Rail travel in Japan.

Japan's railways - the Shinkansen and everything else.

Japan's rail network is built around the Shinkansen backbone - ten dedicated high-speed lines covering roughly 3,000 km - operated by five regional JR companies. JR East handles Tokyo and the north-east. JR Central runs the Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka, the busiest high-speed corridor in the world.

JR West extends that corridor south through Hiroshima to Hakata. JR Kyushu runs the island's own network. JR Hokkaido connects Honshu to Sapporo via the Seikan Tunnel under the Tsugaru Strait.

Below the Shinkansen sit the conventional JR lines - Limited Express, Rapid, Local - plus a dense web of private railways. In Tokyo alone, Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway, and a dozen private operators run commuter lines that the JR network barely touches. Osaka and Kyoto have their own private-line ecosystems. An IC card handles all of it.

Suica and Pasmo cover nearly every rail, bus, and ferry service in Japan - Suica from JR East, Pasmo for Tokyo's private lines. They are interchangeable at most gates. ICOCA does the same for the Kansai region. Load any of them onto an iPhone via Apple Wallet.

A working rule for choosing your service: Shinkansen if it gets you there in under three hours. Limited Express if the Shinkansen doesn't serve the route. IC card and local trains for everything within a city. The pricing is scaled to match, so the right choice is usually obvious once you know the hierarchy exists.

The JR Pass - and when not to buy it.

The JR Pass is a multi-day unlimited ticket covering most JR Group trains across Japan: Shinkansen (with the Nozomi and Mizuho exception), Limited Express, Rapid, and Local services. You choose a duration - 7, 14, or 21 consecutive calendar days - before you travel. Activate on a Monday and your 7-day pass expires the following Sunday at midnight, whether you rode trains every day or none.

Current prices: 7 days at ¥50,000, 14 days at ¥80,000, 21 days at ¥100,000 for Ordinary class. Green Car adds ¥20,000 to each tier. These prices have been unchanged since the October 2023 hike, which raised them by roughly 70% from the previous structure.

The pass is only available to temporary visitors - the standard 90-day tourist entry. You buy an exchange order before arriving and redeem it at a JR office in Japan. Do not activate it immediately.

If you're spending two or three days in Tokyo before leaving, exchange the voucher and set the activation date for your first long-distance departure. Three Tokyo days on a ¥50,000 pass is about ¥1,500 of Yamanote fares. Activate on departure.

To check whether the pass is worth it, open a note and price every long-distance leg you're planning as individual tickets. Add them up. If the total beats the pass price, skip the pass.

A 7-day pass at ¥50,000 needs roughly ¥7,000 of JR fares per day to break even. A Tokyo-Osaka return on Hikari costs around ¥28,000 - ¥22,000 short of the pass on its own. You need at least Hiroshima, Kanazawa, or Hakata on top before the maths work in the pass's favour.

For the rest, an IC card is almost always cheaper and more flexible. Load a Suica with ¥5,000-¥10,000, tap on and off, and top up when it runs low. It works in convenience stores and vending machines too. The pass doesn't.

For a full breakdown with worked examples, see the JR Pass guide.

The Japan Rail Pass used to be a no-brainer. The 2023 price hike changed that.

- Patrick Hughes, Planet Patrick editor

Ordinary, Green Car, and Gran Class - what each one gets you.

The same carriages run Nozomi, Hikari, and Kodama on the Tokaido Shinkansen. The class you sit in changes the seat, not the speed. Ordinary is 2+3 seating across the carriage, with a power outlet at each seat, decent legroom, and free WiFi. Green Car is 2+2, wider seats, footrests, and a noticeably quieter cabin.

Gran Class is available on select E5 and E7 series trains on the Tohoku and Hokuriku Shinkansen. It is closer to airline business class: a reclining seat-to-table position, a meal included, and an attendant on call. Green Car is worth the premium on legs of four hours or more. Gran Class is for the journey itself, not just the destination.

Practical intelligence

Rolling stock

Japan's Shinkansen routes