Visit the Scenic 'Northern Tohoku' Region Using the Limited-Offer Discount Ticket 'JR EAST PASS SPECIAL' Sales Begin Sunday, 1 July 2007
East Japan Railway Company
May 15, 2007
The Tohoku ('Northeast') region is the large area encompassing the northern end of the main island of Honshu; part of this region is the Northern Tohoku consisting of the three prefectures of Akita, Aomori and Iwate. These three locales offer a wide range of tourist attractions: castles and samurai towns, festivals in all seasons, soothing hot springs, deep clear lakes and refreshing hikes in the mountains. And all within a few hours ride by Shinkansen 'bullet trains' from Tokyo. From July through September this year, this area is promoting itself in a 'Northern Tohoku Destination Campaign' and in conjunction with this event East Japan Railway is offering foreign visitors a very economical limited-time discount ticket, the 'JR EAST PASS SPECIAL,' that will go on sale Sunday, 1 July 2007. During this promotional period we wish to encourage travelers to enjoy the charms of the Northern Tohoku area. But the pass will also cover all JR East service including the metropolitan Tokyo area and many other locations in the Tohoku region and central Japan such as Matsumoto, Nagano, Nikko and Sendai. Please take advantage of this special offer to explore the Northern Tohoku using JR East's comfortable, speedy and safe rail system.
AN OUTLINE OF THE 'JR EAST PASS SPECIAL'
- Product: 'JR EAST PASS SPECIAL'
- Sales period: Sunday, 1 July 2007 through Monday, 1 October 2007. This is approximately the duration of the Northern Tohoku Destination Campaign.
- Places selling the Exchange Order for the pass: Travel agencies using the following GDS systems for issuing airline tickets. There are about 150,000 locations worldwide.
Amadeus, Apollo, Galileo, Sabre, WorldSpan -
Exchange points in Japan:
Station Office Office Hours Days Closed Aomori Travel Service Center 10:00-18:00 None Hachinohe Travel Service Center 10:00-17:30 None Akita Travel Service Center 10:00-18:00 None Sendai Travel Service Center 10:00-19:00 None Yamagata Travel Service Center 10:00-18:00 None Fukushima Travel Service Center 10:30-19:00 None Niigata Travel Service Center 10:00-19:00 None Narita Airport
(Terminal 1)Travel Service Center 11:30-19:00 None Ticket Office 6:30-11:30 None 19:00-21:45 None Airport Terminal 2 Travel Service Center 11:30-19:00 None Ticket Office 6:30-11:30 None 19:00-21:45 None Tokyo Travel Service Center (Marunouchi North) 10:00-19:00 Sundays and Holidays Travel Service Center (Yaesu Central) 10:30-19:30 None Ticket Office 5:30-22:45 None Shinagawa Travel Service Center 9:30-20:00 None Ueno Travel Service Center 10:30-20:00 None Shinjuku Travel Service Center (East) 11:00-19:00 None Shibuya Exchange: Information Center 10:00-18:30 None Sales: Travel Service Center 11:00-20:00 None Ikebukuro Exchange: Information Center 9:30-18:00 None Sales: Travel Service Center (west) 11:00-20:00 None Yokohama Travel Service Center 11:00-20:00 None (These are basically the same locations that handle the standard JR EAST PASS)
- Period of use: The pass can be used from Sunday, 1 July 2007 through Wednesday, 31 October 2007.
- Description of the pass: A flexible 3-day pass for Ordinary (coach) cars.
The pass can be used on any 3 days that you wish within a one-month period. It is valid on any JR East trains (excluding private compartments, sleeping cars, liners and home liners).
NB: There is no Green (first class) version of this pass. - Prices: Adult: 10,000 yen / Child (ages 6-11): 5,000 yen. When buying the exchange order overseas the price will be in local currency based on the exchanger rate at the time of the sale.
NB: There is no special youth rate: children age 12 and above pay the adult price. - Restrictions: The pass can only be used by customers with foreign nationality using a foreign passport and entering Japan under temporary visitor status (90 days or less). To verify this you will be asked to show your passport when converting your exchange order in Japan.
OMIYAGE
On presenting your JR EAST PASS SPECIAL or JR EAST PASS at designated tourist information locations in the Northern Tohoku Destination Campaign area, you can receive a free "omiyage" (souvenir): a set of chopsticks especially made in the region.
For a list of places giving away these omiyage please see the list on the attached document.
