The JR Pass since October 2023. The seven-day ordinary pass jumped to ¥50,000 that month. JR announced a further rise to ¥53,000 from October 1, 2026. The official site, japanrailpass.net, still lists ¥50,000 for online purchases and ¥53,000 at overseas agents, and notes that prices are subject to change, so check it before you buy. A reserved Nozomi seat from Tokyo to Kyoto is ¥14,170, Tokyo to Shin-Osaka ¥14,720, and the Kyoto to Osaka special rapid ¥580. The classic triangle costs around ¥29,500. It pays only when you cross the country twice in a week, say Tokyo to Hiroshima (¥19,760 each way) and back via Kyoto, and even then the Nozomi needs a ¥4,960 supplement; the Hikari does not.
The regional passes. The Kansai Area Pass stopped selling on September 30, 2026, so do not plan around it. The Kansai Wide Area Pass still exists: ¥12,000 for five days, covering Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Himeji, Kinosaki Onsen and the shinkansen as far as Okayama. It beats the national pass for anyone staying west of Nagoya.
Korea. The KR Pass is for foreign visitors only: ₩131,000 for two days, ₩186,000 for three. Korean trains are cheap, so it pays only with a KTX ride on each day, Busan then Gyeongju or Gangneung. For Seoul with one round trip to Busan, buy tickets.
Eurail and Interrail. Interrail is for European residents, Eurail for everyone else, and the prices track each other: around €280 second class for four travel days in a month. The catch is the reservation fee on every high-speed train, €13 in Italy, €10 to €23 in Spain, €10 or €20 in France, plus €2 a booking on the Eurail site, and Italo refuses the pass. For Rome, Florence and Venice, or Madrid and Barcelona, an advance fare bought six weeks out usually beats the pass outright. The pass wins in Germany and the Netherlands, where most trains need no reservation, and when your plans may change. The 2026 Plus Pass bundles most reservation fees with three credits for Eurostar and French trains.
The UK. Any visitor can buy a Railcard. The 16-25, 26-30, Senior, Two Together and Family cards cost £35 for a year and take a third off; one London to Edinburgh round trip covers it. Advance fares plus a Railcard beat any pass for a London-based trip.
Decide in five minutes. Write down every train you will actually take. Price each one on the operator’s site for your dates. Add the reservation fees a pass would still need. If the pass is not clearly cheaper, buy the tickets.
Before you buy. Do the five-minute sum above, then save the tickets or the pass QR in Waystop’s Documents beside the train stop. Arrive 20 minutes early at Spanish stations, which have airport-style security.