It has been some time since I last wrote, but I thought it was finally the time I should write about my bullet train (shinkansen) rides.

For those that may have wondered, I've boarded quite a number of shinkansen rides during April! I was able to do that with a pass called JR East Tohoku Area Pass.

So today, I'm writing about JR East Pass before writing more on joyful trains on my recent trip, so here are my 5Ws on JR East Tohoku Area Passm while answering some frequently asked questions that I received.

Maybe many of you have heard about JR Pass and only know that there's the super pricey one that runs along the whole of Japan. Actually, if you are traveling only the northern side of Japan, the Nationwide JR Pass is not necessary.

JR East Tohoku Area Pass is a pass where you can travel from Tokyo, and all the way up to Aomori, while being allowed to use it in Tochigi, Chiba, Ibaraki, Fukushima, Miyagi, Yamagata, Iwate, Akita, and of course - Aomori. 

There are plenty of trains that you can take! I'm categorizing them as below:

1. Shinkansen (Bullet Trains)
• Hokuriku Shinkansen up to Sakudaira
• Joetsu Shinkansen up to GALA Yuzawa
• Akita Shinkansen up to Akita
• Tohoku Shinkansen up to Shin-Aomori
• Yamagata Shinkansen up to Shinjo (Yamagata prefecture)
2. Limited Express Trains/ Airport Trains
• Narita Express (to and from Narita)
• Tokyo Monorail (to and from Haneda)
• Sendai Airport Transit 
• Ltd. Express Tsugaru (between Akita and Aomori)
• Ltd. Express Hitachi (between Ueno and Iwaki)
• and many more other Ltd. Express Trains
3. Joyful Trains
• Pokemon with YOU train
• SL Ginga
• High Rail 1375
• Resort Shirakami
• Toreiyu Tsubasa
• Genbi Shinkansen
• Kirakira Uetsu
• Oykot
• SL Gunma
• and more! (check it here)
4. Local Trains
• Any JR Trains that are in the coverage region, eg: Ichinoseki Station to Hiraizumi Station
• You can even use it within Tokyo city itself for lines like the Yamanote Line, Chuo Line... etc. But I don't recommend this pass if you are only visiting Tokyo.
5. JR buses
• Any valid bus routes (not highway bus) eg: Bus from Aomori Station to Lake Towada.
• You can find the list of available buses in Tohoku that is eligible for the bus here.

For detailed information, visit here.

Usually, we use JR Pass on Shinkansen rides. However, if you find this a little pricey and would like to travel on a slower pace, maybe you can refer to this pass instead. 

You can exchange your JR Pass at JR East Exchange Offices - Available in Narita, Haneda, Major stations in Tokyo (Tokyo, Ueno, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya...), Sendai, etc, and get reserved tickets in any stations with Midori no Madoguchi.

It's generally better than JR Nationwide if you're traveling in the Tohoku region, and far cheaper!

Nationwide for 7 days is 29,110 JPY, and JR East Tohoku Area Pass is only 19,000 JPY!

I'd be glad to save about 100USD for food! 

Besides, Tohoku is a region that you generally would love to spend a couple of days in each area. This pass gives you a 14-day period and you can select any 5 days to use it. So you don't have to feel like you've been wasting money for not utilizing the pass.

JR Pass is why we learn maths, yo. 

Upon purchase of this pass, you can bring your exchange order to Japan and exchange them at JR East Exchange offices.

Yes. You can make reservation up to 1 month before your usage date. You can reserve your ticket in eki net (English site here).

For example, if your desired travel date is 24 April, the earliest day you can reserve your shinkansen is 23 March.

How should I reserve train tickets online?

As long as you are entering Japan with a short-term visitor visa, you can purchase your JR East Pass in your country. You can look for travel agencies such as H.I.S. Travel, JTB, etc. Your travel agent should be able to give you an exchange order on the spot. 

p/s: You will need to provide a passport copy, or your passport details (birthday, name, passport number, full name) to your agent, as it's required for JR East.

Can I purchase JR East Tohoku Area Pass when I arrive in Japan?

Yes, it's certainly possible! However, you will be paying another 1000 yen. Which means, instead of 19,000 JPY, you will be paying 20,000 JPY for your purchase in JR East Exchange Offices. Passport with a temporary visitor visa is still required.

You can purchase JR East Tohoku Area Pass as long as it is within 90 days prior exchanging in Japan. I exchanged mine on 11 April, but purchased my pass during March. The earliest time I can purchase this pass is in January.

So, JR East works in a way where it is different from JR Nationwide pass. JR Nationwide allows you to choose the starting day of your pass, but JR East fixes the starting date of your 14-day validity period.

For example I've exchanged mine on the 11th. Although I can use it for any 5 days from the 11th, but my ending date is on the 24th.  I can't be exchanging on the 11th and asking to have the pass 14-day period be extended for a few days later. (I'm using my pass on first day anyway lol)

Use a fare calculator. Hyperdia is your best friend. You can enter the starting and ending points of your train journey to have the fare calculated. I'll write a tutorial about this and update later!

One way from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori is 17,350 on reserved seats via Hayabusa, and the pass itself is already 19,000 JPY. If you're doing a round trip between these two places you're saving a lot!

Definitely! From time to time there are different campaigns from JR East. I got a Hayabusa Shinkansen badge from them in Nikko station! For other campaigns, check them out here!

A Shinkansen Hayabusa badge I received from JR Nikko Station

Any other questions? Ask me in the comments or DM me at yamashinajin in Instagram! :)

See ya next time!