Hyperdia: the best online timetable to plan your trip!
The Hyperdia website is the best resource to help you plan your rail trip to Japan with a Japan Rail Pass. After inputting your departure and arrival stations Hyperdia will calculate the best routes for you, presenting you with several choices for the journey you are planning.
Understand if a Japan Rail Pass is the right choice for you
For more complex itineraries it is a good idea to compare the equivalent ticket cost to that of your rail pass.
In addition to timetabling information, Hyperdia shows the ticket cost for each journey. This lets you calculate the ticket cost of your entire trip. You can then compare this with the cost of the rail passes to understand if a JR Pass makes economic sense.
How to use Hyperdia for Japan Rail Pass holders
Hyperdia is not initially configured for Japan Rail Pass holders and also displays airlines, private rail companies and non-valid Nozomi and Mizuho class bullet trains. You should make sure the following checkboxes under “Search Details” are deselected before you click search:
- Airplane
- NOZOMI/MIZUHO/HAYABUSA (SHINKANSEN)
- Private Railway
Deselecting these will let you search for JR trains and bullet trains valid for use with the Japan Rail Pass
Getting the settings right for using Hyperdia with a Japan Rail Pass can be a bit fiddly, so we’ve made a screencast to show how to search Hyperdia for JR Pass holders:
Using Hyperdia to make seat reservations
Although you cannot make reservations using Hyperdia online, you can plan and print out routes to take to the reservation desk to reserve seats once you are in Japan.
As Japan is a country big on punctuality, trains arrive and leave exactly at the scheduled time. Hyperdia enables the creation of a precision itinerary customised perfectly for your trip.
Find out how much you can save with a JR Pass
While Hyperdia is great for finding specific routes, it is limited to one route search at a time. Using our Fare Calculator you can find the total cost of your itinerary and what JR Pass is the best choice for you.
