There are almost as many ways to buy train tickets in Japan as there are types of train. But the three easiest ways for visiting railfans will be to buy a Japan Railways (JR) pass, an IC card, or single destination tickets at your departing stations. Below you’ll find some advice on which tickets might be best for you and how you can buy them.

Rail Passes vs. Single Destination Tickets

If you are planning to stay within the same city your entire time in Japan, buying single destination tickets may save you money. However, if you do plan on seeing more of the country, you will start saving money with the cheapest JR Pass after your first long-distance round-trip.

By purchasing a JR Pass online, you will save yourself travel time at the stations by avoiding ticket booth and kiosk wait times and by being able to just tap your card to quickly pass through the turnstiles. The JR Pass also boasts the advantage of being the only kind of ticket you can buy before travelling to Japan.

If you don’t think you’ll make enough journeys to warrant buying a JR Pass, but you would still like to avoid station wait times, you can purchase an IC card. An IC card is an e-card users can preload with money and top up as they please. Just like a JR Pass, you can quickly tap an IC card to pass through the turn stiles. However there are no economic advantages to purchasing an IC card over single destination tickets, and the card itself costs a minimum of ¥2000 (just under $20 USD).

Single Destination Tickets

To buy single destination tickets for shinkansen, regular trains, or metro trains, use the electronic ticket kiosks. Most employees of the major train stations speak some English, but it’s safer to use the kiosks. You will need Japanese cash to use the machines as many of them do not accept card transactions. To purchase your ticket(s):

  1. Go to the nearest the electronic kiosk.
  2. The first screen will present a list of languages to complete your transaction in. Select English.
  3. You will see a list of ticket prices. Look above the kiosks at the list of destinations (written in Japanese and English).
  4. A price will be labeled next to your destination. Select that price on the kiosk.
  5. Enter the appropriate amount of Yen into the kiosks cash slot. Enter the correct change.
  6. Collect your printed ticket from the opening underneath the kiosk screen.

JR Pass

If you decide to purchase a JR Pass, you will need to do so before going to Japan. JR Passes can only be purchased outside of Japan. The JR Pass can be purchased for 7, 14, or 21 days of unlimited use. You have the option of either purchasing a JR Pass for regular cars or one for “Green Cars”. “Green Cars” is the Japanese term for first class train carriages.

Most, but not all, trains in Japan are covered by a JR Pass. For trains that aren’t, you will need to purchase a point-to-point ticket at any major Japanese train station.

You can purchase a JR Pass from many sites, but the easiest and most reliable one to use is www.jrailpass.com. To purchase from this site you can use Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, or American Express.

Only purchase tickets within three months of leaving for Japan. Once you have purchased your tickets, you will receive a voucher to present at a Japanese train station where they will give you your JR Pass cards. The voucher is only valid for three months after purchase. Once you have presented your voucher(s), you will then have to use your pass within one month.

To purchase JR Pass(es) from www.jrailpass.com,

  1. Click the above link and follow the site’s easy-to-use purchasing instructions within three months before visiting Japan.
  2. Once purchased, print your vouchers.
  3. Bring your printed vouchers with you to Japan.
  4. Go to any major Japanese train station.
  5. Present your vouchers at a staffed counter. You will be presented with your JR Pass e-card(s).
  6. Use your pass(es) within one month of receiving them.

IC Card

There are ten different brands of IC card sold. Don’t worry about which one you buy, they are all interchangeable. But do familiarize yourself with the brands as the IC card-specific kiosks found in all major Japanese train stations will be marked by one of those brands. To buy an IC card, use the electronic IC card-specific kiosks. The card itself costs ¥500 (roughly $5 USD) and the minimum amount it can be loaded with is ¥1500 (roughly $14 USD). To purchase an IC card:

  1. Approach the IC card-specific kiosk.
  2. The first screen will present a list of languages to complete your transaction in. Select English.
  3. The next screen will ask you how much you would like to load your IC card with. Select the amount you would like.
  4. After selecting the amount you would like, your card will emerge from a card slot beneath the kiosk screen.

Whenever you use your IC card by tapping it on the turnstiles, a small screen will show the amount left on your card. To recharge an IC card:

  1. Enter your IC card into an IC card-specific kiosk (the card slot is located just beneath the screen).
  2. The first screen will present a list of languages to complete your transaction in. Select English.
  3. The next screen will ask you how much you would like to reload your IC card with. Select the amount you would like.
  4. After selecting the amount you would like, your card will emerge from the same slot it was entered.

Reservations

Some Japanese trains have completely unreserved seating and most have several carriages devoted to it. However, during peak hours, a seat isn’t guaranteed—especially on the Shinkansen. If you’re travelling at a particularly busy time, you should reserve a seat by going to the staffed ticket counters at your departing station before your journey. If your journey involves multiple trains, you can make a reservation that will carry over from one train to the next.

Reservations cannot be made online before you get to Japan. But if you know exactly what trains you’re going to ride during your stay in Japan, you can reserve all your seats for multiple journeys at the same time at a ticket counter.

Most Green Car seating requires a reservation, even if you have a JR Green Car Pass. If you are caught sitting in a Green Car without a reservation, you may be charged an extra reservation seat fee.

Additionally, some specialty trains are not covered by the JR Pass, in which case all seating must be reserved. If you are travelling on one of these trains, you should purchase your single point-to-point ticket at the staffed ticket counters so you can reserve your seat(s) at the same time.