How to choose discount railway ticket and pass for the trip in Kansai area

Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Nara
Katsura river in Arashiyama, Kyoto is very popular in Spring and Fall. ©Yasufumi Nishi/© JNTO
2011.11.27
Dotonbori (道頓堀) is one of the popular spot around Osaka Namba area. ©JNTO
Dotonbori (道頓堀) is one of the popular spot around Osaka Namba area. ©JNTO

There are JR lines and lots of private railway lines, such as Hankyu, Hanshin, Kintetsu and Keihan in Kansai area. There are so many kinds of ticket or passes as well. It makes you confused to choose it.

In this post, I would like to share the information about the discount tickets and passes that cover Kansai area.

Kansai Thru Pass

  • Online purchasing price (2-day) – Adult : 4,300 yen / Child : 2,150 yen
  • Online purchasing price (3-day) – Adult : 5,300 yen / Child : 2,650 yen
  • Coverage – All Non JR lines, subway lines and city bus in whole part of Kansai area
  • Valid period – 2 or 3 days (not required using in consecutive days)

This is the most recommend one. This pass includes all major private lines and subway lines, such as Hankyu, Hanshin, Keihan, Kintetsu, Nankai, Osaka Metro and Kyoto Subway. You can access Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Himeji, Mt. Koya, Kansai airport, Wakayama and many more place. This pass is sold at 5,300 yen for 3-days and 4,300 yen for 2 days. It gives you the greatest value in any railway pass of Kansai area. But if you think about only round trip between Kyoto and Osaka, the regular fare may be cheaper. Please see the details at the post in the link below:

How to use Kansai Thru Pass. Compare pass and single fare.
Kansai thru pass is one of the best option to travel in Kansai area, such as Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Himeji, Wakayama, Koyasan. This post shows you how to use this pass.
jprail.com
2012.10.07

JR West Rail Pass – Kansai Area Pass

  • Price (1-day) – Adult : 2,200 yen / Child : 1,100 yen
  • Price (2-day) – Adult : 4,300 yen / Child : 2,150 yen
  • Price (3-day) – Adult : 5,300 yen / Child : 2,650 yen
  • Price (4-day) – Adult : 6,300 yen / Child : 3,150 yen
  • Coverage – All JR railway lines in whole part of Kansai area
  • Valid period – 1 to 4 days (midnight to midnight)
Limited Express Haruka connects Kansai airport and Kyoto via Tennoji and Shin-Osaka. This is covered by Kansai area pass.
Limited Express Haruka connects Kansai airport and Kyoto via Tennoji and Shin-Osaka. This is covered by Kansai area pass.

This pass includes most of JR lines in Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kobe, Himeji and Kansai airport. But the Shinkansen and all express trains are not covered except Kansai airport express “Haruka”. Please see the details about this pass in the link below:

How to use JR West Kansai Area Pass. Compare pass and single fare.
This posts explains you how to use Kansai Area Pass. It is one of JR West rail passes and it covers whole part of Kansai area.
jprail.com
2012.10.19

Hankyu Tourist Pass one day and two days

  • Price (1-day) – Adult : 700 yen / Child:Not available
  • Price (2-day) – Adult : 1,200 yen / Child:not available
  • Coverage – All Hankyu railway lines
  • Valid period – one day (midnight to midnight) and two days (must be used in consecutive days)

Hankyu Railway operates trains among Umeda (Osaka), Takarazuka, Kawaramachi (Kyoto near Gion), Arashiyama (Kyoto) and Kobe (Sannomiya). The price of this deal is very attractive to cover three cities, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. If you access to Kobe-Sannomiya from Umeda, single fare is 320 yen. If you access to Kyoto-Kawaramachi from Umeda, single fare is 400 yen. You can get the worth of one day pass by one round trip to Kyoto-Kawaramachi from Umeda. If you look for deal to access to just Kobe, Arashiyama and Gion area, this is a good choice.

But if you want to visit all part of Kyoto and many places in Kobe, Kansai Thru Pass is better choice. Because you have to take other train or bus than Hankyu Railway. Kansai Thru Pass covers all.

