The Answers · checked 2026-09-19
Which rail pass, for which of the Hundred Scenes?
On 1 October 2026 the nationwide Japan Rail Pass goes from ¥50,000 to ¥53,000. For most of the places on this list, it was already the wrong pass to buy.
Every calculator on the internet will add up your fares and compare them with the nationwide pass. Almost none of them will tell you that a ¥4,000 regional pass covers the train you were actually going to catch. This page answers the second question, scene by scene, and shows its working.
What changed
The nationwide pass, from 1 October 2026, local time where you buy it.
| Pass | Until 30 Sep | From 1 Oct | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary, 7 days | ¥50,000 | ¥53,000 | +¥3,000 |
| Ordinary, 14 days | ¥80,000 | ¥84,000 | +¥4,000 |
| Ordinary, 21 days | ¥100,000 | ¥105,000 | +¥5,000 |
| Green car, 7 days | ¥70,000 | ¥74,000 | +¥4,000 |
| Green car, 14 days | ¥110,000 | ¥116,000 | +¥6,000 |
| Green car, 21 days | ¥140,000 | ¥147,000 | +¥7,000 |
One exception worth knowing. The official Japan Rail Pass website says buyers there can still get the old prices for a limited promotional period after 1 October. The length of that window had not been announced when we checked. Travel agencies, online and off, charge the new price from day one.
The pass we would actually buy
One row per scene. “From” is the city the answer is priced from: for a scene in Kyushu, that is Fukuoka, not Tokyo, because nobody buys a Kyushu pass to sit on a Tokyo train. Where the honest answer is “none”, it says none.
| No. | Scene | What to buy | vs ¥53,000 | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Ginzan Onsen | JR EAST PASS ¥35,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Tokyo | ¥18,000 less | Only if Tohoku is a week, not a weekend. One return trip to Ginzan is ¥24,900; the pass is ¥35,000. Add Nyuto or the Tadami Line and it turns over. |
| 02 | Zao Juhyo (Snow Monsters) | JR EAST PASS ¥35,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Tokyo | ¥18,000 less | Same arithmetic as Ginzan, and the two sit three hours apart. The ropeway is never covered by anything. |
| 03 | Tsurui Crane Sanctuaries | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None. The rail route is twelve hours each way; everyone flies, and no pass touches a flight or a rental car. |
| 04 | Shiretoko Drift Ice (Utoro) | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None. Rail gets you to Shari in about a day. Fly to Memanbetsu instead and buy the airport bus. |
| 05 | Gokayama Gassho Villages | Hokuriku Arch Pass ¥35,000 · 7 consecutive days · from Tokyo | ¥18,000 less | Only if you carry on to Kansai. Gokayama alone is ¥28,100 return against ¥35,000. From Kanazawa the Hokuriku Area Pass is ¥7,000 for four days. |
| 06 | Adachi Museum of Art | Tottori–Matsue Pass ¥4,000 · 3 consecutive days · from Okayama | ¥49,000 less | ¥4,000 for three days, and it covers the Yakumo, the train this scene is reached on. From Tokyo, no pass pays for this trip by itself. |
| 07 | Oki Islands | Tottori–Matsue Pass ¥4,000 · 3 consecutive days · from Okayama | ¥49,000 less | Same pass, same corridor. It stops at the water: neither the taxi to Shichirui nor the Oki Kisen ferry is on any rail pass. |
| 08 | Iya Valley | ALL SHIKOKU Rail Pass ¥12,000 · 3 consecutive days · from Okayama | ¥41,000 less | ¥12,000 for three days across the island. Getting to Okayama from Tokyo is on you: that leg alone is ¥35,540 return. |
| 09 | Takachiho Gorge | JR Kyushu Rail Pass, All Kyushu ¥22,000 · 3 consecutive days · from Fukuoka | ¥31,000 less | ¥22,000 for three days. The Takachiho bus is not on it, and never has been. |
| 10 | Kannawa District, Beppu | JR Kyushu Rail Pass, Northern Kyushu ¥15,000 · 3 consecutive days · from Fukuoka | ¥38,000 less | ¥15,000 for three days, and the Sonic is its flagship ride. Worth checking the online advance fare first: three days out it cuts the train to ¥2,550. |
