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JR Pass calculator: pass or single tickets?

Add the JR trips you will take while the pass is valid. The calculator adds up the single fares and compares them with the 7-day (¥50,000), 14-day (¥80,000) and 21-day (¥100,000) JR Pass. Fares are from JR Central, JR West and JR East, checked on 29 October 2026.

By Mikako Yoshida ·Published 29 October 2026

JR Pass calculator: pass or single tickets?
Shibuya, Tokyo · Photo: Syced (CC0)

Add up your JR trips

Count each one-way trip you will take while the pass is valid.

  • Narita Airport ⇄ Tokyo (N’EX)¥3,1400
  • Kansai Airport ⇄ Kyoto (HARUKA)¥2,7000
  • Kansai Airport ⇄ Shin-Osaka (HARUKA)¥1,9000
  • Tokyo ⇄ Nagoya (Shinkansen)¥11,3000
  • Tokyo ⇄ Kyoto (Shinkansen)¥14,1701
  • Tokyo ⇄ Shin-Osaka (Shinkansen)¥14,7201
  • Tokyo ⇄ Okayama (Shinkansen)¥17,7700
  • Tokyo ⇄ Hiroshima (Shinkansen)¥19,7600
  • Shin-Osaka ⇄ Hiroshima (Shinkansen)¥10,9500
  • Shin-Osaka ⇄ Hakata (Shinkansen)¥16,0200

Adult, one way, standard season, reserved seat. Shinkansen fares are for Nozomi: with the pass, Hikari is covered and Nozomi needs an extra ticket. HARUKA is the visitor one-way ticket bought from 1 November 2026. Children aged 6–11 pay about half. Checked 29 October 2026.

Fares the calculator uses (adult, one way, standard season)

TripTrainFare
Narita Airport ⇄ TokyoN’EX¥3,140
Kansai Airport ⇄ KyotoHARUKA, visitor one-way ticket¥2,700
Kansai Airport ⇄ Shin-OsakaHARUKA, visitor one-way ticket¥1,900
Tokyo ⇄ NagoyaNozomi¥11,300
Tokyo ⇄ KyotoNozomi¥14,170
Tokyo ⇄ Shin-OsakaNozomi¥14,720
Tokyo ⇄ OkayamaNozomi¥17,770
Tokyo ⇄ HiroshimaNozomi¥19,760
Shin-Osaka ⇄ HiroshimaNozomi¥10,950
Shin-Osaka ⇄ HakataNozomi¥16,020

What the calculator leaves out

With the pass you can ride Hikari, Kodama and other Shinkansen. Nozomi and Mizuho need a special ticket for pass holders: Tokyo–Kyoto or Tokyo–Shin-Osaka ¥4,960, Tokyo–Hiroshima ¥6,500, Shin-Osaka–Hakata ¥4,960. Between Tokyo and Osaka, Hikari takes a little longer, so many pass holders ride Hikari.

Fares are a little higher in the busy season. JR Central and JR West will raise Nozomi fares from 1 July 2027 (Tokyo–Shin-Osaka ¥15,420).

The pass does not cover subways, private railways such as Keisei, Nankai and Kintetsu, or city buses: for those you still need Suica or ICOCA.

Useful before you fly

eSIM for Japan, installed before you leave home

JR Pass and Shinkansen tickets

Airport transfer when you have a lot of shopping bags

Luggage storage in Tokyo for the hours before an evening flight

Hotels in Japan

Coupons

N700S Shinkansen on a Nozomi service
N700S Shinkansen on a Nozomi service · Photo: MaedaAkihiko (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Questions

Is the JR Pass worth it for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka only?
Usually not. Tokyo to Kyoto, then Shin-Osaka back to Tokyo, costs ¥14,170 + ¥14,720 = ¥28,890 by Nozomi, well under ¥50,000 for the 7-day pass.
How far do I need to go for the 7-day pass to pay off?
About ¥50,000 of JR trips within 7 days, for example Tokyo to Hakata and back: ¥14,720 + ¥16,020 each way, ¥61,480 in total.
Where can I buy the JR Pass?
Before you go, from travel agents such as Klook · KKday, or on the official JR Pass site, where you can also reserve seats.

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