I am confused about the terms "east" and "west" for Japan Rail Passes. If I get a 14-day Japan Rail Pass, can I use it anywhere in Japan on a Japan Rail line? Or do different areas of Japan, or different cities, require different passes?
Does JR Pass cover all of Japan?
Hi,
JR used to be a national company, but was broken up years ago into several (East, West, Central, Kyushu, etc). The full JR Pass allows you to ride on all the JR lines, many if not all JR buses, and the JR Miyajima ferry. It does not cover the fastest bullet trains like the Nozomi, however. Not all rail lines in Japan are JR lines, but for nearly all the best tourist spots they are covered by a rail line and most likely it is JR.
If you were only traveling in one area, there are regional passes as well, as you can see on:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357.html
but for covering the country, the JR Pass often makes a lot of sense.
Hi there,
Yes the JR Pass covers all JR lines nation wide. There are different JR companies in Japan that make up the JR Group (including JR East, West, etc). However this is something you won't even notice with the JR Pass as it is valid by every JR company.
Have also have a great map with all the JR Lines covered by the JR Pass:
http://www.jrpass.com/map
Hope this helps,
Daniel
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