| 11 | Oirase Gorge (Ishigedo) | JR EAST PASS ¥35,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Tokyo | ¥18,000 less | The strongest case on the list. The pass covers the Hayabusa and the JR Bus Tohoku services into the gorge, which almost no pass does for a bus. |
| 12 | Asahidake, Daisetsuzan | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None. You fly to Asahikawa. On a Hokkaido pass the Sapporo–Asahikawa express is covered; the mountain bus and the ropeway never are. |
| 13 | Gujo Hachiman (Gujo Odori) | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None. The Takayama Line reaches Mino-Ota, but the Nagaragawa Railway and the town buses are private, and that is the part you actually ride. |
| 14 | Heavens Sonohara, Achi | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None we can recommend. The highway bus, the gondola and the shuttles are all private, and we have not verified whether the Alpine pass reaches Iida. |
| 15 | Chichijima, Ogasawara Islands | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None. There is no rail. The Ogasawara Maru is the only way in and it is a private line. |
| 16 | Sada Chinkabashi, Shimanto River | ALL SHIKOKU Rail Pass ¥12,000 · 3 consecutive days · from Okayama | ¥41,000 less | ¥12,000 for three days. Note that we have not confirmed whether it covers the Tosa Kuroshio section to Nakamura; the nationwide pass does not. |
| 17 | Kumano Nachi Taisha & Nachi Falls | Ise–Kumano–Wakayama Area Tourist Pass ¥16,500 · 5 consecutive days · from Nagoya | ¥36,500 less | ¥16,500 for five days, and it is built around exactly this pilgrimage. Our own scene page did not carry it until now. |
| 18 | Shimanami Kaido (Onomichi) | Okayama–Hiroshima–Yamaguchi Area Pass ¥17,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Okayama | ¥36,000 less | ¥17,000 for five days along the Sanyo corridor. The ferry, the bikes and the Imabari bus stay yours. |
| 19 | Kusasenri, Mount Aso | JR Kyushu Rail Pass, All Kyushu ¥22,000 · 3 consecutive days · from Fukuoka | ¥31,000 less | ¥22,000 for three days. The Aso Boy is on it; the mountain bus to Kusasenri is not. |
| 20 | Murodo, Tateyama (Snow Corridor) | Alpine–Takayama–Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass ¥24,500 · 5 consecutive days · from Nagoya | ¥28,500 less | ¥24,500 for five days, and it is the only pass that covers the Alpine Route itself. The trade is that you cannot book the Route's timed slots in advance. |
| 21 | Himeji Castle | Kansai WIDE Area Pass ¥12,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Kyoto | ¥41,000 less | ¥12,000 for five days, but for a single day trip from Osaka the ordinary Special Rapid fare beats any pass. Buy the pass only if Kinosaki, Takeda or Kurayoshi are also on the list. |
| 22 | Kenrokuen Garden, Kanazawa | Hokuriku Arch Pass ¥35,000 · 7 consecutive days · from Tokyo | ¥18,000 less | Only if you go on to Osaka. Kanazawa and back from Tokyo is ¥29,200 against ¥35,000; the arc is what the pass is priced for. |
| 23 | Karasawa Cirque, Hotaka | Alpine–Takayama–Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass ¥24,500 · 5 consecutive days · from Nagoya | ¥28,500 less | Only if you also cross to Takayama. Matsumoto and back plus the valley buses is about ¥18,800 against ¥24,500. |
| 24 | Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima | Okayama–Hiroshima–Yamaguchi Area Pass ¥17,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Okayama | ¥36,000 less | ¥17,000 for five days. The JR ferry to the island is covered by JR passes; the ¥100 island tax is not, and neither is the tram. |
| 25 | Nyuto Onsen (Tsurunoyu) | JR EAST PASS ¥35,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Tokyo | ¥18,000 less | ¥35,000 against a ¥33,520 return. It pays only as part of a bigger Tohoku loop, which, given Ginzan and the Tadami Line are on the same pass, is the trip to plan. |
| 26 | Eiheiji Temple | Kansai–Hokuriku Area Pass ¥19,000 · 7 consecutive days · from Osaka | ¥34,000 less | ¥19,000 for seven days from Kansai. From Tokyo the Hokuriku Arch Pass at ¥35,000 runs the whole arc through to Osaka. |
| 27 | Tadami River, No.1 Bridge | Seishun 18 ticket ¥12,050 · 5 flexible days · from Tokyo | ¥40,950 less | ¥12,050 for five days of local trains, in its summer and winter windows. The Tadami Line is a local line; you were never in a hurry. |
| 28 | Taketomi Island | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None. No rail pass reaches 24 degrees north. What replaces it is the airline sale calendar. |
| 29 | Funaya of Ine | Kansai WIDE Area Pass ¥12,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Kyoto | ¥41,000 less | ¥12,000 for five days, and it is the answer to the Tango Railway trap: the nationwide pass stops covering the Hashidate at Fukuchiyama and you pay the rest. |
| 30 | Shukunegi, Sado Island | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None. Tokyo–Niigata is ¥21,960 return and no pass touches the boat, which is the expensive half. |
| 31 | Ozegahara Marshland | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None. The trains are cheap and every bus beyond Numata is Kan-etsu Kotsu, a private operator: about ¥8,400 return. |
| 32 | Yufuin Onsen | JR Kyushu Rail Pass, Northern Kyushu ¥15,000 · 3 consecutive days · from Fukuoka | ¥38,000 less | ¥15,000 for three days, with up to six seat reservations, which matters, because Yufuin no Mori seats go the morning they open. |
| 33 | Owara Kaze no Bon, Yatsuo | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None. Tokyo–Toyama and the JR local to Yatsuo come to ¥26,360 return, under any pass that covers them. |
| 34 | Kusatsu Onsen | JR EAST PASS ¥35,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Tokyo | ¥18,000 less | Only in a bigger eastern loop. Worth knowing which pass: the JR EAST PASS covers the connecting JR bus, the JR TOKYO Wide Pass explicitly does not. |
| 35 | Kamikochi | Alpine–Takayama–Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass ¥24,500 · 5 consecutive days · from Nagoya | ¥28,500 less | Only if you also cross to Takayama. Otherwise buy tickets: the pass dies at Matsumoto anyway and the valley's ¥7,420 is unavoidable. |
| 36 | Yakushima | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None. Rail reaches Kagoshima; the island does not. The turboprop or the ferry is the last leg either way. |
| 37 | Koyasan | Koyasan World Heritage Ticket ¥3,980 · 2 consecutive days · from Osaka | ¥49,020 less | ¥3,980 from Namba: round trip, cable car, two days of town buses and entry discounts. Nankai is private, so no JR pass helps at all. |
| 38 | Jigokudani Monkey Park, Yamanouchi | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None. Nagano and back is ¥16,900, and the Nagaden express and the park bus beyond it are private. |
| 39 | Kinosaki Onsen | Kansai WIDE Area Pass ¥12,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Kyoto | ¥41,000 less | Not for Kinosaki alone: the express is ¥5,370 each way and the pass is ¥12,000, so a return trip does not quite cover it. It turns over the moment you add Takeda or Ine. |
| 40 | Takeda Castle Ruins | Kansai WIDE Area Pass ¥12,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Kyoto | ¥41,000 less | ¥12,000 for five days, covering the expresses from Kyoto and the Bantan line to Takeda. The castle gate is ¥500 whatever you hold. |
| 41 | Kurokawa Onsen | SUNQ Pass, Northern Kyushu ¥10,000 · 3 consecutive days · from Fukuoka | ¥43,000 less | Not a rail pass at all. Kurokawa is reached by highway bus, and the three-day SUNQ Pass at ¥10,000 is the one that covers it. |
