from 5%. The actual fare is different from the fare in the image above.

The price of Japan Rail Pass 7 days ordinary is 28300 yen. (New price is 29110 yen.) Total single fare is more than 10000 yen cheaper than 7 days pass price. This is the reason why I recommend to use single fare for Tokyo – Osaka one way transfer.

Validity

Please see the above capture image of Hyperdia again. You also can find a distance at Hyperdia. This is a key to use single ticket. Actually long distance ticket can be used in multiple days.

DistanceValid days
101 – 200 km2 days
201 – 400 km3 days
401 – 600 km4 days
601 – 800 km5 days
801 – 1000 km6 days
  • From 1001 km and up, add 1 day every 200 km.
  • If you travel more than 101 km but it is in Tokyo or Osaka zone only, ticket valid in one day only.

So in above capture image, distance is 613.4km. This ticket valid in 5 days.

Stopover

You can stopover as many as you want. Of course you cannot go back. Once you start to travel, you have to go forward. You have to care only one thing. When you depart/arrive to travel at the following areas, you cannot stopover in same areas.

  • Sapporo
  • Sendai
  • Tokyo 23 wards
  • Tokyo Yamanote line
  • Yokohana
  • Nagoya
  • Kyoto
  • Osaka
  • Kobe
  • Hiroshima
  • Kitakyushu
  • Fukuoka

These areas are same as city limit. I show you some examples.

1. Above ticket (Tokyo – Kansai Airport)
You can NOT – Stopover at anywhere in Tokyo 23 wards. For example, after you start to travel from Tokyo, you cannot stopover at Shinagawa.
You can – Stopover at Kyoto, Osaka and anywhere outside of Tokyo 23 wards.
By the way, you can start to travel from anywhere in Tokyo 23 wards.

2. Ticket from Narita airport to Osaka
You can NOT – Stopover at anywhere in Osaka city. For example, you cannot stopover at Shin-Osaka. Once you exit at any stations in Osaka city, your ticket will be expired right away.
You can – Stopover at Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagoya and anywhere outside of Osaka city.
By the way, when you travel through Tokyo downtown core, ticket will be calculated by the shortest route. For example, most typical route from Narita to Osaka via Tokyo, via Tokyo station and Shinagawa station. But if you want to go to Osaka via Akihabara and Shinjuku, you can take this route and stopover.

But in case of using limited express, you have to purchase limited express surcharge ticket for each segments.
ex) Tokyo – Osaka trip, stopover at Nagoya.
You have to purchase two Shinkansen tickets, Tokyo – Nagoya Shinkansen surcharge ticket and Ngoya – Shin-Osaka surcharge ticket.

Sample ideas

Please see above capture image of Hyperdia again. If you use this ticket, you can do the following itinerary.

Day 1 Tokyo – Kyoto (Stopover at Kyoto)
Day 2 Kyoto (no use single ticket)
Day 3 Kyoto – Osaka (Stopover at Osaka)
Day 4 One day trip to Kobe (purchase another single ticket.)
Day 5 Osaka – Kansai airport

When you arrive in Tokyo, you can use other deals, such as Suica & N’ex. And you have 5 days after you finish to see Tokyo. If you add Suica & N’ex one way ticket, total amount is 19620 yen. It is about 9000 yen cheaper than JR Pass 7 days.

I believe this is the perfect solution for Tokyo – Osaka one way travellers.

Comments

  1. laurentia wijaya says:
    November 15, 2016 at 8:35 am

    My Husband and I have the following itinerary
    1 Jan : KIX- Shin Osaka By Haruka Limited Exp
    2 Jan : USJ
    3 Jan : Kanazawa- Shirakawago (Thunderbird 3& Nohi Bus)going back to Osaka
    4 Jan : Osaka-Tokyo St (by Hikari 462)- Karuizawa St (by Asama 615)
    5 Jan : Karuizawa St- Tokyo
    6 Jan : Disney Sea
    7 Jan : Around Tokyo
    8 Jan : Going back to Airport
    Could you please suggest the most cost effective plan (JR Pass vs. single tickets; which rail stations to use etc.) and also specify if we can acquire the passes/tickets on line in advance?

    Thank you in advance for your kind advice.
    Best regards,

  2. danissa paramita says:
    November 13, 2016 at 5:46 am

    Dear Takeshi,

    I asked you about Ueno Zoo some times ago, now i’m asking you about Yomiuriland. Which has easier access, and worth visiting while i’m in Tokyo with the family. I read that Yomiuriland is a prettybig amusement park, also has its water park in it and lots of other stuffs too. Also, i read that after arriving at the designated station to Yomiuriland, we will have take odakyu bus or gondola. Will i be able to pay either the bus or the gondola with my suica card?

