If you’re planning to travel around Japan, the rail pass is the go-to recommendation, and indeed it can be a really good deal. But there are other ways to get around, and some may be cheaper, more convenient, or just fit your trip and lifestyle better. We’ve covered the Seishun 18 Ticket and rental cars in detail, but here are a few more alternatives to shelling out for a rail pass.
Highway Bus
Highway buses are an economical way to travel around the country, and they have their own advantages. Travelers have a guaranteed seat, don’t have to worry about changing trains, and those who can sleep well on buses can even save on hotels costs when using night buses. Plus, you can discover the joys of Japanese service areas, which can range from uninspired to fabulous, with excellent food, local produce, and shopping opportunities. There are several companies that offer highway bus services, but if you’re after some kind of pass, Willer Express has a five-day Japan Bus Pass deal. For ¥15,300, you get five non-consecutive travel days that can be used any time within a two-month period on their more than 20 routes. Overnight trips count for only one day. Japan Bus Online also has a Tohoku regional pass, which provides free travel for either 4 or 7 consecutive days in Tohoku for ¥10,000 or ¥13,000. If you’re in Tokyo, you’ll need to make your way to Fukushima or further north first before you can use it.
Train Discount Vouchers
Sometimes you want to ride the shinkansen but you just don’t need a whole week’s pass. Perhaps you only plan on going one place, or you want to stay longer than the rail pass allows. There are a lot of package deals that can be booked with travel agents or travel sites, many of which require Japanese skills. The round-trip bullet train vouchers (not currently available) on English-language site Klook can still save you around 20%, and allow use of the Nozomi (fastest) train to Kansai, which isn’t true of, say, the Platt Kodama offered by a company called JR Tokai Tours.
Flying
And sometimes you want to just get there quickly, or get to places that you actually can’t access easily by train or at all (Okinawa, Hokkaido). You will find that some air tickets are the same price or even cheaper than taking the shinkansen, and with some advance notice they can be very good deals indeed. At the time of writing, for example, Jetstar has one way flights from Tokyo to Matsuyama in Shikoku for only ¥6,500 (approx. $54 USD). Japan’s domestic low-cost carriers include: Airdo (flights to and from Hokkaido); Jetstar (hubs in Tokyo and Osaka, flights nationwide); Peach (hub in Osaka, also have several Asian destinations); Skymark (flights nationwide, this is a good choice for Okinawa; Solaseed (flights between Tokyo and Kyushu); >Sprin Airlines (currently flying from Tokyo to Hiroshima, Takamatsu, or Saga); and Starflyer (flying between Tokyo and Western Japan).
Hitchhiking
We have to start by saying that you should hitchhike at your own risk and take extreme care when doing so. We’ve had good experiences thumbing a ride, and Japan is a pretty safe country. Still, it’s a good idea to travel with a buddy, always use caution, and if anything seems off – don’t get in the car.
You’ll probably have better luck on the highways, so if you can get to one, start there. An extremely legible sign with your destination, in kanji if possible, will help your case, as will posting yourself at a PA (parking area) or SA (service area) on the highway. Hitchhikers are quite rare in Japan, so be ready to be seen as a curiosity and do some entertaining as a conversationalist (and be ready to throw in a free language lesson).
For more info on this topic, see our guide to hitchhiking in Japan.
Travel safe!
