I hate to be bearer of a bad new, but here is the info on regional price increases and other news, including possible JR Pass upgrade for riding Nozomi and Mizuho.
Note that there are significant unresolved issues, including issues surround Hokuriku Area passes.
I also hope to compile a major discussion post on viability of passes after the price hikes in late August.
###JR EAST
Pass | Old Price | New Price
:–|:–:|:–:
JR East Pass (Tohoku Area) | 20,000 JPY | 30,000 JPY
JR East Pass (Niigata, Nagano Area) | 18,000 JPY | 27,000 JPY
JR Tokyo Wide Pass | 10,180 JPY | 15,000 JPY
N’EX Tokyo Round Trip Ticket | 4,070 JPY | 5,000 JPY
JR East-South Hokkaido Pass | 27,000 JPY | 35,000 JPY
JR Tohoku-South Hokkaido Pass | 24,000 JPY | 30,000 JPY
Source: https://www.jreast.co.jp/press/2023/20230726_ho02.pdf
No changes to the availability announced.
###JR WEST + JR CENTRAL
####Passes:
Pass | Old Price | New Price
:–|:–:|:–:
Kansai Area Pass (1/2/3/4-day) | 2,400/4,600/5,600/6,800 JPY | 2,800/4,800/5,800/6,800 JPY
Kansai Wide Area Pass | 10,000-11,000 JPY | 12,000 JPY
Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass | 15,000-16,000 JPY | 17,000 JPY
Sanyo-San’in Area Pass | 20,000-22,000 JPY | 23,000 JPY
Hiroshima-Yamaguchi Area Pass | 13,000-14,000 JPY | 15,000 JPY
Okayama-Hiroshima-Yamaguchi Area Pass | 15,000-16,000 JPY | 17,000 JPY
Setouchi Area Pass | 19,000-21,000 JPY | 22,000 JPY
Sanyo-San’in Northern Kyushu Pass | 23,000-25,000 JPY | 26,000 JPY
Ise-Kumano-Wakayama Area Pass | 11,210-12,200 JPY | 16,500 JPY
Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass | 14,260-15,280 JPY | 19,800 JPY
Mt.Fuji-Shizuoka | 4,570-5,080 JPY | 6,500 JPY
JR West All Area Pass | 23,000-25,000 JPY | 26,000 JPY
####Haruka Deals:
Deal | Old Price | New Price
:–|:–:|:–:
KIX-Tennoji (Osaka-wide ticket) | 1,200 JPY | 1,300 JPY
KIX-Osaka/Shin-Osaka (Osaka-wide ticket) | 1,600 JPY | 1,800 JPY
KIX-Kyoto (Kyoto-wide ticket) | 1,800 JPY | 2,200 JPY
KIX-Kobe (Kobe-wide ticket) | 1,700 JPY | 2,000 JPY
KIX-Nara | 1,600 JPY | 1,800 JPY
Sources: https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/pdf/press_20230726.pdf, https://jr-central.co.jp/news/release/_pdf/000042849.pdf
Note that:
* in person purchases of these passes will be discontinued
* old 4/6-reservation limit passes had their limits raised to 6/unlimited
* no mention had been made of San’in-Okayama Area Pass, Hokuriku Area Pass, Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass or Hokuriku Arch Pass – whether these products will be discontinued or their price will be raised in the future (in 2024 after extension of Hokuriku shinkansen is currently unknown)
###JR Hokkaido
Pass | Old Price (outside Japan/inside Japan) | New Price (outside Japan/inside Japan)
:–|:–:|:–:
Sapporo-Noboribetsu Area Pass | 8,000/8,500 JPY | 9,000/10,000 JPY
Sapporo-Furano Area Pass | 9,000/9,500 JPY | 10,000/11,000 JPY
Hokkaido Rail Pass (5 day) | 19,000/20,000 JPY | 20,000/21,000 JPY
Hokkaido Rail Pass (7 day) | 25,000/26,000 JPY | 26,000/27,000 JPY
Hokkaido Rail Pass (10 day) | not sold | 32,000/33,000 JPY
A new version of Hokkaido Rail Pass had been added.
Note that outside Japan price includes buying via Eki-net (JR East reservation service).