    Thanks,
    Danissa

  3. Ainil says:
    November 13, 2016 at 3:52 am

    Hi Takeshi,

    I would like to travel to Osaka on Saturday from Kokura and then back to Kokura on Sunday. It’s just a two day trip. I looked through Hyperdia and the single way ticket is around 15,000 yen. And if I were to travel Kokura-Osaka-Kyoto-Kokura, it would simply became 30,000 yen. I was planning on purchasing the JR west pass but it is only available for 7 days. Anyhow it would’ve been cheaper as the pass cost 20,000 yen.

    Do you have any suggestion or I still need to buy the JR west pass? And can I buy the west pass at Kokura Station?

    Thank you in advance!

  4. Anson says:
    November 12, 2016 at 6:44 pm

    Hi Takeshi San,

    Could you advise the types of tickets we should get for my family round trip shown below:

    Day 1-2: Tokyo
    Day 3-6: Kyoto (going to Arashiyama and Nara park)
    Day 7-10: Osaka
    Day 11-12: Tokyo

    Thank you and appreciate your response.

  5. Yao Yin says:
    November 12, 2016 at 9:06 am

    Hi Takeshi,

    If I would like to go to Tokyo (Haneda Airport) from Osaka, with a stopover in Kyoto (Arashiyama), would this Single Ticket be preferred?

    I am also planning to use the ICOCA, so another consideration would be using ICOCA to go to Arashiyama, then from Arashiyama I buy a Single Ticket to Tokyo?

    Hope to see your advice!

  6. Ling says:
    November 10, 2016 at 11:21 pm

    Dear Takeshi, I would like to ask for your suggestion on transport.

    Day 1 arrived Osaka
    Day 4 from Osaka to Wakayama
    Day 6 from Wakayama to Kyoto
    Day 9 from Kyoto to Nara
    Day 10 from Nara to Wakayama again
    Day 13 from Wakayama to Himeji
    Day 14 from Himeji to Kobe
    Day 15 Kobe to Kansai Airport by boat shuttle

    With this itinerary I think I don’t need a JR pass?
    Do you think that travel from Wakayama to Himeji directly is good or I should plan a night in Osaka before I go to Himeji?

  7. Eddy Rashdan says:
    November 10, 2016 at 6:09 am

    Dear Takeshi,

    Need your kind advise. I am planning to visit Japan with my family in Dec 2016 and the tentative schedule are as follows:

    25 Dec 2016 – Arriving Kansai Osaka Airport at 1pm
    26 Dec 2016 – Visiting Around Osaka (Aquarium etc2)
    27 Dec 2016 -Visiting around Osaka (continue other attraction -USJ etc2)
    28 Dec 2016 – Visiting Kyoto and mount Fuji (on the way to Tokyo)
    29 Dec 2016 – Visiting around Tokyo
    30 Dec 2016 – Visiting around Tokyo
    31 Dec 2016 – Flight back home from Heneda at 10am

    Please advise what kind of transports that suits our plan and considering the most cheapest mode of transport using train or bus for 3 adults and 2 kids.

    Or better for me to buy the Japan Rail Pass?

    Thank you.

    Eddy

  8. Aleksandra says:
    November 8, 2016 at 8:39 pm

    Dear Takeshi,

    Hello again 🙂
    Our journey to Japan is approaching and we are trying to make everything buttoned up.
    We are arriving at NGO airport 8:30pm and will directly rush for train to Kyoto. Ticket prices as per Hyperdia are around 7000yen. Is it any option, but not more than half an hour slower, to make this journey cheaper?

    Most important is if the ticket are for certain time? What if we buy it and are late? Can we board the next train? If we do not buy reserved seat for Nagoya – Kyoto, will we still get on the train? I dont know how much it can get crowded on Tuesday evening on that road. We dont mind standing if it is only allowed.

    Thank you in advance

    Aleksandra

  9. Garry T says:
    November 1, 2016 at 9:49 am

    i travel to osaka for 2 days, then to kyoto for 2 days and back to osaka for another 2 days. is it cheaper to buy the 7-day JR pass?

  10. Elizabeth McBride-Finch says:
    October 25, 2016 at 2:21 pm

    Dear Takeshi,

    My husband and I have the following itinerary:
    Nov. 4 – arrive Toyko, Narita
    Nov. 6 – travel to Kobe
    Nov 10 – fly out of Osaka, Kansai

    Could you please suggest the most cost effective plan (JR Pass vs. single tickets; which rail stations to use etc.) and also specify if we can acquire the passes/tickets on line in advance?

    Thank you in advance for your kind advice.
    Best regards,
    Elizabeth

1…1718192021…42
Copied title and URL