New Rail Passes for Japan

Over the past months, a whole array of new rail passes for foreign tourists have gone on sale, including several permanent offers and a few temporary specials. Below is a list of some of the best:

FROM APRIL 10, 2012 JR Sanyo-Shikoku-Kyushu Rail Pass

For foreign tourists only - The JR Sanyo-Shikoku-Kyushu Rail Pass provides unlimited use of JR trains, including shinkansen in Western Japan (Sanyo, Shikoku and Kyushu regions) on five consecutive calendar days for 25,000 yen. A version that does not include Southern Kyushu is available for 22,000 yen. Free seat reservations are included.

FROM APRIL 10, 2012 JR West Kansai Wide Area Pass

For foreign tourists only - The JR West Kansai Wide Area Pass provides four consecutive calendar days of unlimited use of JR trains in the Kansai Region, including unreserved seats on limited express trains to Kinosaki Onsen and the Kumano Region and the Sanyo Shinkansen between Osaka and Okayama for 7,000 yen.

FROM APRIL 1, 2012 All Shikoku Rail Pass

For foreign tourists only - The All Shikoku Rail Pass provides unlimited use of all trains on Shikoku, including JR and non-JR trains and trams. The pass is available for 2, 3, 4 or 5 consecutive days, starting at 6,300 yen. Free seat reservations are included.

FROM MARCH 2012 Kansai Wakayama Pass

For foreign tourists only - The Kansai Wakayama Pass provides unlimited use of Nankai trains between Osaka, Kansai Airport, Koyasan and Wakayama, and of local buses in the Koyasan and Kumano regions on two or three consecutive calendar days for 3,500 and 5,500 yen respectively.

FROM DECEMBER 2011 JR Kanto Area Pass

For foreign passport holders only - The JR Kanto Area Pass provides unlimited use of JR trains (including shinkansen and limited express trains) and selected non-JR trains in the Kanto Region around Tokyo on three consecutive days for 8,000 yen.

APRIL TO JUNE 2012 JR East Pass Special

For foreign tourists only - The temporarily available flexible 3-day version of the JR East Pass provides unlimited use of JR and selected non-JR trains in the service area of JR East, which includes greater Tokyo, parts of Nagano, Yamanashi, Shizuoka and Niigata Prefectures and the Tohoku Region. The pass is valid on three calendar days within a 10 day period for only 10,000 yen.

APRIL TO JUNE 2012 Hokkaido Rail Pass - Southern Hokkaido Special

For foreign tourists only - The temporarily available 3-day version of the JR Hokkaido Pass for southern Hokkaido only provides three consecutive calendar days of unlimited use of JR trains in southern Hokkaido, including Sapporo, Otaru and Hakodate for 12,000 yen.