Regional Railroad Passes

They have the same limitations as the JR Pass. To exchange a voucher for a pass you'll need all necessary stamps in your passport.

From Tokyo you can get to Tohoku (northeastern Honshu, including Akita, Sendai, Nagano, Nikko and its famous rugged national parks) by the JR-East Pass for all local JR East's 72 railway lines - 5 Shinkansen lines, the Narita Express (N'EX) from the Narita International Airport to downtown Tokyo, and most local trains. The passes are valid for 5, 10 or any 4 days a month.

JR East Pass

The 2-type JR-West Rail Pass best fits travelers from the Kansai International Airport to the Kansai area, including the historic towns of Kyoto and Nara and the noisy hub of Osaka with its many sights.

The Sanyo Area Pass for 4 or 8 days gives access to the Shinkansen (with the super-fast Nozomi) going from Osaka to as far as Hakata (in the city of Fukuoka on Kyushu). The stops are Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima, Okayama, Kurashiki, and other local towns and villages.

The Kansai Area Pass is valid for only the Kansai Airport Limited Express Haruka and JR rapid and local trains in the Kansai area, including Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, and Himeji. Shinkansen and limited express trains are not covered here.

The 3/5-day JR Kyushu Rail Pass saves on exploring Kyushu with many tourist attractions from theme-oriented amusement parks to hot-spring resorts. It goes with all JR train lines including the Shinkansen Tsubame and limited express trains.

The JR Kyushu Rail Pass for the Northern Kyushu Area serves best for 3 days of travel in northern Kyushu (Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Oita prefectures).

The JR Hokkaido Rail Pass covers Hokkaido featuring virgin forests, majestic mountains, crystal-clear lakes and wide open pastures. It allows 3 days on all JR Hokkaido Railway trains and most JR buses (except between Sapporo and Asahikawa, Monbetsu, Obihiro, Kiroro, Erimo, Hiroo and irregular lines). It's probably the only pass available not just outside Japan but at selected Travel Service Centers in Hokkaido too.