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Buying JR Rail passes

Today I bought JR (Japan Rail) passes through the NTA (Nippon Travel Agency) out of Vancouver. Their customer service was nothing short of incredible.

In one of those bizarre ways that internet searches work, I could not find a page to order the passes online (although the online form is easily found on the link above - which isn't the page I was looking at; I can't find that page again). So I phoned their office in Vancouver and spoke to an agent; let's call him Ando. Ando gave me the exact URL for the online rail pass order form. I thanked him, hung up, completed the online order form, and was completely satisfied with my experience.

About five minutes later, Ando called. "Were you able to order the rail passes without any trouble?", he asked. I assured him things had gone smoothly. I also asked that they send the passes by regular mail, as I had enough time before I left and didn't want to pay charges for delivery by courier. After our conversation, I puzzled about the call, since I had not left a phone number. I was transferred to Ando through a switchboard, which usually kills caller ID services.

The next day, I received both a phone call and an email from Ando. "I just wanted to let you know that I've arranged for your passes to be mailed out of our Banff office. The postage is a little cheaper, and they will get to you sooner", he informed me. I thanked him, hung up, and marveled at this jewel of customer service in today's "take care of yourself" world.

The following Saturday evening, I was checking train schedules in Japan (note the button on the left for English if you use the hyperdia site) to see where we might go. I was a little confused about how universal the Japan Rail pass was. So, I sent an email to Ando asking for clarification, expecting to hear back on Monday.

Two minutes later, the phone rang. "Hello", I said. "Mr. Greg, please allow me to explain about the Rail Pass", said Ando. As I had phoned from the office before, I tried to recall if the online booking form had a field for my home phone number as Ando explained the ins and outs of Rail Passes. As the next step of my trip planning was going to be picking a hotel from a bewildering array of choices in Tokyo, I asked Ando, "Do you know anything about Tokyo?"

"Ahhh, I am from Tokyo!", exclaimed Ando. He gave me a few descriptions of various parts of Tokyo. "There is a big open air market, if you like food; I go there everytime I am in Tokyo", he said.

After about five minutes of reminiscing about Tokyo, Ando said, "I will give you my cell phone number. Please call me if you have any more questions." I started to get an odd feeling that maybe Ando's kitchen was wallpapered with pictures of me. But after some reflection, I wondered what it must be like to be a new immigrant, perhaps a bit lonely and so eager to please.