How to use JR West Kansai Area Pass. Compare pass and single fare.

Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Nara
Osaka castle is one of popular spot to see cherry blossom in Osaka. ©Osaka Government Tourism Bureau/©JNTO
Limited Express Haruka from KIX is covered by this pass.
The limited express Haruka from KIX is covered by this pass.

JR West Kansai Area Pass is one of the choices for the traveler who stays in Osaka and make some day trips to the surrounding places, such as Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Himeji and Wakayama.

In this post, I would like to share the information about JR West Kansai Area Pass with you. And I will compare the price of the pass and the regular fare. You can find that you can get the worth by your trip or not.

Coverage area

Kansai Area pass map
Only major stations are shown in the map.

Please refer the map in JR West Kansai Area Pass official site as well to get the detailed map.

The pass covers most of points of interest, such as Osaka (Umeda), Namba, Universal Studio Japan, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, Wakayama, Kansai airport, Himeji.

Expansion of the coverage area in Kyoto

And also Kansai Area Pass includes the following exchange vouchers:

  • Keihan Railways Kyoto Sightseeing Pass 1-day
  • Kyoto City Subway 1-day pass

These passes expand the coverage in Kyoto so much:

Green line (subway) and red line (Keihan railway) are additional coverage. (click to view large)

Kansai Area Pass did not cover Keihan and subway in Kyoto. These lines cover eastern part of Kyoto, such as Gion, Kiyomizudera.

You may exchange the vouchers in the designated stations. Please find the detailed information in the official press release:

JR West official press release

You can use these passes separately.

e.g.
You have Kansai Area Pass 2-day
Day 1 trip to Kyoto and exchange Kyoto city subway pass only
Day 2 trio to Kyoto and exchange Keihan Railway Kyoto sightseeing pass

But in my opinion, you should use these two passes in same day. If you use only JR line and Kyoto city subway line, the coverage are limited.

The places where you cannot go by Kansai Area Pass

Major spots that are not covered by this pass is Mt. Koya. But if you want to go to Mt. Koya, Nankai Railway is the best way. Nankai Railway is not covered by JR West Kansai Area Pass anyway. Nankai Railway’s Koyasan World Heritage Ticket or Kansai Thru Pass is a right choice for trip to Mt. Koya.

Nankai Railway Koyasan World Heritage Ticket
How to use Kansai Thru Pass. Compare pass and single fare.

Who is eligible

Visitors who land as “Temporary Visitor” status can purchase this pass.

Types and prices

Purchasing from
the travel agent
overseas
(Before arrival)
Purchasing from
JR West online
(Before arrival)
Purchasing from
JR West station
(After arrival)
1-day2,400 yen2,4000 yen2,400 yen
2-day4,600 yen4,600 yen4,600 yen
3-day5,600 yen5,600 yen5,600 yen
4-day6,800 yen6,800 yen6,800 yen

*Child rate is half of the adult prices above.
*5 year old or younger child is free. Maximum 2 children per one adult.

The pass must be used in consecutive days. The validity of a rail pass starts from 12 O’clock at night (midnight to midnight).

e.g.
If you start to use 3 days pass on May 1, the pass is expired at 23:59 on May 3. The time when you start using does not matter.

If you want to purchase this at the lower price, you can purchase it at authorized travel agents. You can find the dealers list and exchange location at the link below:

JR West Rail Pass Dealer’s list

You also can purchase this pass online through JR West official site. But the price is not much cheaper than the price which is sold at the station.

Valid trains and bus lines

This pass covers all JR local trains and non reserved seat of Limited Express Haruka. You CANNOT ride any other express trains, such as the Tokaido Shinkansen the Sanyo Shinkansen, the limited express Thunderbird. But as long as you travel in Kansai area, Rapid Services Network is enough to cover your trip. It is actually crowded because these trains are the commuters one. But these are fast and frequent. The following list shows you trains that you can ride by JR West Kansai Area Pass.

Of course, you can ride any local trains that are not shown on above list.

Find your hotels in 400 cities throughout Japan!!!

Hotels and Ryokans in Nara
Hotels in Himeji
Hotels in Kobe
Hotels in Himeji
Hotels in Kansai Airport

On the other hand, JR West Kansai Area Pass does not cover any private railway lines, subway lines and the bus lines. Most of major private railway companies and subway lines are shown on the following list:

  • Osaka Metro (Subway)
  • Kyoto Municipal Transportation (Subway and city bus)
  • Nankai Railway (Namba-Kansai airport, Namba-Mt.Koya)
  • Kintetsu Railway (Namba-Nara, Kyoto-Nara)
  • Hankyu Railway (Sannomiya-Umeda-Kawaramachi)
  • Keihan Railway (Yodoyabashi-Kyobashi-Shijo-Sanjo)
  • Hanshin Railway (Namba-Sannomiya, Umeda-Sannomiya-Himeji)
  • Sanyo Railway (Umeda-Sannomiya-Akashi-Himeji)

These above railways and bus lines are NOT covered. When you are in Osaka or Kyoto, subway trains and city bus services are very convenient. So you may have to pay a single fare or purchase other pass. This is the biggest disadvantage of JR West Kansai Area Pass. You can find the coverage of this pass in these posts:

Compare cost between pass and single fare. Best way to use.