Please see the link below to find more information:

Hankyu Railway official site- Hankyu Tourist Pass

Kyoto-Osaka Sightseeing Pass one day and two days

  • Price (1-day) – Adult : 700 yen / Child : 350 yen
  • Price (2-day) – Adult : 1,000 yen / Child : 700 yen
  • Coverage – All Keihan railway lines
  • Valid period – one day (midnight to midnight) and two days (must be used in consecutive days)

Keihan Railway connects Yodoyabashi (Osaka) and Demachiyanagi (Kyoto). It covers Kyoto and Osaka only but the price is cheaper than Hankyu Tourist Pass. And many places in Kyoto are located along Keihan Railway. Fushimi Inari shrine, Uji, Kiyomizu-dera temple and many places in Higashiyama area can be accessed from Keihan Railway stations.

This pass has same issue as Hankyu Tourist Pass. You may have to take subway to get Keihan Railway station in Osaka, such as Yodoyabashi, Nakanoshima, Kitahama, Temmabashi and Kyobashi. And when you visit western part of Kyoto, such as Arashiyama, Kinkaku-ji temple, you have to pay extra to access this place. Kansai Thru Pass may be better choice if you have another trip(s).

Please see the link below to find more information about Kyoto-Osaka Sightseeing Pass:

Keihan Railway official site – Kyoto-Osaka Sightseeing Pass

Kintetsu Rail Pass one day and two days

  • Price (1-day) – Adult : 1,500 yen / Child : 750 yen
  • Price (2-day) – Adult : 2,500 yen / Child : 1,250 yen
  • Coverage – All Keihan railway lines
  • Valid period – one day (midnight to midnight) and two days (must be used in consecutive days)

This deals covers Kintetsu Railway in Osaka, Kyoto and Nara.

In Nara, many of places can be accessed by walk from the station. But this deal can take you to Kyoto station only You cannot use this deal to access to most of places in Kyoto.

Please see the link below to find more information about Kintetsu Rail Pass:

Kintetsu Railway official site – Kintetsu Rail Pass

Hanshin Tourist Pass

  • Price – Adult:700 yen / Child:Not available
  • Coverage – All Hanshin railway lines
  • Valid period – one day (midnight to midnight)

Hanshin Railway operate trains among Umeda (Osaka), Osaka-Namba, Kousoku-Kobe and Kobe (Sannomiya). The price of this deal is very attractive. If you access to Kobe-Sannomiya from Osaka-Nmaba, single fare is 410 yen. It is paid off by just one round trip. If you look for deal to access to just Kobe, this is the one for your trip.

However if you access to Arima-Onsen and/or Himeji, Kansai Thru Pass or Kansai Area Pass may be better choice.

Please see the link below to find more information about Hanshin Tourist Pass:

Hanshin Railway official site – Hanshin Tourist Pass

Kansai Wide Area Pass

Kyushu Shinkansen Sakura and Mizuho give you direct trainsfer to Shin-Osaka from Kyusyu.
All Shinkansen trains non reserved seat on Sanyo Shinkansen are covered by this deal.

If you may travel both inside and outside of Kansai area, Kansai Wide Area Pass is the best choice. You can get same coverage as Kansai area pass in Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Himeji and Wakayama. And also this pass covers Kinosaki Onsen, Shirahama, Kii-Katsuura, Shingu, Okayama, Kurashiki and even Takamatsu in Shikoku. You can take non reserved seat on limited express trains and Sanyo Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Okayama. Please find more information in the post below:

Kansai WIDE Area Pass user guide. The best deal for the traveler who want to travel Kansai and surrounding areas, such as Okayama, Kurashiki, Kinosaki and Kumano.
Kansai Wide Area Pass offers bigger coverage area than Kansai Area Pass. This pass covers Kansai area and surrounding places, such as Kinosaki, Kurashiki, Okayama, Kii-Katsuura. Please find the details about Kansai Wide Area Pass in this post.
jprail.com
2012.04.26

ICOCA and Kansai One Pass

ICOCA is most popular IC card in Kansai area. (C) タンジェント (own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
ICOCA is most popular IC card in Kansai area. (C) タンジェント (own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

You may use these cards to take any trains and buses in all Kansai area. You can use even other area’s card, such as Suica, Pasmo too. These cards give you convenience. You can avoid to purchase a ticket whenever you make a train trip. You can take any kinds of trains, such as JR, subway and Non JR trains. However these cards do not give you any discount and unlimited ride.

If you meet these following things, IC card is your choice.

1. You intend to visit a few places in a day.
2. You need to take several kinds of trains and buses, like subway, Hankyu, Keihan, JR.
3. You cannot fix your plan and want to have some flexibility.

However if you have day trip to other cities, such as day trip to Kyoto from Osaka, Kansai Thru Pass or Kansai Area Pass is better choice in most of cases.

Find your hotels in 500 cities throughout Japan!!!

Hotels in Kyoto
Hotels in Osaka
Hotels in Kansai International Airport
Hotels in Nara
Hotels in Kobe

Kansai One Pass

This is same type of card as ICOCA. You can use this pass by same way as ICOCA. But this card is designed for overseas tourist. Preload amount is 2,500 yen (plus 500 yen deposit and sold at 3,000 yen) and you can get discount at many attractions. ICOCA is sold at any JR stations throughout Kansai area. But Kansai One Pass is sold in the designated stations only. Please see the link below to find the detailed information at official site.

Kansai One Pass official site

For traveler who use national or regional pass

If you use JR pass (national pass) or other regional deal, such as Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass, JR train network in Kansai area is covered. You may have same or better coverage than Kansai Wide Area Pass. If you use these passes, please try to use this pass as much as you can. I think you may add only city deal, such as bus pass in Kyoto.

For the traveler who stay in Kyoto or Osaka and visit inside city only

These above deals are too much for the city sightseeing only. You may find the deals in the links below:

How to choose the best train pass for sightseeing in Kyoto
How to choose the best train pass for sightseeing in Osaka

I hope you get the best deal in this post and enjoy your trip in Kansai area.

Comments

  1. Shobhit says:
    December 12, 2015 at 8:20 pm

    Dear Takeshi-san,

    Appreciate your help in choosing a pass. Me, wife and our 18 month old daughter are travelling to Osaka, Kyoto for 10 days and need your advise on the pass. Our Itinerary :

    18-Dec: Arrive at KIX at 9:30 PM and travel to Hotel in Universal Studio.
    19-Dec: Spend day in Universal Studio (No travel)
    20- Dec: Sight seeing in Osaka (Castle, Namba etc)
    21-Dec: Sight Seeing in Osaka and TRAVEL TO Kyoto
    21-25 Dec: Sight Seeing in Kyoto
    25-Dec evening: Travel Back to Osaka
    26-Dec: Day trip to Nara
    27-Dec: Sight Seeing in Mino Park, Osaka
    28-Dec: Back to Singapore

    Grateful if you can advise which is best pass to purchase? Many Thanks

  2. kat says:
    November 25, 2015 at 1:24 am

    Hello! I am going to Osaka on Dec 8, and am trying to figure out which passes to buy.

    8/12 Arrival in KIX at 7:05 pm, will take the Nankai train to Namba, since our hotel is close to Nippombashi
    9/12 Go around Osaka
    10/12 Go to Kobe (mostly for the Kobe Luminarie)
    11/12 Go to Kyoto (Fushimi-Inari and Arashiyama, other places if possible)
    12/12 Explore Osaka again
    13/12 Fly home, will take the Nankai train again (flight is 9:30 am)

    Now my questions are

    1. If I get the Yokoso! Osaka pass for the first day of arrival, can I use the Nankai train to Namba, then use the subway and bus pass the next day? I arrive quite late already so I don’t see myself using the bus pass on my first day, only the Nankai train. I can’t find any information on this anywhere. Or is it better to just get the Kanku-Webtoku ticket then get an Eco Pass for the next day?
    2. For the Kobe and Kyoto, I was planning on getting the Hankyu 2-day pass, since the train goes to both Kobe and Kyoto from Umeda. I also plan to get a bus pass for both places.
    3. For the 4th and 5th day, use the 1-day Eco pass within Osaka, and get the Kanku-Webtoku ticket for the final day

    Is this at all feasible? I am interested in the Kansai Thru Pass, but I feel it is not particularly viable because it is only valid for 3 days. Japan West Rail Pass is also a possibility but it also seems not very viable for our stay.

    • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
      November 25, 2015 at 2:07 pm

      Hi Kat,

      1. I’m not 100% sure though. In my understanding, you cannot Yokoso Osaka ticket for 2 days. You have to use Nankai ticket and Subway ticket in same day.
      You may ask when you are in Kansai airport. I may be wrong.

      2. Probably Hankyu pass + subway/bus pass in each cities may be cheaper. However I recommend Kansai thru pass. Because you need to take subway in Osaka to get Umeda from Nipponbashi. And also, you have to purchase a pass whenever you arrive at next place. For example, you have to purchase Hankyu pass at Umeda, and then purchase subway pass in Kobe. You will spend many minutes. If you have Kansai thru pass, it covers Osaka subway, Hankyu, Kobe subway, Kyoto subway and bus, and many more. When you go to Kobe, you can take Kintetsu and Hanshin from Nipponbashi. Both railway connect each other and run through. You can get Kobe directly from Nipponbashi. When you go to Kyoto, you can take Hankyu to get Arashiyama. You may use Keifuku railway (Randen) and Hankyu to get Gion. And then take Keihan railway to get Fushimi-Inari. You can continue to travel to Osaka by Keihan too. It’s much more convenient.
      These are reason why I recommend Kansai thru pass. It’s available from 2 days at 4000 yen.

      3. I agree.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  3. Susan Smith says:
    November 23, 2015 at 12:03 pm

    Hi, would really appreciate it if you could advise me which rail pass we should buy for our 6 day trip to the Kansai area in March 2016. We are from Melbourne and our itinerary is as follows-
    Day 1- arrive at KIX airport. From there we need to get to our hotel in Kyoto downtown.
    Day 2- spend all day in Kyoto
    Day 3 – short trip to Kanazawa and Nagahama. Back to Kyoto.
    Day 4 – Leave Kyoto for Namba, Osaka
    Day 5 – spend all day in Osaka
    Day 6 – travel from Osaka to Kobe. Stay in hotel near Sannomiya Station Kobe.
    Day 7 – travel from Kobe to KIX airport for our flight back to Melbourne.

    Based on the above, please advise which rail pass would be the most cost effective for us. Also do they offer discounted senior fares for rail passes as there are 4 of us, 2 are over 60 years old and another two are over 50. Please help us – I look forward to your email. Thanks.

  4. Chua says:
    November 15, 2015 at 7:36 am

    Hi. I amcurrently staying near Tenibashi station. Would be visting kyoto , kobe, and exploring osaka like shinsabashi etc. i wil be here for 5 days. And catching flight from kansai. So which pass is more ecomical for me to get around please!

  5. Chin Kuan says:
    November 15, 2015 at 2:03 am

    Hi Takeshi-san,
    I am having headache in getting the best passes to travel the following places in coming Dec 2015:
    Kansai Airport- Osaka-Kyoto-Kanazawa-Shirakawago-Takayama-Toyama- Nagoya-Osaka-Kobe-Nara–Kansai Airport

    Can you please advise us as to what needs to be done for the passes?

    Here is my itinerary:
    Day 1: Reach Kansai Airport in the morning and then travel to Shin Imamiya Station to search for accommodation. After check in, we will explore around Osaka.

    Day 2~3: Take the earliest train to Kyoto. Look for hotel after getting down in Kawaramachi station. Will stay here for two days to explore the beauty of Kyoto.

    Day 4: Take the earliest train to Kanazawa and then take Nohi bus to Shirakawago to stay for one night there.

    Day 5: Take the earliest Nohi Bus to Takayama. Explore around Takayama before heading up to Toyama. In the afternoon, we will travel down to Nagoya from Toyama to catch a night bus to travel from Nagoya back to Osaka.

    ***From Day 1 to Day 5 above (Excluding the night bus), we are planning to use only 1 pass which is 5 Days Takayama Hokuriku Tourist Pass. Do you think this pass will cover all the transportation mentioned above? Or we need to get some of the local train or bus passes as well?

    Day 6 ~7: Check in hotel in Osaka. Travel around Osaka using 2 Days Osaka Amazing Pass.

    Day 8: Travel to Kobe and Nara.

    Day 9: Travel around Osaka again before back to Kansai Airport to catch the night flight.

