Japan Rail Pass — Magnetic Encoding Issues

[TestudoToTetsudo]

Edit: Based on comment below as well as comment by JR staff when replacing my son’s pass at a service center (after this original post), the issue sounds like the Japan Rail Pass becoming demagnetized with heavy use.  In both my case and my sons case the passes were replaced at JR East Service Centers in Tokyo with new pass cards upon (1) surrendering the old, demagnetized pass and (2) presenting the passport of the person to whom it was issued.  In the time between the card becoming demagnetized and replacing the pass at the Service Center, my son and I were able to use the pass the way the old passes were used — by presenting them at the staffed/“white back ticket” counter next to faregates.

 

Original post below:
 

So I’m in Japan now, and something interesting has occurred!  Well, two interesting things.

 

1) I knew my family was fully prepared to put up with my obsession to ride trains and complete the Shinkansen network this trip, but now my 6yo son has on his own fully plunged himself into that Japanese childhood tradition of collecting Eki stamps!  He insists on wanting to collect the entire Yamanote Line before we leave Tokyo in a week.  With jet lag waking us up in time for the start of service at 4:30 AM, taking him stop to stop and getting the stamp at each stop which had the stamp desks out was a great way to pass the time this morning before our hotel started breakfast at 7.

 

2) However, after breakfast and returning to the Yamanote Line to collect stamps and go to Nippori (so I could watch trains) and Ueno (family activity for the day — zoo and park), my Japan Rail Pass stopped working at the automatic gates and told me to see an agent.  Fortunately this happened at Ueno, 20 feet from the JR East Service Center which does primarily Japan Rail Pass transactions, and I was able to get my pass card replaced quickly.  Soon after, my sons pass stopped working.  At that point we were getting the stamp at Uguisudani so no service center, and from there on after the agents simply waved us through the manual gates like they did with old Japan Rail Passes.

 

So my question for the group is: what happened?  Did the passes simply become demagnetized through frequent use?  Or poor storage near other passes and smart cards in my wallet?  Or does JR have some sort of programmed cap on the number of times they will let you use the pass card through automated faregates within a designated time period?  The cards stopped working around 10am and we had probably been through 20-30 faregates since start of service this morning, riding the Yamanote Line up one stop, exiting, getting a stamp, reentering fate control, and riding to the next stop.

 

Any ideas?

Edited June 23, 2023 by TestudoToTetsudo

[Guest]

They do need to handled with a bit of care, I’m guessing, since they’re basically the same as single fairs tickets but have to last much much longer.  My pass stopped working once (inserted it into a ticket kiosk).  So had to have it replaced, and didn’t have any issues after that.  I usually keep it in one of the ticket envelopes they provide at the counter. 

[TestudoToTetsudo]

2 hours ago, Bob Martin said:

They do need to handled with a bit of care, I’m guessing, since they’re basically the same as single fairs tickets but have to last much much longer.  My pass stopped working once (inserted it into a ticket kiosk).  So had to have it replaced, and didn’t have any issues after that.  I usually keep it in one of the ticket envelopes they provide at the counter. 

Thanks.  So there’s no one (or machine) running metrics at JR and having their eyes bulge out of their head at our usage after all I guess?

[TestudoToTetsudo]

Was able to get my sons pass card replaced as well and the agent said the magnetic code probably broke.  So it sounds like it’s Mr. Martins hypothesis!
 

Updated the title and added a comment to the top of the original post now that it sounds like we know the culprit — and how we were successfully able to rectify the situation once the card became demagnetized — in case it can help any pass users in the future!

 

In better news, my son now has 13 Yamanote Line stamps — everything from Shinagawa through Nippori!

Edited June 23, 2023 by TestudoToTetsudo