JR East Passes: The Lowdown and Travel Ideas

The Japan Rail Pass is the best known rail pass for travel in Japan. However, there are also regional rail passes — like these from JR East — that may turn out to be more economical if your travel plans are focused on a specific area. Here’s the lowdown on JR East passes — what you can do with them and more.

Overview of JR East passes

JR East passes are designed for travel in the central, eastern, and north-eastern parts of Japan — i.e. Kantō, Nagano, Niigata, Tōhoku, and Hokkaidō.

Previously, there were separate regional passes, which required rather careful itinerary planning. However, as of March 14, 2026, there is now one consolidated JR East Pass. The JR East–South Hokkaidō Pass and Tōhoku–South Hokkaidō Pass remain, but with expanded coverage and corresponding price increases.

JR East passes at a glance:

What is JR East passes’ coverage like?

All JR East passes that include the Kantō region cover unlimited travel on the following trains:

• All bullet trains operated by JR East, including the Tōhoku Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen, Jōetsu Shinkansen and Hokuriku Shinkansen.

The East–South Hokkaidō Rail Pass and Tōhoku–South Hokkaidō Pass includes travel on the Hokkaidō Shinkansen to Hakodate (the end of the line).

See the sections below on individual passes for more details on what trains you can ride and where they take you.

Pro tip: If you have a lot of luggage, or even one huge bag, consider sending it on ahead with a luggage delivery service. Shinkansen luggage rules dictate that luggage with dimensions of over 160 cm but under 250 cm will require special reservations (at no extra cost), and bags over 250 cm won’t be allowed onboard the bullet train at all.

What is NOT included in JR East passes?

None of the passes include travel on the Tōkaidō Shinkasen — the one that connects Tokyo with Kansai (for Kyoto, Osaka, etc). The only rail pass that covers travel on the Tōkaidō Shinkasen is the countrywide Japan Rail Pass.

The JR East pass covers travel on JR buses that service key destinations — like the 20-minute bus ride required to get to Kusatsu Onsen from the nearest train station. The East–South Hokkaidō Rail Pass does not cover bus travel — even though it covers travel to the train stations from where such buses depart.

None of the passes cover municipal travel, except for the handful of JR trains in central Tokyo (like the JR Yamanote and Chūō-Sōbu lines). That means you cannot use any JR East pass to travel on the subway in Tokyo, Sendai, or Sapporo.

None of these passes include travel on ferries.

JR East Pass

From March 14, 2026, JR East replaced its old area-based passes with the new, broader JR East Pass. It’s available in five-day and ten-day versions for ¥35,000 and ¥50,000 respectively, with child fares at half price. It can be purchased online here.

The big shift here is simplicity: instead of choosing between narrower regional passes you get one pass covering all JR East lines plus some non-JR lines, which makes multi-stop itineraries much easier to plan.

In practical terms, that means more flexibility to combine places that used to sit awkwardly across pass boundaries — say, Tokyo with Nagano and Akita — without having to overthink which ticket applies where. In short, fewer mental calculations, and more freedom to build a trip around the seasons rather than the old pass map.

Here are a few standout destinations to consider throughout the year:

Spring

• Hirosaki — A historic castle town known for its late-April cherry blossoms and summer Neputa festival.
• Niigata — Good for spring flowers, local food, and attractions like Furusato Mura that showcase the prefecture’s produce and specialties.
• Matsushima — A scenic bay studded with pine-fringed islands and one of Japan’s “top three views.”

Summer

• Karuizawa — A classic warm-weather escape with boutiques, cafés, gourmet shops, and pretty natural vistas.
• Aomori — Honshū’s northernmost city, with museums and notably fresh seafood.
• Zao Onsen — Great for hiking in the warmer months, plus year-round onsen; requires a bus ride not covered by the pass.

Fall

• Nikkō — Known for autumn foliage, with easy access from Tokyo and sights including Tōshōgū Shrine.
• Oirase Gorge — A beautiful walking area where you can follow a forest stream through dramatic seasonal colors.
• Yamadera — A mountain temple reached by 1,000 stone steps, especially striking in crisp autumn weather.

Winter

• Gala Yuzawa — The ski resort with its own Shinkansen station, making for an easy ski-in, ski-out trip. Note that rains only stop at Gala Yuzawa when the ski resort is open. Pass holders cannot ride the fastest trains on the Tōhoku Shinkansen — Hayabusa and Komachi.
• Nagano — Home to the hot spring bathing snow monkeys and other classic winter scenery.
• Zao Onsen — Best known in winter for skiing past “snow monsters” and soaking in onsen afterward.

JR East–South Hokkaidō Rail Pass

The JR East–South Hokkaidō Rail Pass is the only rail pass — other than the countrywide JR Pass — to include travel from Tokyo on the Hokkaidō Shinkansen, which travels via tunnel under the strait that separates Honshū with Japan’s northernmost major island, Hokkaidō. The pass doesn’t cover all of Hokkaidō — just the southern region, from Hakodate to Sapporo. Plus all of Tōhoku.

