Japan Rail Pass – Within striking distance

Japan Rail Pass Guide: How to use a JR Pass at a ticket machine (updated 2023)

In this illustrated guide, we’ll go through the process of using a Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) to make free seat reservations on a ticket machine.

Japan Rail Pass Guide: How to reserve Shinkansen seats with oversized baggage space on a ticket machine

In this guide, we’ll go through the process of reserving seats with oversized baggage space on a ticket machine. Such reservations are now mandatory for Shinkansen services covered by the new rules on large luggage that took effect in 2020. The information presented here is meant to be used in conjunction with my detailed step-by-stepContinue reading “Japan Rail Pass Guide: How to reserve Shinkansen seats with oversized baggage space on a ticket machine”

Oversized baggage on the Tōkaidō, San’yō, and Kyūshū Shinkansen: A summary of the current rules

In this post, we’ll go over the regulations around oversized luggage that were introduced in 2020 for some of Japan’s Shinkansen lines. The key element of these new rules: seat reservations are now required to use the extra space at the back of each train car.

Japan Rail Pass Guide: How to use a JR Pass at a ticket machine

In this illustrated guide, we’ll go through the process of using a Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) to make seat reservations on a ticket machine.

Rail-Bus Report: From Tōkyō to Kusatsu Onsen and back with a Japan Rail Pass

There’s more than one way to travel between Tōkyō and the famous hot spring town of Kusatsu Onsen. Moreover, it’s possible to do the entire journey for free with a Japan Rail Pass. In this report, we’ll try two different routes that rail pass holders can use at no extra cost.