PROMOTION
To provide promotional information to foreign visitors before they depart for Japan, we are planning an advertising campaign. In addition we plan to include information on our web site in English, Korean and Chinese beginning 18 May.
| English | http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/eastpass/index.html |
| Korean | http://www.jreast.co.jp/kr/eastpass/index.html |
| Chinese | http://www.jreast.co.jp/tc/eastpass/index.html |
REFERENCE
Northern Tohoku Destination Campaign
What are Destination Campaigns?
- Nationwide promotional campaigns coordinated by local governments and the six JR passenger companies.
- This year's July to September 'Northern Tohoku Destination Campaign' includes Akita, Aomori and Iwate Prefectures.
GDS = Global Distribution System
The world's most common distribution system in the travel industry for booking tickets and confirming reservations, in particular airline seat reservations.
JR EAST PASS
The JR EAST PASS is for foreign tourists visiting Japan and is valid for all JR East lines including Shinkansen, Limited Express and Express trains. Travelers can choose among three types of passes that vary in length and validity period as shown in the chart below:
| Ordinary | Green | ||||
| Adult (age 26 and over) |
Youth (age 12-25) |
Child (age 6-11) |
Adult (age 12 and over) |
Child (age 6-11) |
|
| 5-day | 20,000 yen | 16,000 yen | 10,000 yen | 28,000 yen | 14,000 yen |
| 10-day | 32,000 yen | 25,000 yen | 16,000 yen | 44,800 yen | 22,400 yen |
| Flexible 4-day | 20,000 yen | 16,000 yen | 10,000 yen | 28,000 yen | 14,000 yen |
REFERENCE
| Ordinary | ||
| Adult (age 12 and over) |
Child (age 6-11) |
|
| JR EAST PASS SPECIAL (Flexible 3-day) |
10,000 yen | 5,000 yen |
| No. | Area | Places giving away |
| 1 | Iwate Prefecture | Morioka-City Travel and Cultural Exchange Center (Plaza Odette) |
| 2 | Iwate Prefecture | Kita-Tohoku Travel Center |
| 3 | Iwate Prefecture | Hanamaki Travel Center |
| 4 | Iwate Prefecture | Oshu-City Travel Service Office (inside Mizusawa-Esashi Station) |
| 5 | Iwate Prefecture | Mizusawa Travel Service Office (inside Mizusawa Station) |
| 6 | Iwate Prefecture | Esashi Travel Commerce Center |
| 7 | Iwate Prefecture | Isawa Information Center |
| 8 | Iwate Prefecture | Ichinoseki Travel Association Station Office |
| 9 | Iwate Prefecture | Ofunato-City Tourism Commerce Association Travel Service Office |
| 10 | Iwate Prefecture | Rikuzen-Takada City Travel Association |
| 11 | Iwate Prefecture | Kamaishi General Travel Service Office |
| 12 | Iwate Prefecture | Miyako Station Travel Service Office |
| 13 | Iwate Prefecture | Ninohe-City Travel Service Office (Nanyaato) |
| 14 | Iwate Prefecture | Iwate Area Exchange Center "Plaza Ai" Regional Travel Service Office |
| 15 | Iwate Prefecture | Shizukuishi Town Travel Service Center |
| 16 | Iwate Prefecture | Kuji Tourist Guide |
| 17 | Iwate Prefecture | Roadside Birch Village Yamagata |
| 18 | Iwate Prefecture | Tono-City Travel Service Office (Tono City Travel Association) |
| 19 | Aomori Prefecture |
Aomori Travel General Service Office |
| 20 | Aomori Prefecture |
Aomori-City Travel Service Office |
| 21 | Aomori Prefecture |
Hirosaki-City Travel Service Office |
| 22 | Aomori Prefecture |
Hirosaki-City Travel Building |
| 23 | Aomori Prefecture |
Hachinohe General Travel Plaza |
| 24 | Aomori Prefecture |
Towada Lake Travel General Service Office |
| 25 | Aomori Prefecture |
Mutsu Kasamai Building |
| 26 | Akita Prefecture |
Akita-City Travel Service Center |
| 27 | Akita Prefecture |
Tazawa Lake Travel Information Center "Folake" |
| 28 | Akita Prefecture |
Towada-Hachimantai Travel Commerce Association Travel Service Office |
| 29 | Akita Prefecture |
Kakunodate Travel Information Center "Ekimae-gura" |
| 30 | Akita Prefecture |
Daisen-City Travel Information Center "Granpaul" |
