Important Dates:

• March 13, 2026: Last day to buy certain existing passes
• March 14, 2026: New and revised passes take effect
• April 1, 2026: Japan Rail Pass exchange at some ticket machines begins

1. Discontinuation/Termination of these Passes

• JR EAST PASS (Tohoku area)
• JR EAST PASS (Nagano, Niigata Area)

2. JR EAST PASS (NEW)

A brand-new pass covering all JR East lines (plus some private railways):

Validity          Price (Adult / Child)

5 days             ¥35,000 / ¥17,500

10 days          ¥50,000 / ¥25,000

3. JR East–South Hokkaido Rail Pass (Expanded Area)

• 6 days
• Price: ¥40,000 (¥20,000 child)
• Coverage expanded to include Joetsu Shinkansen and Uetsu Main Line, plus changes to the Kanto & Koshinetsu areas
• Joint product with JR Hokkaido

4. Hokuriku Arch Pass (Expanded Area)

• 7 days
• Price increases: ¥30,000 → ¥35,000
• Expanded coverage around Tokyo, Chuo Line, and Oito Line
• Joint product with JR West

5. Passes with Price Increases Only (Still Sold)

Pass                                                   Old Price       New Price

• JR TOKYO Wide Pass (3 days)                  ¥15,000         ¥16,000
• N’EX Tokyo Round Trip                               ¥5,000           ¥5,200
• JR Tohoku–South Hokkaido Rail Pass      ¥30,640         ¥32,000
• Sendai Area Pass (1 day)                          ¥1,320           ¥1,420

6. Japan Rail Pass: Easier Exchange (From April 1, 2026)

• Japan Rail Passes reserved online can be exchanged at certain JR East ticket machines
• Available at major stations such as: Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno, Ikebukuro, Narita Airport, Haneda Airport (T3), Sendai
• Supports English, Chinese, and Korean

Official Press Release: d17557-1339-0ba0a5737d61eae40158f5a5c882a651.pdf

English Article via PR Times: 訪日外国人旅行者向け鉄道パスが新しくなります | 東日本旅客鉄道株式会社のプレスリリース