    ***From Day 6 to Day 9, I am not sure which option is the best:
    A) 2 Days Osaka Amazing pass +2 Days use IC card or
    B) 4 Days Kansai Area Pass
    I would be grateful if you can provide some information for me to get the best passes for my first experience to travel Japan.
    Thank you.
    Regards,
    CK

  6. Jammy Ong says:
    November 11, 2015 at 8:36 pm

    Hi Takeshi-san,

    Total 5-days tour.
    I will be travelling to Osaka via KIX.
    Planning to get Osaka Amazing Pass for first 2-days to visit around Osaka.
    For 3rd day, we are still at Osaka only on 4th day will be visiting Kyoto for day trip.
    If i buy another 2-day JR Kansai Area pass ?

    Do i still need Kyoto Sightseeing One day pass?

    Thank you and looking forward for your information.

  7. Vivi says:
    November 11, 2015 at 5:22 am

    Dear Takeshi San,

    Its me again. I have had some revisions to our itinerary and would like to check with you if it is worth it to avail of these passes:
    c/o Haruka + ICOCA
    Day 1 KIX to Kyoto
    Day 2 & 3 Around Kyoto (ICOCA or bus pass)

    c/o Kansai Thru Pass
    Day 4 Kyoto (Fushi Inari & Tofukuji) then move to hotel in Tennoji then around Namba
    Day 5 Kobe (HOHO bus & shin-kobe ropeway) then back to Tennoji
    Day 6 Nara (Park & Todai-ji) then Osaka Castle then Tennoji

    Day 7 Not yet decided if Himeji or Mt. Koyasan
    Day 8 Around Osaka c/o Eco Card
    Day 9 Tennoji to KIX c/o Haruka + ICOCA

    Note that when I first plotted the trip using Hyperdia, I chose mostly JR trains for the least transfers.

    Many thanks!

    Vivi

  8. Yus says:
    October 26, 2015 at 9:56 am

    Hi Takeshi^^
    I’m planning to travel around Osaka only for 5 days. I’m not going to visit Kyoto or anywhere else. I will be going to USJ and Osaka Castle anytime within the 5-day period.

    So should I buy Kansai Thru Pass or Osaka Amazing Pass or One-day unlimited Pass, Enjoy Eco Card?

    I’m confused..

  9. Chooi Siean says:
    October 19, 2015 at 11:45 pm

    Hi Takeishi san

    I will be travelling to Japan with my family in Dec 2015. Appreciate if you can advise which will be the most affordable pass which we should get for our trip.

    Day 1 Kansai Airport to Hotel Consort then to Universal Studio

    Day 2 Hotel Consort to Kyoto (Mystays Kyoto Shijo)

    Day 3 Mystays Kyoto Shijo to Mt Fuji (Massimo Mishima Hotel)

    Day 4 Massimo Mishima to Tokyo (MyStays Hamamatsucho) to Disneyland

    Day5-6 Sightseeing Tokyo

    Day 7 Mystays Hamamatsucho to Narita airport

    Much thanks in advance for your help.

    Kind regards
    CS

  10. Yuet Ling says:
    October 17, 2015 at 11:50 pm

    Konnichiwa Takeshi-san,

    Could you advise me what type of pass i should get for the following?

    Day 1 — Need to get from Kansai Airport (KIX) to Tsuruhashi station in early morning.
    My B&B is near Tsuruhashi station.

    After checking in, i will go out and explore Osaka city for the whole day.

    Day 2 — Need to go from Osaka to Kyoto.
    Explore Kyoto the whole day. And return to Osaka in evening or night.

    Day 3 — The end of my trip. Need to go to Kansai airport in early morning.

    My friend & her child (7 years old) will stay 1 extra day in Japan, so, they might need different travel pass than me:
    Day 1 (osaka) — same itinerary as me
    Day 2 (kyoto) — same itinerary as me
    Day 3 (osaka) — from the B&B which is near Tsuruhashi station, they need to go to Universal Studios Japan.
    Their flight leaving Osaka is at 6:50PM. So, they must arrive at airport at around 4:50PM. Which means they should leave Universal Studios at 3:00PM, right?

    Is there any luggage storage facility at Universal Studios?

    Regards,
    Yuet Ling

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