When you are traveling through Japan this autumn and winter, don’t miss out on this limited special for foreign passport holders in Japan. The discount passes are good through Feb. 28 making them perfect for getting to your favorite ski resort this winter.
Great news for expat powderhounds living in Japan—starting October 16, 2020, East Japan Railway Company (JR East) will offer a limited JR East Welcome Rail Pass 2020 available to all foreign passport holders regardless of visa status in Japan. For a flat fee of ¥12,000, this pass will allow three consecutive days of unlimited travel on the Tohoku, Yamagata, Akita, Joetsu and Hokuriku shinkansen (bullet train) lines. JR East train lines and some local railways are also included.
The pass will be available for sale from October 16, 2020 to February 26, 2021 and must be used between October 16, 2020 to February 28, 2021. It costs ¥12,000 for adults and ¥6,000 for children.
Click here for more details on the areas covered by the pass and purchasing options.
Alts Bandai, Fukushima 
Hakuba Cortina, Nagano 
Tazawako Ski Resort, Akita 
Inawashiro, Fukushima
Read more about Tohoku skiing on Outdoor Japan
Tohoku Storm Chasing
Deep Turns in Tohoku
Aomori Spring
Beyond Fukushima
Powder Room With a View
Powder March on Eight Peaks
Read more about Nagano, Niigata and Gunma skiing on Outdoor Japan
The Reemergence of Arai
Further into Hokuriku
Avalanche Awareness in Japan
Risk & Reward in the Backcountry
In Search of Powder – A Backcountry Guide