| 42 | Dogo Onsen Honkan, Matsuyama | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None, as of 7 March 2026: the ALL SHIKOKU Rail Pass stopped covering Iyotetsu, which is the tram to the bathhouse door. |
| 43 | Gero Onsen, Gero | Takayama–Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass ¥19,800 · 5 consecutive days · from Nagoya | ¥33,200 less | ¥19,800 for five days, covering the Hida from Nagoya to Toyama. Not the Takayama–Gero bus, which you will not need. |
| 44 | Nageiredo, Mitokusan Sanbutsuji | Kansai WIDE Area Pass ¥12,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Kyoto | ¥41,000 less | ¥12,000 for five days, and it covers the Super Hakuto over the private Chizu Express, the section the nationwide ¥53,000 pass refuses. From Tottori or Matsue instead, the ¥4,000 Tottori–Matsue Pass covers the same train over three days. |
| 45 | Naruto Strait, Tokushima | ALL SHIKOKU Rail Pass ¥12,000 · 3 consecutive days · from Takamatsu | ¥41,000 less | ¥12,000 for three days if Shikoku is the trip. For the whirlpools alone it is a ¥320 bus and a boat ticket. |
| 46 | Naoshima, Kagawa | No pass. Buy the tickets | No pass to price | None. The Uno Line is a short local run and the ferry, the town bus and the museums are the real cost. |
| 47 | Osorezan Bodaiji, Mutsu | JR EAST PASS ¥35,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Tokyo | ¥18,000 less | ¥35,000 for five days, and it reaches Shimokita. One return from Tokyo is ¥38,340, so this is one of the few where the pass and the trip are the same size. |
| 48 | Sakurajima, Kagoshima | JR Kyushu Rail Pass, All Kyushu ¥22,000 · 3 consecutive days · from Fukuoka | ¥31,000 less | ¥22,000 for three days. On the island itself nothing is covered: the tram, the ferry and the Island View bus are all local. |
| 49 | Matsushima Bay, Miyagi | JR EAST PASS ¥35,000 · 5 consecutive days · from Tokyo | ¥18,000 less | Only as part of a Tohoku week. Sendai and back is ¥23,920 and the Senseki Line to the bay is JR, so tickets win for the bay alone. |
14 of the 49 need no pass at all. Either the trains are cheap and the buses are private, or there is no rail. Saying so is the whole point: a pass you do not need is the most expensive ticket in Japan.
The passes themselves
Every pass named above, with what it will not do. Prices and validity were read off the issuer's own English site on 2026-09-19, except where marked.
| Pass | Price | Days | Area | What it will not do | Who can buy | Scenes | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JR EAST PASS Replaced the area-specific Tohoku and Nagano-Niigata passes in March 2026. It is five consecutive days, not five flexible days: a number of English guides still say otherwise. | ¥35,000 | 5 consecutive | All JR East lines, Tokyo to Aomori and Niigata | Anything west or south of JR East | Overseas visitors only | 7 | issuer, today |
| Hokuriku Arch Pass | ¥35,000 | 7 consecutive | Tokyo to Kanazawa to Osaka, the long way round | The Alpine Route, and anything east of the arc | Overseas visitors only | 2 | issuer, today |
| Kansai WIDE Area Pass Includes the private Chizu Express and Tango Railway sections that the nationwide pass refuses. | ¥12,000 | 5 consecutive | Kansai out to Okayama, Takamatsu, Tottori, Kinosaki and Amanohashidate | The Tokaido Shinkansen east of Shin-Osaka | Overseas visitors only | 5 | issuer, today |
| Kansai–Hokuriku Area Pass | ¥19,000 | 7 consecutive | Kansai plus the Hokuriku Shinkansen, Tsuruga to Joetsu-Myoko | Tokyo | Overseas visitors only | 1 | issuer, today |
| Okayama–Hiroshima–Yamaguchi Area Pass | ¥17,000 | 5 consecutive | Sanyo Shinkansen, Okayama to Hakata, and the lines between | Tokyo, Kansai | Overseas visitors only | 2 | issuer, today |
| Tottori–Matsue Pass The cheapest pass on this page, and the one almost nobody mentions. | ¥4,000 | 3 consecutive | Super Hakuto, Super Inaba and Yakumo in the Tottori–Matsue corridor | Tokyo, Kansai | Overseas visitors only | 2 | issuer, today |
