the JR RAIL PASS...

for those of you planning to go and backpack through japan, there is this thing called the JR Rail Pass where you buy a ticket for a set amount for travel within japan on its rail using the shinkansen...

the prices of the tickets are as follows...

Type:	Green		Ordinary
Duration	Adult	Child	Adult	Child
7-day	37,800 YEN	18,900 YEN	28,300 YEN	14,150 YEN
14-day	61,200 YEN	30,600 YEN	45,100 YEN	22,550 YEN
21-day	79,600 YEN	39,800 YEN	57,700YEN	28,850 YEN

as according to the literature, you can only purchase the rail pass outside of japan and not all people qualify for it... the criterias are below:

The pass cannot be purchased within Japan.

Eligibility for the pass is limited to:

• Foreign nationals visiting Japan as a 'Temporary Visitor' for the purpose of sightseeing
• Japanese nationals living abroad who -
  • are qualified to live permanently in that country, or
  • are married to a non-Japanese person who is residing in a country other than Japan.

so is the pass worth it.... well the price of a single trip on their shinkansen varies as below:

Journey	Price in Japanese Yen
TokyoKyoto	¥13,220
TokyoShin-Osaka	¥13,750
Shin-OsakaHiroshima	¥9,950
Shin-OsakaFukuoka (Hakata)	¥14,590
TokyoYokohama	¥450
TokyoNagoya	¥10,580
TokyoSendai	¥10,590
TokyoNagano	¥7,970
Narita AirportTokyo Station (Narita Express)	¥2,940
Kansai AirportKyoto (Haruka Express)	¥3,490
Kansai AirportShin-Osaka (Haruka Express)	¥2,980

so if you plan to take multiple rides around japan for two weeks, then you best probably get one of these...

Caution:
Even if you visit Japan with an Exchange Order, to be turned in for a JAPAN RAIL PASS, the exchange cannot be made unless you have "Temporary Visitor" status; if you enter Japan under any other official status, such as "Trainee," "Entertainer," or "Reentry Permit," you cannot change the Exchange Order for a JAPAN RAIL PASS. Please note that according to strict interpretation of the Japanese Immigration Law, "Temporary Visitor" status differs even from other types of stays that are also for only short time periods.