Train

• Reservations are a good idea on weekends and all but necessary over long holiday weekends and during peak travel seasons – such as Golden Week (late April to early May), O-Bon (mid-August) and the New Year period.
• If you have a firm itinerary, you can reserve all your long-haul JR train tickets at once at a midori-no-madoguchi.
• JR East allows travellers (with or without rail passes) to make some reservations online via its website (www.jreast.co.jp/e/index.html), though only for lines within its network. Read the fine print and be sure to pick up your tickets the day before your planned journey begins.
• Tickets can be purchased for Tōkaidō and San'yō shinkansen journeys at a small discount through the app, Smart EX (https://smart-ex.jp/en); note that this service is not for rail pass holders.
• JR allows reservations to be changed once free of charge up to the time of departure; unused tickets can be refunded, minus a handling fee. Private lines have their own policies.

Platt Kodama (www.jrtours.co.jp/kodama) This is a discounted ticket (20% to 23% off) for the journey between Tokyo and Osaka (via Nagoya and Kyoto) on Kodama trains. These are the slowest trains on this shinkansen line, and make many stops. Tickets must be purchased at least one day before departure and are nonrefundable.

With time, a sense of adventure and an affinity for slow travel, the Seishun Jūhachi Kippu (www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/seishun18.html) is the best deal around and can be a really fun way to see the country. It literally means 'Youth 18 Ticket' and is designed for students to travel cheaply, but there are no actual age restrictions.

For ¥11,850 you get five one-day tickets valid for 24 hours each (starting at midnight) for travel anywhere in Japan on JR lines, which can also be shared. The only catch is that you can't travel on tokkyū (limited express) or shinkansen trains.

Purchase tickets at any JR ticket counter (midori-no-madoguchi). As they're geared for students, travel time is limited to school holiday periods. Sale and validity periods are outlined in the following table:

Note that these periods are subject to change, so check online for the latest information.

Students enrolled in Japanese universities (including foreign exchange students with a student ID issued by a Japanese university) can obtain 20% discount vouchers for shinkansen, JR limited express trains and some ferries from their university; unfortunately students enrolled in universities abroad are not able to obtain the vouchers.

The Japan Rail Pass (www.japanrailpass.net) is perfect for first-time visitors who want to zip around to see the highlights. It covers travel on all shinkansen trains except for the very fastest ones: the Nozomi and Mizuho trains on the Tōkaidō, San-yō and Kyūshū lines. A 'green' pass is good for rides in business-class 'green' train cars.

A one-way reserved-seat Tokyo–Kyoto shinkansen ticket costs ¥13,600, so you only need make one round trip between Tokyo and Kyoto on the shinkansen to make a seven-day pass come close to paying off (add a round trip between Narita Airport and Tokyo and you're already saving money).

Until recently, the country-wide Japan Rail Pass needed to be purchased outside of Japan prior to arrival through an authorised travel agency; it is currently available for purchase in country, but at a mark-up (a seven-day pass, for example, would cost ¥33,000). Note that the ability to purchase the pass within Japan is subject to change, so check online in advance.

If you purchase a pass outside of Japan, you will get an 'exchange order' that you should bring along with your passport to a JR Travel Service Centre (located at Narita, Haneda and Kansai international airports and at major train stations) to receive your pass.

When you validate the pass (at the same office), you select the date on which you want the pass to become valid. You can choose to make it valid immediately or on a later date. So, if you just plan to spend a few days in Kyoto or Tokyo before setting out to explore the country by rail, set the validity date to the day you start your journey outside the city.

Once you've validated your pass, you can make seat reservations from any midori-no-madoguchi ('green window' ticket counters) at JR train stations. You can also just show your pass at the ticket gates and hop on any unreserved train car (though you'd be wise to book ahead during peak travel times).

For more information on the pass and overseas purchase locations, visit the Japan Rail Pass website.

Slightly cheaper than the Japan Rail Pass, the Hokuriku Arch Pass (adult/child ¥25,000/12,500; http://hokuriku-arch-pass.com/en) is valid for seven consecutive days and covers travel on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, which connects Tokyo to Kanazawa (via Nagano) and the Sea of Japan coast, and JR limited express trains that run from Kanazawa to and around the Kansai metro area (for Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Kōbe).

Express train travel to and from Narita and Kansai airports is also included (but not direct shinkansen travel between Tokyo and Kansai), so this pass works well if you are flying into one airport and out the other and want to do a classic itinerary in a fixed amount of time. Purchased online for a ¥1000 discount.

JR East (www.jreast.co.jp) offers a few different rail passes that cover travel in different areas within eastern Honshū – a region that encompasses the Tokyo metro area, the Izu Peninsula, Nagano and the Japan Alps – Tōhoku (Northern Honshū) and southern Hokkaidō (up to Sapporo).

In addition to the routes outlined below, all of the following passes cover travel on JR limited express trains between Tokyo, Nikkō, Kofu (near Mt Fuji), Shimoda (at the tip of the Izu Peninsula) and Narita Airport.

The Tokyo Wide Pass is the only rail pass that can be used by foreign passport holders who are not on a tourist visa (foreign residents of Japan, for example). With the exception of the Tokyo Wide Pass, the following can be purchased online ahead of time for a ¥1000 discount.

