Hi,

My wife and I are travelling for 6 months from Jan to July. We will arrive in Japan during the last 2 weeks of our trip. The Railpass information webpage says that the voucher that they issue is valid for 3 months after the date it is issued. My concern is that we would like to purchase the JR pass before we leave but don't want to arrive in Japan to find out that it is no longer valid. Any suggestion? Help!

You need to purchase it outside of Japan, but not necessarily in your home country. You will need to purchase it during your trip, before you get to Japan.

Yes, it's true and the people who activate the pass in Japan always the check the date on the voucher to see if the three months has expired.
So you have to buy one during your trip prior to getting to Japan. www.japanrailpass.net site has a list of global selling agents. Alternative would be a friend or relative in your home country to buy them in your name(s)within three months of your arrival in Japan and fedex them to you, perhaps c/o at your hotel.
If all you want to do is to travel within a particular area of Japan, such as Northern Honshu, you can buy regional passes after your arrival. For a pass to cover the whole country (including the all-important Tokyo to Kyoto/Osaka corridor), you need to buy the exchange order in advance.

Hi

We used a railpass in Japan and it is of great value if you travel around a lot Here is my trip report with pictures and links: http://gardkarlsen.com/japan_tokyo.htm . Have a great trip.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

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Thank you everyone for the great advice, feeld so much more comfortable going without the pass knowing we can purchase it abroad!

cheers,
jit