JR Pass price increase questions

Dear Daniel-san,
Thank you for your notice. My family plans to arrive in Japan Dec 26,2023 (activate pass on 26th) and travel until Jan 3. What would be the date that he can purchase a JR pass under the old prices?
I've enjoyed your blog throughout the years, so thank you for being there!
Dianne/ Gardena, California

Hi Dianne,

Thank you for reaching out! You could order JR Pass on Sept 27th. If you were to activate it on the 26th.

Alternatively, you could place your order earlier, but in that case, drop us an e-mail that you want it issued on the 27th or 28th (maybe 1 day later is better in case your plane is delayed) and the team will then issue it on the requested date.

Kind regards,
Daniel

Hi Daniel-san,

My partner and I will be traveling to Japan late December - mid January. To purchase and use the JR 14-day Pass at current pricing, our plan is:

• Order/Purchase the pass on September 28
• Activate the pass on December 24 with the start date of December 27
• Begin travel December 27
• Travel until January 9 Does this work?

A few more questions:
- I am flying to Japan a few days before my partner. Am I able to activate his JR Pass for him so we can make train reservations, or does he have to be present? - We live in Seattle, Washington, USA. When I purchase the pass online on September 28, should it be September 28 Japan time or is it okay to purchase September 28 Seattle time (which would be September 29 in Japan)?

Arigatou gozaimasu!!!
Megumi

Hi Megumi,

You do need to bring each passenger's passport + tourism visa, so your husband will have to be in Japan.

Issue times are in JST, however this is when we issue your ticket, not when you place the order on the website. You could already place your order now, then write our team ([email protected]) with your request and we can put a note on your order only issue it after the 28th.

Kind regards,
Daniel

Thank you, Daniel-san! How do I place an order now? When I go to place the order, it requires me to select a "Date of Use," which doesn't show December as eligible yet.

Hi Megumi,

You could place an order now, and then write our staff to dispatch the order on a later date.

Kind regards,
Daniel

Hi Daniel-san,

I appreciate your help. But again, the website is not letting me place an order without selecting a "Date of Use" and the December dates (as we would begin travel on December 27) are grayed out, so I can't select the date to complete the order.

Hello, Daniel-san! My trip to Japan is on Feb 2024. Can I buy a JR pass this September, request for a delayed delivery (deliver by December 2023) and activate it on Feb 2024?

Hi Megumi,

You can select another date, this is for indication only and not binding in any way. What is important is to let our processing team know your planned exchange date through [email protected], so we can issue your pass at the right time.

Hi TropicalGirlPH
It will not be possible to use the JR Pass old pricing in the new year.

Kind regards,
Daniel

Dear Daniel -san,
We have purchased our green rail passes for October visit. Is it possible to reserve seats now prior to activating the passes in Japan?
thanks,
Dianne

Hi @Dianne,

We do not yet offer seat reservations online for pass purchased made here on JRPass.com

Kind regards,
Daniel

Dear Daniel-san,
Thanks for your prompt response! So we will make the reservations as soon as we activate the passes at the jR office.
Dianne

Dear Daniel-san,

If I would like to activate my 7 days JR Pass on 21 Dec (the first day when I arrive Japan), and the start date of using is 25th Dec, can I purchase the JR pass now?

Thank you.

BK

Hello Winnie,

Yes, that's possible, :) Just make sure you select Dec 25th as usage day.

Kind regards,
Daniel

HI Daniel -san,

Please help me if I get this right.

I will arrive in Narita on December 29th. Accoring to the messages above, I can buy the JR Pass online right now and choose December 26th (for date of use) then write an email to [email protected] to request the pass to be issued on October 30th.

Thank you,
Bee

Please help me if I get this right.

I will arrive in Narita on December 29th. Accoring to the messages above, I can buy the JR Pass online right now and choose December 26th (for date of use) then write an email to [email protected] to request the pass to be issued on September 30th.

Thank you,
Bee

Hi Bee,

Yes, that's correct :)

Thank you Daniel-san!!!

HI Daniel-san,

I bought the passes on September 25th (I will arrive in Japan on December 29th) and sent an email to [email protected] to request the passes to be issued on September 30th. Do I need to do anything else on my part? Will I get a response from [email protected] to confirm my request?

Thank you,
Bee