JR Pass mistakes we made - and what you should do instead
We bought the JR East Pass, and then showed up at Otsuki Station expecting to collect it. Otsuki doesn't issue the pass. Here's everything we got wrong - and what you should do instead.
Our plan - what we thought would work
We were in Japan for about 10 days. For the first six days we travelled by paying for each ticket separately as needed. For the last four days our itinerary was long-distance and heavy on JR East routes:
Our JR East Pass itinerary
We had pre-booked reserved seats for all these trains online using the JR East reservation system, with the plan to collect the physical pass and all tickets at Otsuki - the station where our JR East Pass journey would begin.
On paper, this made sense. In practice, we had made two assumptions that were both wrong.
Mistake #1 - trying to collect the JR East Pass at Otsuki Station
The day before we reached Otsuki, we checked with an AI assistant whether we could collect the pass and tickets there. The answer was yes - insert your passport at the green vending machine, show the QR code, collect the pass and reserved tickets.
We arrived at Otsuki Station. There was no JR East Travel Service Center. No green machine capable of issuing a new pass. The station staff confirmed: you cannot collect the JR East Pass here.
JR East Travel Service Centers - the only places to collect the JR East Pass
Otsuki is not on this list. Neither are most small and medium-sized stations across Japan.
Official JR Pass Center locations
japanrailpass.net/en/exchange/ - full list with opening hours ↗Mistake #2 - assuming reserved tickets could be collected without the physical pass
Even if Otsuki had a green ticket machine, there was a second problem. We had pre-booked reserved seats using the JR East Pass reservation system. To collect those reserved seat tickets, you first need to have the physical pass in hand.
At Otsuki, we tried to at least get the reserved tickets using the machine. The machine requires you to insert the physical pass to issue the corresponding seat tickets. No pass, no tickets. There is no workaround at a small station.
What we assumed
Show QR code from confirmation email at machine → get reserved seat tickets
What actually happens
Collect physical pass first at a major station → then insert pass into machine to get reserved seat tickets
What it cost us
We had to buy a separate individual ticket from Otsuki to Ueno. At Ueno - which does have a JR East Travel Service Center - we collected the pass and all our reserved seat tickets.
The extra Otsuki → Ueno ticket wasn't catastrophically expensive, but it was money we hadn't planned for. More than that, it added stress and uncertainty at a station where we were counting on a smooth start to four days of pre-planned JR East travel.
We had 50 minutes at Ueno to: collect the pass, collect all reserved tickets, transfer terminals, and get to the right platform for the Tohoku Shinkansen. We used AI for step-by-step navigation inside the station - without that we would have lost significant time.
What you should do instead
Collect the pass as early as possible - ideally at the airport
Both Narita and Haneda have JR East Travel Service Centers. If you're buying the JR East Pass, collect it the moment you land - before you leave the airport. You don't have to activate it on the same day.
Collection date and activation date are different things
You can collect the pass up to 30 days before you want to activate it. Collect it at the airport, put it safely away, and activate it on the day your pass-covered travel begins. No pressure.
⚠️ Once lost, the pass cannot be reissued
This is why we delayed collecting ours - we were nervous about losing it. That logic is valid if you're collecting weeks in advance. But if you're collecting a few days before use, collect early and keep it safe. A lost pass means buying individual tickets for everything.
Collect all reserved seat tickets at the same time as the pass
Once you have the physical pass, go straight to the green ticket machine and collect all your pre-booked reserved seats in one go. You'll insert the pass, it reads your reservations, and prints all tickets. Do this at a major station with time to spare.
Read the instructions in your confirmation email - to the letter
JR East's confirmation email has specific instructions for your pass type and how to collect. Follow them exactly. Japan's systems work precisely as documented - if the email says to go to a specific counter type, go to that specific counter type.
⚠️ Check which stations have JR East Travel Service Centers before you travel
Not every station has one. Smaller stations only have basic ticket counters or machines - neither can issue the pass. Check the official list before you plan any collection stop.
Was the JR East Pass worth it for us?
Yes - for our specific itinerary. The Tohoku routes (Ueno → Aomori → Hirosaki → Tokyo) are long and expensive individually. A round-trip between Tokyo and Aomori alone costs around ¥36,000. The 5-day JR East Pass was cheaper than paying for those tickets individually, and it covered all the local JR East trains within Tohoku as well.
But this only works if your itinerary is heavy on JR East routes. If you're doing the classic Tokyo → Kyoto → Osaka circuit, the JR East Pass covers almost none of it.
Official resources
Related Japan guides
Japan train tickets explained - base fare + express surcharge
Why you get multiple tickets and how to use them at the gate.
Suica IC card - complete setup guide
How to link Suica to JR East e-tickets for tap-and-go boarding.
Narita arrival guide - what to do first
Cash, Suica, JR Pass collection - the right order at the airport.
Japan eVisa - Indian Passport, US Resident
Complete visa process, documents, rejection reason, and timeline.
The JR East Pass is excellent value for the right itinerary. Just collect it before you need it.
Safe travels ✈️
- Dee