Damaged JR Rail pass

To share our experience with a physically damaged JR rail pass and ask a related question...

Despite all the stern warnings in the JR Pass about keeping it safe and how it can't be replaced no matter what, my wife accidentally washed it in the clothes washer.

The front of the pass and the inside took some major damage. But fortunately, the date info on the pass is still readable along with portions of the rest of the data. The remaining portion is about 1/2 of the size of the original pass.

We took a bag of all the pass pieces to the JR ticket exchange office hoping against hope to exchange it. The women at the counter took one look at the bag of pieces and handed us a piece of paper stating that the pass wouldn't be replaced for any reason. (We knew this was the likely outcome but wanted to try our luck.)

The next day, we re-assembled the pass as best we could and tried at the JR pass area to get a reserved seat to Tokyo. Fortunately, there was another employee there that time and she was much more sympathetic. She glanced at the pass, laughed a bit, and gave us a reserved ticket to Tokyo and a paper-clip to reassemble the pass.

The only remaining problem is that we have to keep showing the pass to all of the ticket examiners. The usual reaction is that they aren't that interested in the condition of the pass and let us through. Only on one occasion has an examiner told us we should 'exchange' it but he let us through anyways.

My understanding is that the JR pass can't be reissued no matter what so I'm not sure what type of exchange he is referring to. Ideas?

Has anyone had a similar experience or been able to get a replacement pass?

We can get by with this tattered pass but we'd feel a lot better with an undamaged one.

In 2003 I observed on Miyajima Island that one of the deer picked the JR RailPass from the rearpocket of a US school girl's jeans. Teacher and friends tore the not jet swallowed parts from the mouth of the animal. Days later I met the group again and teacher told me that JR staff accepted damaged JR Railpass on each following travel, although each time they had to tell the whole story. No replacement of the Pass was made.

Thanks for the reply. Having to explain the whole deer eating the passport story each time would be a challenge! :}

If I remember correctly, there is a warning sign near the Miyajima boat pier, which shows a foreigner with a train ticket in his hand, that is getting eaten by a deer (the ticket, that is).