JUNE 2011

Japan Rail Is Back Online

By Marian Goldberg

Japan is world-renowned for its upscale and expansive train system, which has a reputation for handling a high passenger volume with great efficiency. It was only in the wake of the massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami on May 11th of this year that Japan’s advanced train system stopped. Then, almost immediately, Japan Rail began work to restore the train lines, and by April 29, in time for the important “Golden Week” holiday (April 29-May 8), all train lines across the Japan Railway system were restored. This included JR East Railway’s service on all Tohoku, Yamagata, and Akita Shinkansen lines running to Northeastern Honshu (albeit slightly more slowly than normal). They even restored the special Tohoku Series E5 “Hayabusa” Shinkansen train, which had only debuted on March 3, just a week before the earthquake struck. The Hayabusa can operate at more than 186 miles per hour and travel the nearly 420 miles from Tokyo Station to the newly opened (December 10, 2010) Tohoku Shinkansen terminus at Shin-Aomori Station, 50 miles north of the former terminus at Hachinoe, in just 3 hours 10 minutes (allow slightly more time due to post-earthquake maintenance).

JR East Passes
The Hayabusa is Japan’s first and so far only train line to début “Gran Class” cars offering 45 degree reclining leather seats and gourmet Japanese and Western-style light meals, including regional specialties from areas along the route and a choice of ten soft and alcoholic beverages. There are even full-time cabin attendants, and each seat is equipped with a cabin attendant call button just like on an airline. Foreign travelers in possession of a Japan Railway Pass or a JR East Pass can ride the Hayabusa train. However, the Gran Class is not available to pass holders without significant supplemental charges.
If your clients take Hayabusa to Aomori, they should know that the Prefecture is now running the “Visit Aomori by Shinkansen” Campaign until July 22. Through June 30, this includes a special three-day flexible JR East Pass called the “JR East Special Unlimited Travel Pass.” For 13,000 yen (around $150 USD) they can take advantage of unlimited travel for up to three days within a ten-day period on all JR East trains, including the Narita Express, the Tokyo Monorail from Haneda Airport, the Shinkansen lines to and from Aomori, as well as Tohoku trains and buses, such as the Oirase and Mizuumi bus lines to picturesque Lake Towada. Travel agents can sell this pass through June 14 and travelers can validate it through June 21 for use through June 30. After June 14, the minimum number of travel days for a JR East pass will be the four-day 20,000 yen flexi-pass.
Travel agents can buy all these commissionable passes online (www.accesrail.com/jr-east-pass.html), and clients can exchange the pass voucher or “exchange order” upon arrival at the JR East office at Narita or Haneda Airports. Additionally, if your clients travel to Aomori on any JR Pass through July 22, they can pick up special gifts at sightseeing spots all around the prefecture. View sample gifts and exchange locations at www.jreast.co.jp/e
Both the JR East Special Pass and the regular JR East Pass also include the Tobu Railway local trains between Shimo-imaichi and Tobu-nikko/Kinugawa-onsen Stations and the following Tobu Railway limited express trains: the Nikko, the Spacia Nikko, the Kinugawa and the Spacia Kinugawa. Agents may be interested to tell their clients this, as Nikko is a historic, attractive, and popular tourist destination, which because it is north of Tokyo is expected to be pleasantly uncrowded this summer, even though it is still 150 km outside the Daiichi Plant Zone.

SUICA: Super Urban Intelligent Card
With the opening of the formerly domestic-only Haneda Airport for international travel, JR is now offering a new train pass for those arriving at Haneda, who plan to stay within the Tokyo vicinity. The “Suica & Monorail” combined pass (www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-monorail) bundles a round-trip ticket for travel between the Haneda Airport International Terminal and the Hamamatsucho stop on the Tokyo Monorail with “Suica,” a prepaid e-money card preloaded with 1,500 yen’s worth of travel on JR trains within greater Tokyo. A similar pass “Suica & N’EX” (www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex), combing Suica and the Narita Express train, has already been available for those clients arriving at Narita Airport. Unlike Japan Railway passes, these cards are available to both residents and foreigners and are transferrable. However, both Suica combined pass varieties must be purchased in Japan and neither are commissionable.

New JR Trains For Southern Japan
On March 12, 2011,the Kyushu Shikansen was connected to the JR West Sanyo Shinkansen at Hakata Station in Fukuoka (northeastern tip of Kyushu) and began operating new 8-car N700-8000 series bullet train service between Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chuo at the bottom of Kyushu island (roughly 295 miles). The “Mizuho train,” operating four round-trips daily, was introduced as the fastest train service. It stops only at Shin-Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kokura, Hakata and arrives at Kumamoto in as little as 3 hours, 45 minutes. The Sakura train runs hourly on the same line but stops at more stations and thus takes 4 hours, 10 minutes. The additional station stops include: Himeji, Fukuyama, Shin-Yamaguchi, Shin-Tosu, Kurume, and Shin-Yatsushiro. With the addition of this new line, the former Hikari Rail Star express service ceased operations. Agents should note that JR pass holder clients can freely use the Sakura trains, but they cannot ride the faster Mizuho trains.
It is important to emphasize not only the speed of the JR system but the safety as well. In fact, despite the March 11th disasters in Tohoku , there were no passenger or staff fatalities on trains or in stations within the entire Shinkansen system. Furthermore, there has not been a single fatal crash or derailment on any JR lines since the trains began running in 1964.
For more information on Japan Rail and Japan Rail Passes visit http://jprail.com and www.japanrailpass.net JR East Railways maintains an office in New York and can be reached at 212-332-8686 (10 am to 4 pm).
The Japan National Tourism Organization, with offices in New York and Los Angeles, also provides JR information with pass details at: www.jnto.go.jp/eng