| Takayama–Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass | ¥19,800 | 5 consecutive | Osaka or Nagoya to Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kanazawa and Toyama | Tokyo | Overseas visitors only | 1 | issuer, today |
| Alpine–Takayama–Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass | ¥24,500 | 5 consecutive | Nagoya round through Gifu, the Alpine Route and Nagano | Tokyo, and advance timed booking on the Alpine Route | Overseas visitors only | 3 | issuer, today |
| Ise–Kumano–Wakayama Area Tourist Pass | ¥16,500 | 5 consecutive | Osaka or Nagoya to the Kumano Kodo, Wakayama, Mie and Nara | Tokyo | Overseas visitors only | 1 | issuer, today |
| JR Kyushu Rail Pass, Northern Kyushu | ¥15,000 | 3 consecutive | Northern Kyushu, including the Yufuin no Mori | Southern Kyushu; and reservations are capped at six | Overseas visitors only | 2 | our scene page |
| JR Kyushu Rail Pass, All Kyushu | ¥22,000 | 3 consecutive | All of Kyushu | Anything off Kyushu | Overseas visitors only | 3 | our scene page |
| ALL SHIKOKU Rail Pass | ¥12,000 | 3 consecutive | JR Shikoku and most private lines on the island | Iyotetsu: dropped on 7 March 2026, which is exactly the tram to Dōgo Onsen | Anyone | 3 | issuer, today |
| Koyasan World Heritage Ticket | ¥3,980 | 2 consecutive | Nankai from Namba, the cable car, and two days of town buses | JR anything | Anyone | 1 | our scene page |
| SUNQ Pass, Northern Kyushu | ¥10,000 | 3 consecutive | Highway and local buses across northern Kyushu, not trains | Trains | Anyone | 1 | our scene page |
| Seishun 18 ticket | ¥12,050 | 5 flexible | Unlimited local and rapid JR trains, nationwide | Every Shinkansen and every limited express. Sold only in the summer and winter windows | Anyone | 1 | our scene page |
The JR EAST PASS is five consecutive days, not five flexible ones. It replaced the
area-specific Tohoku and Nagano-Niigata passes in March 2026, and a number of English guides still
describe the old product. If your Tohoku scenes are spread over a fortnight, this pass does not do
what you think it does.
Does the nationwide pass pay?
If you still want the nationwide pass, here is the arithmetic. Pick the scenes; we give a range rather than a single number, because what you pay depends on whether you come back to Tokyo between them.
Tickets, if you loop¥0
Tickets, back to Tokyo each time¥0
Nationwide pass¥53,000
Nothing chosen yet.
Why a range. The low figure is the return trip to the farthest scene you chose: whatever route you take, you have to get out there and back, so your tickets cannot cost less than that. The high figure is every scene out and back from Tokyo. A real itinerary lands between the two, and the closer you chain them, the lower it sits. Fares are one adult, ordinary car, regular season, on the fastest train the pass will let you ride, it does not cover Nozomi or Mizuho without a supplement. † marks a scene whose limited express runs part of the way on private track, so that figure is an upper bound.
Seven days, and they are consecutive
The other thing the calculators leave out. The nationwide pass runs for seven consecutive days from the day you start it, not seven days of travel spread across a trip.
Most of these scenes are not day trips. Ginzan is worth nothing unless you sleep there; Karasawa is two nights; Ogasawara is six days before you count the walking. The calculator above adds up the minimum days each scene takes and tells you when your selection has stopped fitting inside the pass.
It is the quiet reason regional passes win. A five-day JR EAST PASS at ¥35,000 covering the three Tohoku scenes you actually want beats a seven-day nationwide pass at ¥53,000 that expires while you are still in Yamagata.
