What changed in Japan in 2026: JR Pass, tax-free, taxes

A 7-day adult JR Pass costs $340 (¥53,000) at overseas agencies for purchases on or after 1 Oct 2026. The official online service still sells it at $325 (¥50,000) “for a limited time”, and no end date is published. So the price depends on where you buy, and only the official site lets you reserve seats in advance.

The rest of the 2026 list: the departure tax rose to $19 (¥3,000) on 1 Jul, tax-free shopping became pay-then-refund on 1 Nov, the visa fee rose for people who need a visa, and Kyoto and Hokkaido raised or added hotel taxes. Most only add a cost. Tax-free adds a step at the airport.

Dollar figures use about ¥155 to US$1 and are rounded; you pay in yen, so check the rate.

What changed, at a glance

Fourteen changes affect a 2026-27 trip; the table gives each date and who it hits.

JR Pass price after 1 October 2026: official site or agent?

Both prices are real, because they belong to different sellers. The JR Group notice raises the overseas-agency prices for purchases on or after 1 Oct 2026, by local time where you buy, and keeps the official online service at the old prices “for a limited time”. So a quote of $340 (¥53,000) is an agency price, and $325 (¥50,000) is the official online price.

Rows show Standard class except Green Car: “official” is the online service at the old price, “agency” is the overseas price from 1 Oct 2026, and the child pass is for ages 6 to 11. Only the official online service sells seat reservations in advance. Nothing else about buying or using the pass changed. Check the official page before you buy, because the end date of the old prices is not announced.

Is the JR Pass worth it for a winter trip?

It depends on your route. Tokyo to Nagano is a Hokuriku Shinkansen ride, and Nagano to Hakuba is a private Alpico bus that the pass probably does not cover. The break-even for a Tokyo, Hakuba and Kyoto route is open until you total the fares.

A regional pass may suit better. The Hokuriku Arch Pass is reported at $195 (¥30,000) for 7 days (unconfirmed) with coverage unconfirmed. Run single-ticket totals against it before you decide. The route itself is covered in Can I use a JR Pass for Tokyo, Hakuba and Kyoto?

Before you book Add up your long Shinkansen legs before you buy a national pass. The price rise matters most if you ride few of them.

How much is the departure tax now?

$19 (¥3,000) per person per departure from 1 Jul 2026, replacing $6 (¥1,000). Your airline adds it to the ticket price, so there is nothing to pay at the gate. Infants under 2 are exempt. Eligible tickets issued on or before 30 Jun 2026 keep the old $6 (¥1,000) rate; the tax line on your ticket shows which one you got.

How does tax-free shopping change in November?

Since 1 Nov 2026 tax-free shopping is pay first, claim later: you pay the full price including 10% tax and get the tax back at departure. Shops took the tax off at the till until the end of October 2026. The steps follow Japan Customs and JNTO:

1. Pay the tax-inclusive price and show your passport.
2. Set up a refund method, for example a card.
3. Scan your passport at a tax-free terminal in the departure lobby before you check bags. Keep the goods in your carry-on until it is done.
4. A Green result finishes the procedure. On Red, take the goods to the customs inspection area.
5. The shop or its refund operator pays the tax back.

Rules to know:

• Spend $32 (¥5,000) or more before tax at one store in one day, per Japan Customs.
• Customs checks per receipt. If one item on a receipt is missing, none of that receipt’s goods qualify.
• You must leave Japan within 90 days of the purchase date.
• Anything used or consumed in Japan gets no refund. The special sealed packaging for consumables is gone, but this rule is not.
• On a domestic flight followed by an international one, do the procedure at the final departure airport, per JNTO.
• Visit Japan Web can replace the terminal step at seven airports (Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, New Chitose, Fukuoka and Naha), in designated lobby areas.
• Goods that are not exported mean the consumption tax is collected, with a penalty.

To verify Refund timing is shop-specific and no official page states it. Secondary sites say 1 to 2 weeks to a card, so ask the shop how and when it refunds before you pay.

The full guide is Japan tax-free shopping from 1 November 2026.

Do you need to pay the new visa fee?

