JRパス

Hi there,

While it's true that the Japan Rail Pass is not valid on the Nozomi and Mizuho (these are the slightly faster commuter express trains), you can use all other JR Bullet trains that cover the exact same JR network.

For example, to get to Kumamoto from Tokyo, you would take the Hikari shinkansen to Himeji, Shin-kobe or Shin-Osaka, and then change to the Sakura Shinkansen to Kumamoto. Here is a sample itinerary.

Total cost for the one way journey Tokyo > Kumamoto on the bullets is 26,170 YEN, so if you were doing a return within 7 days, you'll certainly be better off with a rail pass.

Hope this helps!

Hi there,

The sample itinerary I linked to above shows that the trip takes 6hrs 45minutes.

You can look up train times, durations and costs at the hyperdia travel planning website and learn how to use Hyperdia for Japan Rail Pass holders through our video blog.

Hope this helps!