• Nagano & Niigata Area Pass (adult/child ¥18,000/9000) Flexible use for five days within 14 days; covers travel on the Jōetsu Shinkansen and the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Tokyo and Jōetsu-Myōkō (including Nagano). As these are mountain areas, this pass is good for skiers and hikers.
• South Hokkaidō Rail Pass (adult/child ¥27,000/13,500) Flexible use for six days within 14 days; covers travel on the Tōhoku and Hokkaidō shinkansen lines. While only slightly cheaper than the country-wide JR pass, the flexibility here is a bonus.
• Tōhoku Area Pass (adult/child ¥20,000/10,000) Flexible use for five days within 14 days; covers travel on the Tōhoku, Akita and Yamagata shinkansen lines and on the Jōetsu Shinkansen between Tokyo and ski resort Gala Yuzawa. Good for a tour of the rustic north (and some skiing).
• Tokyo Wide Pass (adult/child ¥10,000/5000) Valid for three consecutive days for travel on the Jōetsu Shinkansen between Tokyo, Gala Yuzawa and Karuizawa. Good for sightseers with limited time.

JR Central (http://english.jr-central.co.jp) has a few passes that are good for tackling mountain areas, including Takayama, Shirakawa-go, the Kiso Valley and the Kii Peninsula, without a car. Purchase online ahead of time for a ¥1000 discount. For more pass details, see http://touristpass.jp/en.

• Takayama-Hokuriku Pass (adult/child ¥15,000/7500) Valid for five consecutive days; covers travel on JR trains between Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama, Gero Onsen and Nagoya, plus buses around Shirakawa-go.
• Alpine-Takayama-Matsumoto Pass (adult/child ¥18,500/9250) Valid for five consecutive days; covers travel on JR trains between Nagoya, the Kiso Valley, Matsumoto, Toyama and Takayama, including the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.
• Ise-Kumano-Wakayama Pass (adult/child ¥12,000/6000) Valid for five consecutive days; covers travel on JR trains between Kansai Airport, Osaka, Nara, Ise-Shima and around the Kii Peninsula, as well as local buses connecting towns along the Kumano Kodō.

JR West (www.westjr.co.jp) offers several different rail passes that cover travel in different areas within Western Honshū – a region that encompasses the Kansai metro area (Kyoto, Osaka, Kōbe and Nara), the Hokuriku area (Kanazawa and the Sea of Japan coast), the Okayama area (for Himeji and Kurashiki) and the Hiroshima area. Some also include Takamatsu (the northern gateway for Shikoku) and Hakata (the northern gateway for Kyūshū).

In addition to the routes outlined here, all Kansai area passes cover transport on JR lines to/from Kansai International Airport to Kyoto and Osaka. Pass holders can rent bicycles free of charge at Ekirin rental shops located at train stations covered within the scope of each pass.

Purchase online ahead of time for a ¥1000 discount. For a full list of currently available passes see: www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass

• Kansai Wide Area Pass (adult/child ¥10,000/5000) Valid for five consecutive days; covers travel on JR intercity trains (excluding the shinkansen) between Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, plus travel on the San-yō Shinkansen between Osaka and Okayama (via Kōbe and Himeji) and limited express trains going north to the Sea of Japan coast (including Kinosaki Onsen) and south to the Kii Peninsula. Good for exploring the Kansai region in depth.
• Kansai–Hiroshima Area Pass (adult/child ¥14,500/7250) Valid for five consecutive days; covers all JR limited express trains in Kansai, as well as the San-yō Shinkansen between Osaka and Hiroshima (via the castle town Himeji) and the ferry to Miyajima. Perfect for covering the highlights of Kansai and Western Honshū.
• Kansai–Hokuriku Area Pass (adult/child ¥16,000/8000) Valid for seven consecutive days; covers all JR limited express trains in Kansai and Kanazawa (on the Sea of Japan coast), as well as the San-yō Shinkansen between Osaka and Okayama and the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Kanazawa and Jōetsu-Myōkō (in Niigata; good for skiing). The pass covers a good spread of well-travelled and less-travelled destinations.
• San-yō-San'in Area Pass (adult/child ¥19,000/9500) Valid for seven consecutive days; covers all JR limited express trains in and around Kansai and to Takamatsu (Shikoku), as well as the San-yō Shinkansen between Osaka and Hakata in Kyūshū, via Okayama and Hiroshima. If you're skipping Tokyo and points east, this pass covers a good spread for significantly less than the classic JR Pass.

The Kansai Thru Pass (www.surutto.com/tickets/kansai_thru_english.html) is the best deal for hitting the highlights of the Kansai region. Good for two (adult/child ¥4000/2000) or three (adult/child ¥5200/2600) days, it covers city subways and buses and private railways (excluding JR lines) that connect Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kōbe, Himeji and the Kii Peninsula (including Kōya-san). It also entitles you to discounts at many attractions in the Kansai area.

Purchase it at Kansai International Airport or at any tourist information centre in the Kansai area.

JR Kyūshū's (www.jrkyushu.co.jp) All Kyūshū Area Pass (three-day adult/child ¥15,000/7500; five-day adult/child ¥18,000/9000) covers travel on the Kyūshū shinkansen between Hakata and Kagoshima (via Kumamoto) and limited express trains around the island, including routes to Nagasaki and the onsen towns of Beppu, Yufuin and Ibusuki. There are also cheaper passes covering just the northern or just the southern half of the island.

The All Shikoku Pass (http://shikoku-railwaytrip.com/railpass.html) covers unlimited travel on the Shikoku intercity train network, including non-JR lines and scenic trains, and the ferry to Shodoshima.

The Hokkaidō Rail Pass (www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/english/ticket/railpass/index.html) covers all JR limited express trains on Hokkaidō (but not travel on the Hokkaidō shinkansen).

The four-day flexible pass is valid for 10 days.