What no pass covers
The bus from the station, the ropeway, the ferry, the island tax. Every figure here was checked against the operator for the scene's own page, and is round trip, per person.
| No. | Scene, and the rail route | The nationwide pass | Tickets, return | Still on you | What that is |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Ginzan Onsen Yamagata Shinkansen Tsubasa | Covers the trains only | ¥24,900 | ¥2,000 | Hanagasa bus, round trip: cash only, no IC cards |
| 02 | Zao Juhyo (Snow Monsters) Yamagata Shinkansen Tsubasa | Covers the trains only | ¥22,900 | ¥6,800 | City bus ¥2,400 return, ropeway ¥4,400 return |
| 03 | Tsurui Crane Sanctuaries Tohoku + Hokkaido Shinkansen, then the Ozora | Rail is not the way in | ¥69,880 | ¥14,000 | Rental car, two days: the rail route takes 12 hours each way |
| 04 | Shiretoko Drift Ice (Utoro) Shinkansen to Hakodate, then north all day | Rail is not the way in | ¥72,300 | ¥7,000 | Shiretoko Airport Liner bus, round trip |
| 05 | Gokayama Gassho Villages Hokuriku Shinkansen Hakutaka | Covers the trains only | ¥28,100 | ¥4,000 | World Heritage Bus, 2-day pass: the scene page's own figure; a single return is ¥2,200 |
| 06 | Adachi Museum of Art Sanyo Shinkansen to Okayama, then the Yakumo | Covers the whole way | ¥43,420 | nothing | The museum shuttle from Yasugi is free |
| 07 | Oki Islands Sanyo Shinkansen to Okayama, then the Yakumo | Covers the trains only | ¥43,420 | ¥14,000 | Taxi to Shichirui ~¥7,000 return, Oki Kisen ferry ¥7,740 return |
| 08 | Iya Valley Sanyo Shinkansen to Okayama, then the Nampu | Covers the trains only | ¥42,940 | ¥1,300 | Local bus into the valley, round trip |
| 09 | Takachiho Gorge Tokaido–Sanyo–Kyushu Shinkansen | Covers the trains only | ¥57,320 | ¥5,400 | Takachiho-gō express bus, round trip |
| 10 | Kannawa District, Beppu Shinkansen to Kokura, then the Sonic | Covers the whole way | ¥54,040 | ¥780 | Kamenoi bus up to Kannawa, round trip |
| 11 | Oirase Gorge (Ishigedo) Tohoku Shinkansen Hayabusa | Covers the whole way | ¥35,340 | ¥3,000 | E-bike for four hours. The JR buses into the gorge are covered; the bike is not |
| 12 | Asahidake, Daisetsuzan Shinkansen to Hakodate, then the Lilac | Rail is not the way in | ¥66,940 | ¥6,800 | Ideyu-go bus ¥3,300 return, ropeway ¥3,500 return |
| 13 | Gujo Hachiman (Gujo Odori) Tokaido Shinkansen, then the JR Takayama Line | Covers the trains only | ¥27,600 | ¥4,800 | Gifu Bus highway service, round trip. The Nagaragawa Railway is private and extra |
| 14 | Heavens Sonohara, Achi Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya, then the Iida Line | Covers the trains only | ¥27,980 | ¥5,400 | Gondola and inn shuttle, booked with the inn |
| 15 | Chichijima, Ogasawara Islands There is no rail. The Ogasawara Maru is the only way in. | No rail at all | Not priced | ¥70,000 | Ogasawara Maru, round trip, tatami class |
| 16 | Sada Chinkabashi, Shimanto River † Shinkansen to Okayama, then the Nampu and Ashizuri | Covers the trains only | ¥50,200 | ¥2,000 | Rental bicycle along the left bank |
| 17 | Kumano Nachi Taisha & Nachi Falls Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya, then the Nanki | Covers the whole way | ¥39,540 | ¥1,110 | Bus 31 to Nachi: ¥480 up, ¥630 down, cash |
| 18 | Shimanami Kaido (Onomichi) Sanyo Shinkansen to Fukuyama, then the local | Covers the trains only | ¥37,280 | ¥3,220 | Ferry ¥220 return, bicycle ¥3,000 a day |
