I’m planning to spend a few days in Tokyo in the coming weeks, and travelling from Osaka I have two options: the standard Tokaido Shinkansen which will set me back about Â¥27,500/£160 return, or the Thunderbird train to Kanazawa and then the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tokyo – and no, 7 hours on a Willer Express is not what I would consider an option.
Normally I wouldn’t contemplate the 2nd option given the Hokuriku route is twice the travel time (about 5hrs vs 2.5) of the normal one, but I’ve recently discovered the existence of the ‘JR Hokuriku Arch Pass’ that gives 7 days of unlimited travel between Osaka & Tokyo via the aformentioned Kanazawa route for Â¥2,000 less than the return Tokaido fare & which includes all JR local lines in Tokyo which I’ll be using extensively, and I don’t mind an extra 2.5 hours train travel if it saves me substantial time & money with local transfers.
It’s a great deal, but the issue is, according to JR West’s criteria, the only people eligibile to use it are international tourists who “have entered Japan with the status of Temporary Visitor and have an immigration sticker in your passport bearing the status Temporary Visitor”.
Normally, I as a resident wouldn’t be allowed to use it. BUT, here’s the thing: a few weeks ago I used JR West’s Kansai Wide Area Pass for travel all around between Kyoto and Okayama – and it had the **exact same** eligibility requirements – from JR West’s website: “A rail pass user must be entering in Japan as a “çŸæœŸæ»žåœ¨ (Temporary Visitor) “. I purchased it from the website, exchanged and obtained it at the Nippon Travel Agency office at Osaka Station, showed them my passport to confirm my identity, and that was it. I very clearly had a residence visa in my passport, but it wasn’t brought up, and not once was I ever questioned about my purpose for being in/visiting Japan by any staff.
So what do you reckon? Do I chance it and hope they overlook it a second time, or play it safe and spend more than what I might need to?
3 comments
from their website:
“What is the Kansai WIDE Area Excursion Pass?
This is Special discount pass available to
non-Japanese passport holder regardless of visa status!”
so that one is NOT just for tourists.
Did you use Kansai Wide Pass, or Kansai Wide Area Excursion pass. The former is valid for 5 days, and only for temporary visitor. The latter is valid for 3 days and is available to any foreigners.
Check Platt Kodama discount ticket.