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Age Requirements

To receive discount fares based on age, please check that the qualifications below are met. If there are only adult fares available for your itinerary, we will quote adult fares.

Senior: To qualify for available senior fares, passengers must be age 60 or over.

Youth: To qualify for available youth fares, passengers must be 25 and under.

Child: : Age requirements to qualify for child fares vary by product and country. Please check the details for the specific product you select. Please note that ages 4 through 11 generally qualify for the child fares except for:

  • Austria: Ages 6-15
  • Belgium: Ages 6-11
  • Bulgaria: Ages 6-11
  • Denmark: Ages 6-15
  • Czech Republic: Ages 6-11
  • Finland: Ages 6-16
  • Germany: Ages 4-14
  • Great Britain: Ages 5-15
  • Hungary: Ages 6-13
  • Luxemburg: Ages 6-11
  • Norway: Ages 4-15
  • Republic of Ireland: Ages 4-15
  • Slovakia: Ages 6-11
  • Slovenia: Ages 6-11
  • Switzerland: Ages 6-15
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Japanese Rail
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The land of the rising sun, the name alone evokes images of black clad ninjas, wooden pagodas, geisha girls, cutting edge technology and sky scrapers. Even the most indifferent traveller is bound to find something to whet their appetite in Japan and the best way to see it all – by train of course!

Point to point tickets and reservations cannot be booked outside of Japan, so the perfect option for overseas travellers is the Japan Rail Pass. Available in four types, your client can choose the pass most suited to them: the Japan Rail pass, The Japan Rail East Pass, The Sanyo Area pass and the Kansai Area pass. Not only is this the most convenient option for your clients, it is also excellent value with the 7 Day Ordinary Pass costing the same as one return ticket between Tokyo and Kyoto.

Japan has one of the world's most modern and developed transportation systems, with an extensive rail network providing access to many destinations. The trains are punctual and easy to use with frequent services (especially in the big cities). For train enthusiasts, the bullet trains are not to be missed travelling at speeds up to 300 kilometers per hour!

The Bullet train – known locally as Shinkansen - is a high-speed rail system that serves as the core of Japan's rail network. There are seven Shinkansen routes with twelve different train types. Travel on Shinkansen trains requires payment of a basic fare plus a surcharge. The Japan Rail Pass covers the basic fare and surcharge for travel on all JR trains except the Nozomi Bullet train and overnight sleeper trains. Reservations are not compulsory in ordinary class but can be bought locally if desired.

    The Tokaido line, the first Shinkansen, opened in 1964 between Tokyo and Osaka. This line has now been extended as the Sanyo Line to reach Hiroshima and Fukuoka. There are three types of trains operating on the Tokaido/Sanyo Line.
  • Nozomi: Meaning ‘hope,’ the Nozomi trains are the fastest service on these lines. They stop only at major stations and take about 2.5 hours to travel from Tokyo to Osaka, the trip from Tokyo to Hakata (Fukuoka) is approx 5 hours. As the Japan Rail Pass is not valid on Nozomi trains pass holders should use the Hikari trains described next.
  • Hikari: Hikari, meaning ‘light,’ was the original Shinkansen service on the Tokaido/Sanyo Line. Slightly slower than the Nozomi trains these services stop more frequently. The trip from Tokyo and Osaka is about three hours. Passengers traveling from Tokyo to Hiroshima or Kyushu will have to change trains on route.
  • Kodama: These trains make all primary and secondary stops but it is far from slow and is as much a ‘bullet train’ as the trains above. These services are best for seeing the countryside and for short hops between sights such as Odawara (Hakone Park and Mt. Fuji) and Himeji (Himeji Castle).

    The Northeast region of Honshu is home to the Tohoku line and is known for its hot springs and mountain scenery. Currently the line extends to Hachinohe but eventually it will link all the way up to Aomori at the north tip of Honshu.
  • Hayate: This is the fastest service on this route. Tokyo to Morioka takes around 2.5 hours and the journey to Hachinohe at the end of the line takes around 3 hours. This is a compulsory reservation train so passengers will need to purchase seat reservations locally. Change at Hachinohe for Limited Express trains to Aomori.
  • Yamabiko: Slightly slower than Hayate trains Yamabiko and Max Yamabiko trains take around an extra 15 minutes. Yamabiko trains go as far as Morioka, Max Yamabiko terminate at Sendai.
  • Nasuno: A commuter train from Tokyo to Koriyama.

    The Akita route branches off from the Tohoku line at Morioka and crosses Honshu to the city of Akita. The samurai town of Kakunodate and beautiful Lake Tazawa are popular stops.
  • Komachi: The only train on this line was named after Ono no Komachi a beautiful and famous Waka poet, the journey from Tokyo to Akita takes about four hours.
  • Yamagata: The Yamagata line is another branch of the Tohoku line, connecting at Fukushima and travelling inland to the cities of Yamagata and Shinjo.
  • Tsubasa: Tokyo and Yamagata are linked in just under three hours by these sleek silver trains.
  • Joetsu: The Joetsu line runs across Japan to Niigata where you can take a ship to Russia.
  • Toki: Covering the Tokyo to Niigata route in about two hours these are the fastest Joetsu trains.
  • Tanigawa: The best way to reach the ski resorts of Gala-Yuzawa at Echigo-Yuzawa, Tanigawa trains make all secondary stops on this line.
  • Nagano: Constructed for the Winter Olympic Games in 1998, the Nagano line is popular for people going to Central Japan. This mountainous region is perfect for skiing in the winter or as a cool haven in the summer.
  • Asama: Named after the volcanic Mount Asama trains take roughly 1.5 to 2 hours between Tokyo Station and Nagano City.
  • Kyushu: The Kyushu line is the newest Shinkansen line linking Shin-Yatsushiro with Kagoshima. Eventually the line will extend to Fukuoka (Hakata) but at present passengers have to change on to a Limited Express train in Shin-Yatsushiro.
  • Tsubame: The name Tsubame means swallow, depicting the sleek comfortable design of these new trains. The trip from Hakata to Kagoshima can be completed in around 2 hours 20 minutes with a change in Shin-Yatsushiro.

As you can see within Japan, rail is THE way to travel. Also offering free travel on affiliated buses and ferries and discounts on reservations made locally at Japan Rail Group hotels the Japan Rail Pass is the best deal for your customers.