| 19 | Kusasenri, Mount Aso Shinkansen to Kumamoto, then the Hohi Line | Covers the trains only | ¥58,200 | ¥2,000 | Aso Mountain Line bus to Kusasenri, round trip, cash |
| 20 | Murodo, Tateyama (Snow Corridor) Hokuriku Shinkansen Kagayaki | Covers the trains only | ¥26,360 | ¥7,380 | Cable car and Highland Bus to Murodo, return. Crossing the range instead costs ¥12,360+ |
| 21 | Himeji Castle Tokaido–Sanyo Shinkansen Hikari | Covers the whole way | ¥31,860 | nothing | The castle is a walk from the station |
| 22 | Kenrokuen Garden, Kanazawa Hokuriku Shinkansen Kagayaki | Covers the whole way | ¥29,200 | ¥800 | Castle town loop bus, one day ticket |
| 23 | Karasawa Cirque, Hotaka Limited Express Azusa from Shinjuku | Covers the trains only | ¥13,240 | ¥6,000 | Alpico train and the Kamikochi bus, round trip |
| 24 | Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima Sanyo Shinkansen to Hiroshima, then the Sanyo Line | Covers the whole way | ¥39,520 | ¥100 | The JR ferry is covered. The island tax is not |
| 25 | Nyuto Onsen (Tsurunoyu) Akita Shinkansen Komachi | Covers the trains only | ¥33,520 | ¥4,000 | Ugo Kotsu bus ¥1,500 return and the ¥2,500 yumeguri bath pass, cash only |
| 26 | Eiheiji Temple Hokuriku Shinkansen Kagayaki | Covers the trains only | ¥32,060 | ¥1,500 | Eiheiji Liner bus, round trip |
| 27 | Tadami River, No.1 Bridge Tohoku Shinkansen Yamabiko | Covers the whole way | ¥16,680 | nothing | Every leg, including the Tadami Line itself, is JR |
| 28 | Taketomi Island No rail pass reaches 24 degrees north. | No rail at all | Not priced | ¥25,880 | Flights ~¥24,000 return in winter, Taketomi ferry ¥1,880 return |
| 29 | Funaya of Ine † Tokaido Shinkansen to Kyoto, then the Hashidate | Covers the trains only | ¥38,160 | ¥800 | Tankai bus up the coast, capped at ¥400 a ride |
| 30 | Shukunegi, Sado Island Joetsu Shinkansen Toki | Covers the trains only | ¥21,960 | ¥15,940 | Jet foil, round trip. The car ferry instead is ¥6,580 |
| 31 | Ozegahara Marshland Joetsu Shinkansen, then the local to Numata | Covers the trains only | ¥11,580 | ¥8,400 | Kan-etsu Kotsu buses and the shared taxi. No rail pass touches them |
| 32 | Yufuin Onsen Shinkansen to Hakata, then the Yufuin no Mori | Covers the whole way | ¥57,020 | nothing | The town is a walk from the station |
| 33 | Owara Kaze no Bon, Yatsuo Hokuriku Shinkansen Kagayaki | Covers the whole way | ¥26,360 | nothing | The JR Takayama Line to Yatsuo is covered. Carry ¥330 in cash anyway: the line takes no IC cards |
| 34 | Kusatsu Onsen Limited Express Kusatsu-Shima | Covers the whole way | ¥11,180 | nothing | The national pass rides the JR bus up to the town. On the JR TOKYO Wide Pass it is ¥1,560 return in cash |
| 35 | Kamikochi Limited Express Azusa from Shinjuku | Covers the trains only | ¥13,240 | ¥7,420 | Alpico railway and the bus through the Kama Tunnel, round trip. The valley's real entry fee |
| 36 | Yakushima Rail reaches Kagoshima; the island does not. | No rail at all | Not priced | ¥29,000 | Flight to Kagoshima and the turboprop or ferry across |
| 37 | Koyasan Tokaido Shinkansen Hikari | Covers the trains only | ¥28,800 | ¥3,980 | Nankai is a private railway. The Koyasan World Heritage digital pass covers the train, cable car and two days of buses |
| 38 | Jigokudani Monkey Park, Yamanouchi Hokuriku Shinkansen Kagayaki | Covers the trains only | ¥16,900 | ¥4,300 | Nagaden express and the park bus, round trip |
