Rail passes with working visa status

I've just realised that I'm not eligible for a JR travel pass [the 7 or 14 day kind] because I have a working visa. As I was planning to travel for two weeks now that I have finished working, this makes life a lot more expensive [actually, pretty much unaffordable!]. Does anyone know of any passes I am elligible for or anyway of getting around the visa status problem? Can a visiting friend buy a ticket for me and pick it up with her ticket and using her passport [at a different ticket booth, obviously]?
Any help would be appriciated. Thanks

Where are you and where are you trying to travel to?

There are cheap overnight highway buses, cheap domestic air fare, discounted Shinkansen tickets.
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The JR Pass is the ticket in your friends case, if you mean seat reservation the problem lies in that you yourself don't have the pass. Instead of skirting the rules, lets see what we have to work with along with the rules.

Rosy, you mentioned you are finished working.

In that case its possible for you to "Change in status" at Immigration Office to "Temporary Visitor" which makes you eligible for a JR Pass, your friend can get you a voucher abroad and you can exchange it in Japan, thats the only legit way in your shoes.