Various Pass In Japan

For tourists and travelers who come to Japan for a few days, using a pass for transportation is highly recommended given the high cost of transport there. There are various passes that can be used during Japan which must be adjusted with your travel route, therefore calculate all transportation costs while there and then select the pass that will be in use.

Why is that? You certainly do not want your pocket broken only for transportation costs only? Remember, Japan is one of the world's most expensive cost of living in the world and has a modern transportation system, integrated with each other. The cost of care must be expensive and the impact is the tariff that must be paid by the user of the transportation service. Tariffs to be paid are calculated per distance traveled, the farther the distance the tariff will be more expensive. The cheapest rate is around JPY 120 - JPY 140 and the most expensive can reach thousands even tens of thousands of yen for the distance between cities, horrible is not it ?. Therefore, it is wise to calculate all expenditures, especially for transportation.

Some passes that can be used in Japan include:

1. JR PASS

This pass can only be used by foreign tourists who will visit Japan and can only be purchased outside Japan. This pass is quite expensive between JPY 30.000-JPY 50.000, but has advantages can be used almost throughout the JR line network good for train, bus and shinkansen and subway. This pass is very suitable for tourists who will visit various cities in Japan, but not recommended if only to visit one city just like Tokyo.

Why? Because with a fairly expensive price, for example for a pass period of only 2 weeks for JPY 40,000, for roughly if you use another pass for example with the price of 1,000 yen per day, then for 2 weeks the money to be spent is as much as JPY 14,000, almost more than half of the price of JR Pass, not to mention if we will only visit a few places during one day in one city, can still be in research again will use the pass which is in accordance with the train track to be traversed. This is what I mean by budget management, because with the right calculation we can survive the high cost of transportation in Japan.
JR Pass can be purchased at travel agents and here is an example of the price of JR Pass from Jalan Tour:

Duration

JR Ordinary Type

JR Green Type
Adult

Child

Adult

Child
7 days

JPY 28.300

JPY 14.150

JPY 37.800

JPY 18.900
14 days

The difference between ordinary and green is for the green can be used for shinkansen nozomi, the fastest shinkansen today.

I do not use the JR Pass because all my transportation costs are half the price of this JR Pass.

For more information about this JR Pass, please ask the representative agents who have the authority to sell the JR Pass.

1. PASMO and SUICA CARD

This is a prepaid card that can be refilled in number, this card offers convenience for those who do not like all the noise, because with capitalize this card, we can freely pitch to the train platform without having to spin. It's just to be remembered, the deposit that we already bought and embedded in the card will be cut automatically every time we get out of the station, so wise and count back your traveling transportation costs, whether this card is suitable to cover all your transportation costs or not.

This card can be used for trains, buses, subway and also the means of payment in mini mart. The card can be purchased for JPY 1,000 (PASMO) and JPY 2,000 (SUICA) with a JPY 500 card deposit for each card. if I can assume, this card looks like its function like Octopus Card in Hongkong or Ezlink Card in Singapore. This card can be purchased at stations all over Tokyo.

1. TOKYO TRAVEL PASS - TOKYO

This pass can only be used on the TOEI subway line-Tokyo and the price is quite cheap, use this card if in a day you will only use the subway on TOEI Line. What are the Subway TOEI line, look at the picture below:

From the map can be seen, the TOEI line is only a fraction of the overall train lines in Tokyo but can reach some places like Roponggi, Akabanebashi (walking distance to Tokyo Tower), Oshiage (Tokyo Skytree), Kuramae (Sensoji Temple and Kaminarimon), Iwamotocho (Akihabara), Tsukijishijo (Tsukiji Market), etc.

So this pass can be selected if in one day we plan to visit the places mentioned above considering the price is much cheaper than if we buy one-one tickets per station.

This fitting can be purchased on automatic ticketing machines and also at the counter of each station at a price of JPY 710 (Adult) and JPY 360 (Children).

The negative value of this pass is that if we are going to a place, we have to adjust to a limited line and sometimes have to turn the direction, less effective for a limited time like me.

1. SUBWAY COMMON PASS - TOKYO

This pass is much more complete range of use compared to the Tokyo Travel Pass as it can be used across the Tokyo Subway line, but at a slightly more expensive price. The similarity with Tokyo Travel Pass is equally unusable on JR line, so for those who want to go to Harajuku have to buy one way / return tickets separately. But do not worry, for those who like to walk, Harajuku can travel about 20 minutes from the station Shibuya.

I use this pass while in Tokyo because I can freely use the subway line without having to concentrate on choosing which line I should use and not having to go around tailing with his pass, practically and saving time.

This daily pass can be purchased at all stations in Tokyo for JPY 1,000 (Adults) and JPY 500 (Children).

To understand the difference with the Tokyo Travel Pass, look at the map below and compare it, it's easy to find where the difference is.

1. RACE BUS PASS - KYOTO

If in Tokyo the whole transport is facilitated by train and subway, in Kyoto is different again. The main transportation in this city is the bus and several line subway, but the wider buses reach tourist spots throughout Kyoto.

The transport tariff system in Kyoto is far near one tariff, regardless of whether the distance is only a stone's throw or as far as the eye sees and the current tariff is JPY 220. Try calculating if you in one day will visit 3-4 places and return to the hostel, hotel to destination A fare JPY 220, from destination A to destination B fare JPY 220, from destination B to destination C fare JPY 220, from destination C to destination D fare 220 and from destination D returns to hostel fare JPY 220. Total expenditure all day is JPY 1,100 compare with Pass which is only JPY 500 per day.

Understanding the bus transportation route in Kyoto is actually much easier than the Tokyo transport line, it's just that the number of no.bus that cross each other is quite confusing. The key is just concentration with the place to be visited, and memorize its no bus, because there is obvious information on the map (see below picture)

How to board this bus should be from the back door and out through the front door, just enter the pass into a machine next to the driver pack, then take the pass again. Like the subway in Tokyo, in front of the bus there are displays and maps of the bus lane that passes and there will be an announcer machine when the bus will reach a stop.

Pass can be purchased at the information center of the bus station in front of Kyoto Station or also directly on the bus, just tell the pack driver "Daily Buss Pass" pay on the spot and pass can be directly used.

Keep in mind, if you do not use pass then prepare cash fit because the driver did not give change.

1. OSAKA ONE DAY PASS AND KANSAI THRU PASS

Like Tokyo and Kyoto, Osaka also has an unlimited daily pass for a day that can be used on all subway lines in Osaka except for the small striped line train. The Price Pass is 2,000 JPY

In addition there is also Kansai Thru Pass, Pass this function is almost similar to JR Pass difference pass this can only be used in the Kansai region. For more details note the picture below:

source of : http://rucksack-traveler.blogspot.co.id/2013/10/berbagai-pass-di-jepang.html