| 39 | Kinosaki Onsen Tokaido Shinkansen to Kyoto, then the Kinosaki | Covers the whole way | ¥37,100 | nothing | Seven baths, all on foot |
| 40 | Takeda Castle Ruins Shinkansen to Kyoto, the Kinosaki, then the Bantan Line | Covers the whole way | ¥35,980 | ¥1,000 | Bus up to the castle gate, round trip. Cash or PayPay |
| 41 | Kurokawa Onsen Tokaido–Sanyo Shinkansen | Covers the trains only | ¥47,620 | ¥8,000 | Fukuoka–Kurokawa highway bus, round trip, reserved |
| 42 | Dogo Onsen Honkan, Matsuyama Shinkansen to Okayama, then the Shiokaze | Covers the trains only | ¥45,840 | ¥2,400 | Iyotetsu airport limousine, both ways: the scene page prices this trip from the airport |
| 43 | Gero Onsen, Gero Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya, then the Hida | Covers the whole way | ¥30,680 | nothing | The bath street is over the bridge from the station |
| 44 | Nageiredo, Mitokusan Sanbutsuji † Shinkansen to Kyoto, then the Super Hakuto | Covers the trains only | ¥42,260 | ¥1,400 | Bus 71 via Misasa Onsen, round trip |
| 45 | Naruto Strait, Tokushima Shinkansen to Okayama, then the Marine Liner and the Naruto Line | Covers the trains only | ¥43,320 | ¥640 | Local bus to the park entrance, round trip |
| 46 | Naoshima, Kagawa Sanyo Shinkansen to Okayama, then the Uno Line | Covers the trains only | ¥37,880 | ¥940 | Ferry ¥740 return, town bus ¥200 |
| 47 | Osorezan Bodaiji, Mutsu † Tohoku Shinkansen to Hachinohe, then the Ominato Line | Covers the trains only | ¥38,340 | ¥1,620 | Shimokita Kotsu bus up to the crater, round trip, cash |
| 48 | Sakurajima, Kagoshima Tokaido–Sanyo–Kyushu Shinkansen | Covers the trains only | ¥64,100 | ¥900 | Tram ¥400 and the Sakurajima ferry ¥500, round trip |
| 49 | Matsushima Bay, Miyagi Tohoku Shinkansen to Sendai, then the Senseki Line | Covers the whole way | ¥23,920 | nothing | The bay is a walk from the platform |
How we counted
- Pass prices and validity were read on 2026-09-19 off the issuer's own English site: JR East, JR West, JR Central, JR Shikoku, and the Japan National Tourism Organization for the nationwide pass. The few marked “our scene page” come from our own earlier check, not from today's, and say so in the table.
- Fares are one adult, ordinary car, regular season, reserved where the train has reserved seats, from the station named, doubled for the return.
- Shinkansen trunk fares: NAVITIME Shinkansen fare tables (Tohoku, Akita, Yamagata, Joetsu, Hokuriku updated 13–16 Mar 2026; Tokaido/Sanyo updated 21 Apr 2025).
- Through fares involving a limited express: Jorudan Japan Transit Planner, searched 19 Sep 2026 for a 15 Oct 2026 weekday departure at 09:00, cheapest all-rail route. Where several routes existed we took the cheapest that stays on rails, and named it.
- “Still on you” comes from our own scene pages, where every bus, ropeway and ferry fare was checked against the operator.
- JR East raised its fares in March 2026 and replaced its area passes in the same month. Figures you find elsewhere may predate both. Everything here was re-checked on 2026-09-19.
- Where we are not sure, the table says so rather than guessing: two scenes carry an unverified section, and both are named.
We sell nothing here. We take no commission on rail passes, and none of the issuers named on this page has any relationship with us.
One of The Answers: a series that takes one practical question and works through every place on the list.