A Japan Rail Pass covers unlimited travel on most JR trains, and it also covers the seat bookings that matter most when you are carrying large cases.
GetJRPass is an online shop for Japan Rail Passes. Choose an ordinary or Green pass for 7, 14 or 21 days, or a regional pass if you are only covering one part of the country. Pass prices are set by JR and change over time, so check the current price when you order.
Buy your Japan Rail PassThe part many travelers miss is that the booking you need for big luggage is already covered. With a Japan Rail Pass you reserve the seat and the baggage area together, and neither carries a fee.
Every Japan Rail Pass lets you reserve seats as many times as you like without paying a reservation fee. Booking at a ticket machine takes about a minute.
Luggage measuring 161 to 250 cm in total needs a seat with an oversized baggage area on the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen. That seat is included in your pass.
You can bring up to two items, each no more than 250 cm in total and 30 kg, plus small personal items such as a backpack or a shopping bag.
A Green pass covers first class cars, which have wider seats and more space around them. Useful when you are traveling with bulky cases for a long journey.
The oversized baggage area has limited space on every train, so make the reservation as soon as your seat booking opens rather than at the platform.
Order your pass online before you leave home and receive it by post or as an online booking confirmation.
Arrive with your passport. The pass is linked to your passport details and you must carry it while traveling.
At the station, use a reserved seat ticket machine or a ticket office to book your seat and pick the option for a seat with an oversized baggage area.
Board, place your case in the space behind the last row of seats and relax. Nothing extra is charged for the baggage area.
Boarding with oversized luggage and no reservation can end in a penalty if staff find the bag too big, so it is worth booking ahead.
This section is general information about how a Japan Rail Pass works. It is about which trains you can board, not about baggage. Luggage is included with your pass on every train it covers, and a seat with an oversized baggage area costs nothing extra.
These gaps only change which train you board. Your bags still travel free, and the oversized baggage seat is still reserved at no charge on any train your pass covers.
The pass is for visitors entering Japan as a temporary visitor. Your passport details are registered on the pass and it cannot be passed to another traveler.
A pass runs for 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days once you activate it. Set the start day so it still covers your final long journey home.
JR updates pass pricing from time to time, and the rate depends on duration and whether you choose ordinary or Green cars. The shop shows the current price when you order.
Measure your bag first. Under 160 cm in total rides freely, 161 to 250 cm needs the baggage seat your pass already covers, and over 250 cm has to be forwarded instead.
Yes. Reserving a seat costs nothing extra when you hold a Japan Rail Pass. You can book at a ticket office, at a reserved seat ticket machine or online after you receive your pass.
No. The seat with an oversized baggage area is reserved at no additional charge with a Japan Rail Pass. You only need to make the reservation before boarding.
Yes. Luggage with total dimensions of 161 to 250 cm travels in the baggage area behind the last row of seats, and the pass covers that seat at no extra cost. Bags over 250 cm are not allowed on board.
Not with the pass alone. The fastest Nozomi and Mizuho trains need a separate supplementary ticket for each journey, so most travelers take the Hikari, Sakura, Kodama or Tsubame instead.
Yes. Bags up to 250 cm in total travel with no extra charge, and a seat with an oversized baggage area for bags over 160 cm is reserved free of charge. The trains that sit outside the pass, such as Nozomi and Mizuho, are about routes rather than baggage.
Order well before you fly so you have time to receive your pass and reserve seats, especially for travel during Golden Week, Obon and New Year when oversized baggage seats sell out first.