How to count the 7 days?

Hi there!

The Japan Rail Pass is measured in full days rather than hours. This means that if you were to activate it any time on day 1, it would end at 23:59 on day 7. This means that if you were to activate it at 9am on Friday, it would expire at 23:59 on the following thursday night.

You are free to start using the JR Pass anytime up to 3 months from the date of purchase. We ask for this information to ensure you will be within this window and it is not marked on the ticket.

Hope this helps!

Many thanks, that's really helpful. The next question is, if we book the Shinkansen, does the JR Pass include the cost of the seat reservation?

Hi there,

Yes, the JR Pass covers the cost of seat reservations on the shinkansen. We have a blog post on making seats reservations with more information.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Mari - all set to go now.