First of all, please see the fare table for major sections below:

StationsOsakaShin
Osaka
KyotoKansai
airport
Sannomiya
(Kobe)
NaraHimehjiJR Namba
Osaka1605401160
1150
3907801450190
Shin
Osaka
1605401330
1150
5408901450210
Kyoto5405401830
1150
10506902210890
Kansai
airport
1160
1150
1330
1150
1830
1150
1660
1150
1660
730
2730
1150
1030
730
Sannomiya
(Kobe)
39054010501660
1150
1210950690
Nara7808906901660
730
12102210540
Himeji1450145022102730
1150
95022101620
JR Namba1902108901030
730
6905401620

*If there are two fares, basic fare is shown at the top and limited express surcharge at the bottom. For example, if you travel from Kansai airport to Shin-Osaka, basic fare is 1330 yen and surcharge is 1150 yen.

As you saw the fare table above, most of trips from Kansai airport is very efficient because of limited express Haruka. If you travel to Osaka, Kansai airport rapid may be better than Haruka because Haruka do not stop at Osaka. But if you think about getting on Haruka, Kansai Area Pass is considerable. Even one day pass is cheaper than basic fare + surcharge. If you go to Namba, you can access there by JR trains. But Nankai Railway gives you much better access to Namba. Especially if you think about transfer to subway at Namba, Nankai Railway Namba station is much easier to transfer to most of subway lines. Please see the details at the post, How to access from Kansai airport to downtown Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe.

Next, I recommend you to use this pass for the trip to Himeji. Special Rapid Service connects Osaka with Himeji in 62 minutes. This train is the fastest and most frequent service. If you think about Kansai Thru Pass, this pass do not cover JR trains. If you go to Himeji by Kansai Thru Pass, the pass cover all part of your trip to Himeji. But you will spend more than 90 minutes. Kansai Thru Pass is very efficient for the trip to Kyoto or Mt. Koya. But if you go to Himeji, I recommend you to use JR West Kansai Area Pass.

If you go to Kyoto, Nara or Kobe from Osaka, it may not be very efficient. The fare range is between 500 and 1,000 yen. The difference between 1 day pass and 2 days pass is 2,000 yen. If you will purchase 3 days or 4 days, the price difference is 1,000 yen. If you have two trips, from Kansai airport by Haruka and trip to Himeji, you will already make more than 4,000 yen worth. You can use the pass to Kyoto, Kobe or Nara. But if you use 2 days pass for trip from Kansai airport and trip to Kyoto, Nara or Kobe, you may not be able to make more than 4,000 yen worth.

JR West also sell ICOCA and Haruka. This discount ticket include trip from Kansai airport by Haruka and 1,500 yen value e-money in ICOCA prepaid card. If JR West Kansai Area Pass is too expensive for your trip, ICOCA and Haruka may be suitable for your trip. ICOCA can be used for not only JR trains but also Kyoto subway, Osaka subway and other major private railway companies. ICOCA is more flexible than JR West Kansai Area Pass. Please see the details about ICOCA at the post, ICOCA and Haruka ticket. Very flexible and good deal for tourist who stay in Kansai..

At last, if you want to explore some more places, I strongly recommend you JR West Kansai WIDE Area Pass. This pass is available in 4 days pass only. But the area where is covered is much bigger. And limited express train and Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Okayama are covered by this pass. And the price is only 1,000 yen higher than Kansai Area Pass 4 days. I am very happy if you are interested in other places outside of Kansai area.

Comments

  1. Janit says:

    Dear Takeshi

    I will arrive Osaka late night of april 28 and will take nankai train or airport bus to my hotel near namba station.

    Day 1 : Osaka – Kobe – Osaka ->> which pass should I use to travel to Kobe ?
    Day 2 : Osaka – Kyoto –>> Can I start using JR Kansai Wide Area Pass to ride JR train to kyoto
    Day 3 : Kyoto – Icoca card or any pass for Kyoto’s 2 day visit ?
    Day 4: Kyoto – Osaka – Okayama – Osaka –>> Kansai Wide Area Pass + icoca card
    Day 5 : Osaka – Nachi fall /wakayama – Osaka –>> Kansai Wide Area Pass to Kiikatsaura ?
    Day 6 : Osaka – Nara – Osaka – Kansai Airport –>> Can I use Kansai Wide Area Pass to ride LTD Haruka express from Osaka to the airport ?

