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Ayumi is our online Japan travel expert and
loves to answer any questions you have. [
Travelling overnight on the last day of my JR Pass with a transfer in the morning?
On the day of expiry of the JR pass I am travelling from Sapporo to Narita overnight. I am going to have to change train sometime the next day which will happen when the JR pass has expired.
The day of boarding is the last day, whereas when I transfer to another train, the pass will expire - will I need to pay extra in this instance?
Updated: 20/11/2007
You’ll be OK
Normally the JR Pass covers travel only on the days specified. However, your case is special and is covered in point 5 of the official JR Pass Notes Regarding Use page. When in your situation, the JR Pass is valid until the end of your journey provided that you do not exit the JR Station:
“If you travel overnight on the last day your pass is valid, the basic fare will be covered as far as you travel, including train changes, until you first exit a station.”
But free seat reservations and Green Car (1st class) upgrades won’t carry over
The fly in the ointment is that the free seat reservations and Green Car upgrades that you can make with the JR Pass will not carry over once the clock has passed midnight. If you are travelling to Tokyo, this could mean standing room only during busy periods, but it will mean that you can get to Tokyo using your JR Pass.
Further Reading
Related Pages:
- How to Order Sushi in Japanese?
- Shibuya to Nagoya on a JR Pass?
- US Military and Japan Rail Pass
- Can I look up JR train times online?
- Excluded JR lines, sleeper cars and journey times with JR Pass
Tags: 
19/11/07
in
Hi,
thanks for the prompt reply. Just to clarify, I will ve boarding the train on the last day and it is supposed to be for a trip all the way from Sapporo to Tokyo. However during the journey, I will need to transfer from one line to another line, will such transfer be subjected to additional charge.
Thank you very much for being patient with me.
CK
Thanks for the comment! I had a funny feeling about my original reply and did some more research into this (see amendment above).
I spoke with JR in Japan and confirmed that you’ll be fine to make transfers so long as you don’t exit the Shinkansen terminal - so no popping out for Bentos while you wait :). You will not be able to make seat reservations the next day using your pass or use green car upgrades.
Hope this helps!
Ayu
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