Japan is a country that has a large extension from north to south with extremely modest distances from west to east. Therefore, the country has a well-developed system of railway tracks, which allows you to conveniently move around the territory of the state in any direction. The total length of the entire railway network of the country exceeds 27,000 kilometers, and the local group of companies JR Group is engaged in the maintenance of the tracks. The concern includes 6 more companies, each of which operates in its own prefecture of Japan.
The railway network created in Japan is considered the most convenient and the most extensive in the world. In a short time, the passenger can reach any point of the Land of the Rising Sun. Due to its convenience, the local railway is very popular among locals, ranking first in the list of popular transport.
Since each prefecture is served by a separate service within the JG Group, passengers cannot book and book tickets from one seat: for this they have 2 very convenient applications that show the cost of the seat, travel time, the full route and all connections and transfers during the trip.
Types of trains in Japan
In Japan, there are 4 types of trains with different purposes:
- Bullet is a bullet train that travels between cities for long distances and reaches speeds of up to 300 km / h;
- Rapid is an express train that travels within the city. This type of transport does not stop at small stations;
- Local is an ordinary electric train that follows the intracity route and stops at each station. Such trains are more popular among the Japanese than buses;
- Liner is a type of train that is not popular among locals: it runs between cities at high speeds, without stopping at small stations, but its cost is very high. The Japanese prefer in this case to sit on the Bullet.
Bullet is able to overcome large distances in a matter of hours: from Tokyo to Osako will reach in 2 hours, although the distance between them is 560 km. Bullet travels only between major metropolitan areas.
Ticket prices
- The cost of a one-way ticket from Tokyo to Osaka will cost the passenger 14,500 yen - this is about 7500 rubles. The distance between the cities is 556 km, and the travel time is 2-2.5 hours.
- To get from Osaka to Sapporo, the Japanese spend 22 thousand yen, about 11,500 rubles. The distance between the cities is 1196 km. Travel time is 10 hours with all stops.
- From Osaka to Kyoto can be reached in just 20 minutes, giving 900 rubles = about 1800 yen. The distance between the cities is only 43 km.
If you buy a Japanese pass called the Japan Rail Pass for 1, 2 or 3 weeks, you can ride all japan railways trains, ferries and buses an unlimited number of times. A regular pass costs 29, 45 and 57 thousand yen, depending on the number of weeks purchased. There is also a business class pass. Important: Japan Rail Pass is not suitable for travel in high-speed bullet trains. For night trips, passengers have to pay extra, even if they have a pass.
The cheapest way to travel around Japan by train is the Seishun 18 Ticket, which allows you to travel by rail in the country for 5 days without any restrictions. The advantage of such a pass is that you can pause on it - if a passenger rides the train one day, and the next day does not get on the train, the validity of the pass does not expire. It can be purchased by both schoolchildren and students, as well as adult Japanese and other people, for example, travelers. However, the disadvantage of such a pass is also there: you can not always buy it. The budget pass is sold only during school holidays, of which there are three in Japan: from March 1 to April 10, from July 20 to September 10, from December 10 to January 10.
