Tourism Huge price hike for Japan Rail Pass in October

The base price of the JR Pass has barely changed in decades. However, it seems that Japan Railways has deemed a price increase necessary due to several factors. These include the yen's decline in value relative to other currencies, inflation of energy costs and rising maintenance and operational costs for the railway network. The price hike will affect all types of JR Passes, with the largest increase being 77% for the 7-day Green pass. Nevertheless, the company has also stated that new perks for JR Pass holders will accompany the increase in cost.

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There's a concern that increasing the price of the Japan Rail Pass will harm tourism-benefitting businesses and communities in less prominently promoted parts of the country. In order for travelers to come out ahead with the higher prices, that have to take more Shinkansen trips during their pass period. That might seem like it would promote going to more out-of-the-way places, but it's more likely that the extra pressure to get their money's worth will cause travelers to increase their focus on hitting a larger number of big-name cities that they feel more confident will justify the extra spending in terms of sightseeing attractions, such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Sendai, while skipping the smaller Shinkansen stops between them entirely.

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