Only if you need a visa. Visa-exempt tourists pay no visa fee. For visa applications accepted on or after 1 Jul 2026, a single-entry visa is $97 (¥15,000), up from $19 (¥3,000), and a multiple-entry visa is $195 (¥30,000). No fee is charged if the visa is refused. The fee is set in local currency and some nationalities may have exemptions, so your embassy has the exact amount.

Only a search snippet of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs fee page is available, so treat these amounts as approximate.

What about hotel taxes?

Kyoto raised its per-person, per-night tax on 1 Mar 2026. It now depends on the room rate:

Hokkaido added a prefecture-wide tax on 1 Apr 2026, on a sliding scale by room rate, and some towns add their own. The official rate tables are images, so no amounts are given here.

Tokyo charges a small tax on hotel and ryokan rooms: $1 (¥100) from $65 (¥10,000) a night and $1 (¥200) from $97 (¥15,000). From 1 Apr 2027 it becomes 3% of the room-only charge, with none below $84 (¥13,000) per person per night, and it adds simple lodging and private rentals. An earlier report said 2028.

Other prefectures and cities started or announced their own taxes:

• Hiroshima Prefecture: $1 (¥200) per night at room rates of $39 (¥6,000) and above, from 1 Apr 2026, per the prefecture’s page.
• Nagano Prefecture: $1 (¥200) per person per night from 1 Jun 2026, rooms under $39 (¥6,000) exempt, rising to $2 (¥300) in 2029. Matsumoto, Karuizawa and some resort villages add their own.
• Sendai: since Jan 2026, about $2 (¥300) a night, made up of $1 (¥100) for the prefecture and $1 (¥200) for the city, at $39 (¥6,000) per person per night and above, from secondary pages. Whether the prefecture part alone applies elsewhere in Miyagi is not confirmed. Hirosaki has charged since Dec 2025; the rate is not found.
• Okinawa: from 1 Feb 2027, 2% of the room charge, capped at $13 (¥2,000) per person per night. Reports differ on how the 2% splits between prefecture and city.
• Osaka: a tiered tax since 1 Sep 2025. The tiers are in Kansai.

Which regional rail passes changed?

Several regional passes changed in 2026, so a price from an older guide may not apply. Check the operator’s page before you buy.

• Tohoku: the Tohoku Area Pass ended on 13 Mar 2026, and the JR EAST PASS replaced it: $225 (¥35,000) for 5 days or $325 (¥50,000) for 10, children half price, consecutive days, no Green car. These figures come from secondary pages. Tohoku has a sample break-even.
• Hokkaido: the East-South Hokkaido Pass has cost $260 (¥40,000) for 6 days since 14 Mar 2026, so an older figure of about $235 (¥36,500) is out of date. The Hokkaido Rail Pass prices date from April 2025, with no 2026 change on record: 5, 7 and 10 days at $140, $180 and $240 (¥22,000, ¥28,000 and ¥37,000) before purchase. See Hokkaido.
• Kansai: the paper Kansai Area Pass ended on 30 Sep 2026. The Thru Pass was retired earlier, in 2024. Edition dates for the replacement passes conflict between sources, so no prices are given. See Kansai.
• Shikoku: the All Shikoku Rail Pass changed on 1 Oct 2026 to 3 days for $77 (¥12,000) or 7 days for $130 (¥20,000). The 4 and 5-day passes are gone, and the Shodoshima ferry and bus are no longer covered. See Shikoku.
• Tokyo: the Subway Ticket has been $6 (¥1,000), $10 (¥1,500) and $13 (¥2,000) for 24, 48 and 72 hours since 14 Mar 2026, up from $5, $8 and $10 (¥800, ¥1,200 and ¥1,500). The notices are available only as snippets, so confirm current prices on the operator’s page. See Tokyo and Kanto.

Is JESTA live?

No. A law creating the Japan electronic travel authorisation, JESTA, was reported passed in May 2026 (secondary reports; no official page). The start date is set by later decree, no later than 31 Mar 2029, and the fee has not been set. No official service is open, so be wary of any site offering JESTA applications.

What should you do before you fly?

• Check who is selling before you compare JR Pass prices, then read the official online price.
• Find the departure tax line on your ticket.
• Plan tax-free purchases for your carry-on so customs can see them.

More planning pages are in the Plan hub.

• If you need a visa, ask your embassy for the fee in your currency.