JR Tokyo Wide Pass

The JR Tokyo Wide Pass is a rail pass for exclusive use by non-Japanese passport holders, providing unlimited travel on JR trains (including shinkansen and limited express trains) and selected non-JR trains in the Kanto Region around Tokyo on three consecutive days.

Validity

1. Unlimited use of local, rapid, express, limited express and shinkansen trains operated by JR East in the Kanto Region as well as parts of Nagano, Niigata, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures.
2. Unlimited use of the following non-JR trains (local, rapid, express and limited express):
   • Fujikyu Railway to the Fuji Five Lakes
   • Izukyu Railway on the Izu Peninsula
   • Direct JR/Tobu limited express trains between Shinjuku, Nikko and Kinugawa
   • Tobu Railway between Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen
   • Joshin Railway to the Tomioka Silk Mill in Gunma Prefecture
   • Tokyo Monorail to Haneda Airport
   • Saitama New Shuttle between Omiya and the Railway Museum
   • Rinkai Line in central Tokyo
3. The pass is not valid on the Tokaido Shinkansen (which is not operated by JR East). A supplement fee has to be paid on Hayabusa and Komachi trains along the Tohoku Shinkansen and when riding the observation car of limited express trains by Fujikyu Railway.
4. Seat reservations can be made for free (see details below).
5. The pass is valid on three consecutive calendar days (midnight to midnight).
6. Only holders of a non-Japanese passport can use the JR Tokyo Wide Pass, including foreign residents of Japan.
7. During the ski season, pass holders can profit from discounted offers for lift tickets, ski rental and onsen admission at the Gala Yuzawa resort.

Points of sale

The JR Tokyo Wide Pass is sold at selected major stations in the Tokyo area, including Narita Airport, Haneda Airport, Tokyo Station, Shinagawa Station, Shinjuku Station, Shibuya Station, Yokohama Station and Mito Station. It can also be purchased at the official JR East website, but the actual pass has still to be picked up at a station in Japan before use.

Seat reservations

Free seat reservations can be made at seat reservation ticket machines and at JR ticket offices. It is also possible to make online seat reservations on the JR East Train Reservation website; however, physical seat reservation tickets have to be picked up at a selected ticket machine or office before use.

Assessment

The JR Tokyo Wide Pass can be a good value, and is particularly useful for travelers who plan to make multiple side trips from Tokyo to popular destinations, such as Nikko, the Fuji Five Lakes, the Izu Peninsula, Karuizawa or the onsen towns of Gunma Prefecture. Below are the approximate round trip fares for popular side trips, illustrating that the pass can pay off: