Can I use my Japan Rail Pass to travel from the airport to the city center?

Yes, of course! Your JR Pass is valid on the JR lines linking the main airports to the main cities.

FIRST, YOU MUST EXCHANGE YOUR VOUCHER FOR THE JAPAN RAIL PASS AT THE AIRPORT.
You will be able to activate your Japan Rail Pass at one of the exchange offices at the airport. The JR Travel Service Centers or JR ticket offices are both usually located near to the access to the train platforms.

Most airports are linked to the closest major city by JR lines. For example, the Narita Express that links Narita Airport to Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro stations, the Tokyo Monorail, that links Haneda Airport to Hamamatsucho station or the Limited Express Haruka that links Kansai International Airport to Osaka and Kyoto.

However if you land at Fukuoka airport or Nagoya airport (Central Japan International Airport or Chubu Airport), you will have to reach the nearest station to exchange your Japan Rail Pass :
- From Fukuoka Airport, take the metro for 5 minutes to JR Hakata Station
- From Chubu Airport, you will need to take the Meitetsu train line to Nagoya Station, it takes 28-minutes.

Note that if you are looking up timetables on Hyperdia, Chubu Airport's station name is Central Japan International Airport and the Meitetsu area of Nagoya Station is listed as Meitetsunagoya. Once you have arrived at Meitetsu Nagoya, the JR Station platforms are just a short walk away!