Since the price rise of the nationwide JR Pass, many routes are cheaper with a regional pass: passes valid only in one area and for a few days. Here is when they make sense, what each one covers and its indicative price.
Regional passes: the alternative to the nationwide JR Pass
Since the nationwide JR Pass went up in price, for many itineraries it works out cheaper to combine individual tickets with a regional pass. These are cheaper than the nationwide pass, valid only within a specific zone and for a few days. They make sense if your trip is concentrated in one region rather than crossing the whole country.
- JR East (Tohoku / Nagano-Niigata): ideal if you combine Tokyo with the north (Sendai, Aomori) or the Alps. It covers the Shinkansen of those lines for several days.
- JR West — Kansai Area Pass: for getting around Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe and Kansai airport (Haruka). Very useful if your base is Kyoto or Osaka — before choosing a pass, it helps to know how many days to spend in Kyoto.
- JR West — Kansai-Hiroshima: extends the previous one to Hiroshima and Miyajima, covering the area's Sanyo Shinkansen.
- JR Hokkaido / JR Kyushu: specific passes for those islands, useful if you concentrate the trip on one of them.
Apart from the JR passes, there is the Hakone Free Pass, which is not a train pass as such but a pass covering the entire Hakone transport loop (mountain train, funicular, cable car, pirate boat on Lake Ashi and buses) for 2 or 3 days. If you visit Hakone, it almost always pays off compared with paying for each leg separately.
The prices of these passes change frequently, so confirm them on the official JR website before buying. To decide between the nationwide pass, a regional one or individual tickets, the most reliable thing is to calculate your specific route with the JR Pass calculator.
Regional pass areas and prices
If your route is concentrated in one region, the JR regional passes are much cheaper than the nationwide pass. After the increase to the nationwide pass they are, for many itineraries, the most sensible option. These are the most relevant ones (official prices in yen; check the exact amount when buying, as they change frequently):
| Regional pass | Duration | Approx. price | Area covered | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JR Kansai Area Pass | 1 day | ~2,800 ¥ | Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe | A day of trips from Osaka or Kyoto |
| JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass | 5 days | ~17,000 ¥ | Kansai to Hiroshima | Kansai + Hiroshima route without going to Tokyo |
| JR Sanyo-San'in Area Pass | 7 days | ~23,000 ¥ | Osaka to Hakata (Fukuoka) | Wide western route without Tokyo |
| JR East Pass (Tohoku) | 5 days | ~35,000 ¥ | Tokyo + Tohoku (north) | Tokyo and the north without a route south |
| JR Kyushu Rail Pass (all Kyushu) | 5 days | ~24,000 ¥ | All of Kyushu | Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kagoshima |
| Hokkaido Rail Pass | 5 days | ~22,000 ¥ | All of Hokkaido | Sapporo, Hakodate and the north in detail |
The regional passes are bought online just like the nationwide pass and are exchanged (or activated in digital form) at JR offices and machines. Combined with individual tickets for the legs they do not cover, they usually work out cheaper than the full JR Pass. To understand how they fit with the rest of urban transport, read our guide to transport in Japan.