Japan Rail

Before traveling to Japan every tourist wishing indpendent travel in Japan would be  well advised  to purchase a Japan Rail Pass. This needs to be purchased outside Japan and validated by visiting a related travel centre when you are ready to travel in Japan. However it is not available for those on work and other non-tourist visas so if in any doubt this should be made clear before purchase, as this ticket will not be valid for these travellers.

Wherever you are in the world check popular tourist information and Japan travel advisors to arrange your purchase it near you. The travel period allowed is essentially a week a two week or a month period, but you can begin the travel on the day you wish. You will get a voucher which you will have to later redeem when you arrive in Japan. Once you do this, you can travel freely on any Japan Rail trains for the permitted period. The notable exceptions is the shinkansen network (once termed the "bullet train"), except for the Nozomi line.

The pass allows you to travel to any city in Japan by rail, and can be used on any of the JR run local trains. It will not cover travel by other, privately run, lines such as the Tokyo Metro system (and Seibu and other private lines beginning in Tokyo) and Nagoya's Meitetsu line. However it will include metropolitan JR lines such as the convenient Chuo and Yamanate in Tokyo.

You will need to redeem your pass before you travel, very possibly at a major centre, so be sure to make it a priority to find out where this can be done.

Even if you choose not to purchase this pass, the local train system is very easy to get around on. When you are the station use one of the kiosks to purchase a ticket. These machines have English instructions on how to purchase a ticket. If it is a big station, there is usually a both where you can purchase packages that might include bus tickets as well but the buses are not as reliable as the trains.

These booths also have plenty of maps of the city and tourist spots. There is usually a tourist booth in the train station. Many staff there do speak some English. If you find the tourist booth to get information this would be a good place to highlight as a starting off point. Returning to the station is generally a good idea if you need to ask advice... but it is well known that some people may be in a hurry or embarrassed to speak, please do not mind them.