Rail Pass Conditions
ELIGIBILITY for JAPAN RAIL PASS:
1. You must be a foreign tourist visiting Japan from abroad for sightseeing, under the entry status of "temporary visitor."
"Temporary visitor" entry status, according to Japan Immigration Law, allows a stay in Japan of 15 days or 90 days for "sightseeing, etc.". When you enter Japan for sightseeing, Immigration personnel will stamp the passport as "temporary visitor". Only clients who have a passport bearing this stamp can use a JAPAN RAIL PASS.
CAUTION:
If you visit Japan with an Exchange Order (H.I.S. Exchange Order) to be exchanged in for a JAPAN RAIL PASS, the exchange cannot be made unless they have "temporary visitor" status: to enter Japan under any other official status, such as "trainee" or "entertainer" will make the pass invalid. 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.
2. If you are a Japanese national living in a foreign country;
a. who is qualified to live permanently in that country, or
b. who is married to a non-Japanese residing in a country other than Japan.
Note: Persons meeting conditions a or b above must be required to show proof of name at the point of purchase of an Exchange Order and obtaining a JAPAN RAIL PASS.
Note: Australian Residents traveling on a Japanese Passport are not allowed to purchase JR East/West or Kyushu RailPasses.
VALIDITY for JAPAN RAIL PASS:
The valid period of a JAPAN RAIL PASS is the consecutive 7, 14, or 21 days beginning on the date the PASS is first used.
Within three months from the date the Exchange Order was issued, you must exchange your Exchange Order to obtain their JAPAN RAIL PASS. At that time, it is necessary to specify the date that you want to start using the PASS. It can be any date within one month from the date the PASS is received.
Once the PASS has a starting date written on it, the date cannot be changed.
REFUND for JAPAN RAIL PASS:
An Exchange Order that has not been exchanged for a JAPAN RAIL PASS can be returned to our office for a refund, within one year of the date of issue. In such case 10% of the Japanese yen price of the PASS as cancellation fee plus AUD$100 refund processing fee per ticket will be charged.
After an Exchange Order is exchanged for a JAPAN RAIL PASS, the PASS can be presented to any JAPAN RAIL PASS exchange office in Japan for a refund if this is done before the starting date of the PASS. (Ten percent of the Japanese yen price of the PASS will be charged as a handling fee.)
Also no refund or extension of the validity period can be made in the event of a train non-operation, delay, or the like.
NO REISSUE:
Neither an order nor a pass can be reissued if lost or stolen. Please ensure its safekeeping.
ELIGIBILITY for KYUSHU RAIL PASS:
The purchaser is not a Japanese citizen, and has entered Japan on a temporary visitor visa issued by the Immigration Bureau of Japan.
EXCHANGE TICKET VALIDITY:
Three months from issue date. Please note that prices for passes usable after March 2011 may changed. In such cases, you may be asked to pay a balance even if you purchase at the current price.