Source: https://www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/CM/Info/press/pdf/20230726_KO_HRP.pdf
###JR Kyushu
Pass | Old Price (outside Japan/inside Japan) | New Price (outside Japan/inside Japan)
:–|:–:|:–:
Northern Kyushu Pass (3 days) | 10,000 JPY | 12,000 JPY
Northern Kyushu Pass (5 days) | 14,000 JPY | 15,000 JPY
All Kyushu Pass (3 day) | 17,000 JPY | 20,000 JPY
All Kyushu Pass (5 day) | 18,500 JPY | 22,500 JPY
All Kyushu Pass (7 day) | 20,000 JPY | 25,000 JPY
Southern Kyushu Pass | 8,000 JPY | 10,000 JPY
Source: https://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/english/pdf/20231001_pricerevision.pdf
###Boarding Nozomi and Mizuho with JR Pass
A special Nozomi/Mizuho upgrade will allow you to ride “Nozomi” and “Mizuho”.
Currently announced plans show following prices for the main sections of Tokaido and Sanyo shinkansen:
* 4,180 JPY for Tokyo/Shinagawa to Nagoya
* 4,960 JPY for Tokyo/Shinagawa to Kyoto
* 4,960 JPY for Tokyo/Shinagawa to Shin-Osaka
* 6,500 JPY for Tokyo/Shinagawa to Hiroshima
* 4,960 JPY for Shin-Osaka to Hakata
* 4,500 JPY for Hakata to Kagoshima-Chuo
Note that the pool of available upgrades will be limited and when it runs out – they will no longer be sold, even if some open seats remain.
Source: https://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/common/inc/news/newtopics/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2023/07/26/230726_japan_railpass.pdf (source includes full table of surcharges)
###Rumours
* It’s been implied in most releases that JR Pass holders may be eligible to receive major discounts in Japan – details will be revealed on JR Pass site in early September.
* Note that there is overwhelming possibility that current ticket prices for single tickets will be adjusted signifcantly (7-20%).
16 comments
Just as reference in case anyone missed it, [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/12lnk7d/psa_japan_rail_pass_will_increase_its_price_on/) is the thread from a few months ago about the price increase for the nation-wide JR Pass.
Thank you for the excellent formatting of this post!
> major discounts in Japan
I read this as discounts at major tourism sites rather than the discounts being of a major magnitude. The current [discounts at tourism sites](https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/pdf/JWRP_PRIVILEGE_EN.pdf) of JR West pass holders for example are very weak.
> lack of full announcement from JR Central
Here is theirs (I don’t think they have any other foreigner-targeted tourist passes): https://jr-central.co.jp/news/release/_pdf/000042849.pdf
everythings getting more expensive, this was always a certainty, I am very happy it seems to be quite… moderate…
(read, not 77%)
With the low yen at the moment even after the regional pass increases you’re probably still paying a similar amount in your country’s currency compared to a couple years ago. Well that is until the yen goes back up.
Sorry if I’m asking a question that has already been addressed, but does anyone know if you can purchase the JR Pass before the price increase at the current price, and then use it/activate it after the price increase? Our Japan trip is scheduled in the first half of November and I was planning on getting the passes in late August or September.
A lot of those are quite reasonable compared to the nationwide JR pass insanity.
Sigh… of course even these passes would have gotten expensive after covid… Thanks for the heads up!
Thanks for the info. I was planning on getting the Hiroshima-Yamaguchi pass and it’s good to know the increase isn’t much if I will be affected by the change. I am going at the beginning of October.
JR pass was borderline worth it at the best of times, now it’s almost definitely not worth it unless you’re changing cities every day.
Anyone have any idea when the new single ticket prices might get announced/take effect? I have a trip in November and I wasn’t planning on getting a JR pass because it’s a very borderline value, but if the single ticket prices go up by then it might make sense to buy a JR pass voucher under the current price.
May be unpopular opinion but when’s the last time prices were raised? Given the excellent service/product provided by JR, I have no qualms paying the increases.
Now if it was Amtrak raising prices, that’s just a lolol no.
These increases are pretty reasonable
Plan to use the sanyo sanin northern Kyushu pass and that increase isn’t too bad
The full JR Pass increase is still absolutely insane.
When does the increase take place?
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Will this affect prices or any reservations (especially at the pickup stage) for JR Pass booked through third parties like Klook?
Thanks for the information! Does anybody know what will happen to the Hokkaido Free Pass?