JR East–South Hokkaidō Pass holders get unlimited rides on the following trains (in addition to Kantō area ones that serve Nikkō, Izu, and Narita and Haneda airports):

• Hokuriku Shinkansen trains as far as Sakudaira, via the resort town of Karuizawa.
• Jōetsu Shinkansen trains as far as Gala Yuzawa, via the hot spring town of Echigo Yuzawa.
• Hokkaidō Shinkansen trains to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto (Hakodate), via Nasu Shiobara, Sendai, Morioka, and Shin-Aomori (among other stops).
• Akita Shinkansen trains for Akita.
• Yamagata Shinkansen trains for Yonezawa and Yamagata.
• Sendai Airport Line trains to/from Sendai Airport.
• Limited express Hokuto trains between Hakodate and Sapporo, via Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto and Noboribetsu (among other stops).
• Rapid Niseko Liner trains between Sapporo and Kutchan (for Niseko) via Otaru.
• Airport special rapid trains between Sapporo and New Chitose Airport.
• All regular JR trains within the scope of the pass.

This pass is best for travelers who want to do Tōhoku and Hokkaidō. If you just want to do Hokkaidō, it might make more sense to fly there and then get a Hokkaidō rail pass instead. Or the countrywide Japan Rail Pass, if you want to take the Shinkansen to Hokkaidō instead of flying.

Note that unlike the JR East Pass, the JR East–South Hokkaidō Pass does not cover JR buses. So if you want to visit some of the spots accessible only by bus (or car) — like Mt. Hakoda, Sukayu Onsen, Oirase Gorge, and Lake Towada in Aomori — you’ll need to pay the extra fares out of pocket.

The JR East–South Hokkaidō Rail Pass is good for six consecutive days of travel and costs ¥40,000. This one can only be purchased by foreign passport holders entering Japan on a temporary visa (sorry residents!). It can be purchased online here.

Where to travel with the East–South Hokkaidō Rail Pass

With the East–South Hokkaidō Pass you get access to the Kantō area destinations (Nikkō and Izu), all the Tōhoku ones, plus destinations in southern and parts of central Hokkaidō. With only six days to work with you are going to have to be very selective!

Some Hokkaidō highlights you can visit with this pass:

• Hakodate, Hokkaidō’s southernmost city, has history, a morning seafood market, and famous nightviews from Mt. Hakodate.
• Noboribetsu Onsen, for soaking in sulphur-rich waters and sightseeing at the source (steaming pools); requires a short bus ride not covered by the pass.
• Sapporo, Japan’s northernmost mega-city, has great food (especially ramen!) and nightlife, plus lots of festivals and events.
• Otaru, a picturesque town (and popular excursion) laid out along a canal.
• Niseko probably needs no introduction: this is Japan’s most famous ski and snow sports destination, but it’s also great for green season activities and hot springs; requires local transport not covered by the pass.

Seasonal destinations for the East–South Hokkaidō Rail Pass

JR Tōhoku–South Hokkaidō Pass

The JR Tōhoku–South Hokkaidō Pass covers everything that the JR East–South Hokkaidō Pass does except Kantō. It does not cover travel from Tokyo or from Narita and Haneda airports. With this pass, you can board the Tōhoku or Hokkaidō Shinkansen from Shin-Shirakawa Station in Fukushima prefecture.

The pass still gives you six consecutive days of travel for only slightly less: ¥32,000. And like the JR East–South Hokkaidō Pass, only foreign passport holders on a temporary visa are eligible.

We’re not really sure who this pass is for. There is no way to get between Tokyo or Narita Airport and Fukushima for less than ¥3,000 short of hitchhiking (not even local trains!). You could stack this pass with either the Tokyo Wide Pass or the JR East Pass.

Are JR East passes a good deal?

JR East passes generally pay off if you make one round-trip from Tokyo to one of the more far-flung destinations covered by the pass.

See the fare chart below to get a sense of what individual Shinkansen tickets would cost. You can also make use of our nifty Shinkansen fare calculator.

Sample Shinkansen fares from Tokyo Statino:

Buying a JR East pass

You don’t have to buy JR East passes before arriving in Japan, but you can if you want to. Unlike the country-wide pass, the price is the same no matter where you purchase the pass.

Passes can be purchased at both Haneda and Narita Airport on arrival, or from major JR East stations. In Tokyo, you can pick one up at Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinagawa, Ueno, or Ikebukuro stations. You can also purchase a JR East pass through authorized travel agents in the same way as the country-wide JR Pass, or online.

Note:  From April 2021, you can scan your passport at certain Reserved Seat Ticket vending machines at major JR East stations to buy your pass directly. Stations include Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinagawa, Ueno, Ikebukuro, Hamamatsuchō, Yokohama, and Narita Airport, among others. You will also be able to make seat reservations on these machines, saving you the extra step of going into the ticket office. As an added bonus, you can also go straight through the automatic ticket gates, instead of being restricted to the manned gate.

While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change. Post first published in November 2016. Last updated in March 2026.