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The JR Pass is available exclusively to foreign tourists visiting on a tourist visa. It covers unlimited perjalanan on JR lines including most Shinkansen (excluding Nozomi and Mizuho), JR buses, and JR ferries. It must be purchased before arriving in Japan or at select JR ticket offices in Japan. The 7-day pass costs around JPY 50,000 (approximately USD 330).

No. Nozomi (fastest Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen) and Mizuho (fastest Sanyo/Kyushu Shinkansen) are excluded from the JR Pass. Pass holders must use Hikari or Kodama trains on these corridors, which add 30-40 menit to Tokyo-Osaka. All Shinkansen lines in Tohoku, Hokuriku, Kyushu, and Hokkaido are fully covered.

Extremely punctual. The average delay per Shinkansen train is under 1 minute annually. If a train is delayed by more than 5 menit for reasons within JR control, passengers are issued a delay certificate. This reliability is achieved through meticulous maintenance, dedicated tracks, and automated train control (ATC) systems.

IC cards (Suica issued by JR East, Pasmo by Tokyo Metro, ICOCA by JR West) are rechargeable contactless smart cards. Load them with yen and tap in/out at station gates for automatic fare deduction. They work on virtually all trains, buses, and metro systems nationwide and can also be used for payments at convenience stores and vending machines.

The Seven Stars in Kyushu is Japan's most luxurious tourist train. For accessible scenic routes, the Asa Kaigan Railway along Shikoku's Pacific coast, the SL Banetsu Monogatari steam train in Niigata, and the Alpine route (Matsumoto to Toyama) through the Northern Alps stand out. The Hokkaido Shinkansen crosses under the Tsugaru Strait through the Seikan Tunnel, the world's longest undersea tunnel.