JAPAN RAIL CAFE TOKYO in Tokyo Station is a place where travelers’ paths intersect. It is a great base for your next adventure, whether you grab a cup of matcha, use the WiFi or have JR staff help you with your trip planning. Their Travel Information Counter has multilingual staff who can tell you how to make the most of the JR EAST pass.
JAPAN RAIL CAFE TOKYO with TW hosted six workshops on six Tohoku prefectures last year. This year, on June 26 and 27, there were six more events where we invited foreign residents to see, taste and learn about the highlights of Tohoku.
TW’s senior editor Lisa Wallin is our Tohoku Ambassador. At these events, she shared her insider tips with the participants — from personal recommendations to hidden temples that are not listed on Google maps. In addition to inspiring wanderlust, these events had a hands-on traditional craft workshop and an omiyage bag with some of the tastiest products each prefecture is proud of.
The participants got as close to traveling without traveling as possible. When it’s safe to travel many are planning to go to Tohoku. They shared with us that the vast nature and tranquil charm of Tohoku are exactly what they are craving. That’s in line with current travel trends of staying closer to home and exploring nature instead of bustling cities.
Those inspired to travel to Tohoku found out it’s convenient to get there, especially now that JR have made their popular money-saving passes available to foreign residents living in Japan. JR EAST offers a great travel deal with their JR EAST PASS (Tohoku area) and JR EAST PASS (Nagano and Niigata area), among other passes to other parts of Japan.
Not to be confused with the JR EAST Welcome Rail Pass 2020 from last year, these new passes are similar and are available from April 2021 to all foreign passport holders (regardless of visa status).