    1. Does it sound ok for this ?
    2. Other from Kansai Wide Area Pass, any combination you would like to advise ?
    3 Do I need to make reservation for JR train ? KWAP doesnt apply for reserved seats so I have to pay extra fee as indicated in hyperdia table right?
    4. Icoca can use for subway , non JR train, and bus in Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe ?

    Your comments would be very much appreciated.
    Thank you

    • Hi Janit,

      Hanshin Tourist Pass is recommended for trip to Kobe.
      http://www.kansai360.net/en/ticket02/

      1. It looks good to go. You can start to use Kansai Wide area pass on day 2. It will cover all part of your trip by JR train to the end. You don’t need ICOCA on day 3. It covers Haruka too.
      2. No. Kansai Wide Area Pass is the best choice.
      3. It’s not required, but this period is Golden Week and it’s one of the busiest period. If you want to reserve, you can go ahead as long as you are okay to pay extra. It’s very hard to guess that you really need to book or not at this point. I guess if you show up at the platform, like 30 minutes prior to departure time, you will be able to get a seat on non reserved car. I haven’t done the trip in Golden Week in last 10 years. So I’m not really sure.
      4. Yes. It covers all trains and bus in these cities.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  2. dooyoo says:

    Hi Takeshi,
    First, thank you very much for this post wich is really interesting and full of good tips !
    Let me ask you a question, my friend and i plan to go Osaka (arrival on the first of may and departure on the 9th) wich is a total of 8 days, unfortunatly the pass the JR west rail pass is only for 4 days. What do you recommand us to use ? Thank you very much for your help !

  3. Racheal says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    I will be visiting Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto. My itinerary as follows:

    11 May : arrive Osaka Airport, staying in hotel in Osaka/Umeda station area
    12 – 15 May : will explore Osaka, Himeiji, Kobe and maybe Nara if time allows
    16 – 18 May : move to Kyoto, staying in hotel around Gojo subway station
    19 May : depart for Kansai Airport

    Your advise on which pass(es) will be appreciated.
    Thanks you!

  4. Eugenia says:

    Hi takeshi,

    Good day! It’s my first time to osaka, need your advice on which pass to use during my stay.

    April 29- kansai airport to kyoto
    April 30- kyoto
    May 1- kyoto to kobe
    May 2- Kyoto to namba
    May 3- namba to Nara
    May 4- namba to kansai airport

    Thank you

    Regards
    Eugenia

  5. Ruby says:

    Hi Takeshi. I’ll be in kyoto for 7 night this April. I’m flying into Osaka Kix & want to travel by train to kyoto, my base for the entire stay. I hope to visit Nara & Osaka during my stay, including a day trip to to Kawachi Fuji Gardens in Kitakyushu. Is it a gd idea for me to purchase the JR West ticket as it covers the kyoto- Yahata station sector?n I can use it on the haruka too? Really appreciate your input. Tqvm.

  6. Soo Seah says:

    Hi Takeshi,
    Good day to you.

    I am first timer to Japan and would like to seek your advice on JR pass

    I will be arriving at HANEDA-TOKYO airport on the 8 April.
    April 8 : tokyo
    April 9 : Mt fuji (day trip )
    April 10. travel fron tokyo to osaka
    April 11 : Osaka-Kyoto-Osaka
    April 12: Osaka sightseeing
    April 13:osaka (namba) to HANEDA-TOKYO
    Thanks
    soo

  7. Tita says:

    Hi.

    I want advice on what passes to get for upcoming trip to Japan:-
    28 Apr Arriving Kansai Airport morning, wanna go around osaka
    29 Apr Universal Studio (full day)
    30 Apr Osaka – Kyoto – Osaka
    1 May i will go to Kawaguchiko
    2 May – 9 May Tokyo and i will go back to indonesia from narita > i prefer suica card in here

    Thank you.

  8. Estee says:

    Hi.
    I would appreciate advice on what passes to get for upcoming trip to Japan:-
    9 Apr Arriving Kansai Airport early morning, going straight to Himeji for 3 nights.
    Would like to take day trip to Okayama.
    12Apr. Leave for Osaka for 4 nights, staying at Shin-Osaka
    Plan to make day trips to Kyoto and Nara.
    16Apr flying home from Kansai Airport.
    Thank you.

  9. Christine says:

    Hello,

    I am going to Japan for the first time in the middle of May for 5 days.
    I booked a hostel next to Shin Osaka Station.
    Our schedule:
    Monday: arrive in Osaka and explore Osaka
    Tuesday: Osaka-Kyoto-Osaka
    Wednesday: Osaka-Nara-Osaka
    Thursday: Osaka-Kobe-Osaka
    Friday: leave for Kansai Airport in the morning

    From your posts, I think the JR West Kansai Area Pass would be the best deal, especially because we are staying near Shin Osaka, but I wanted to confirm with you.
    Thank you.

  10. Precious Kymn Kayleigh says:

    Hi Takeshi,
    Greetings. I’m first timer to Japan and would like to seek some advice.

    Will JR pass be useful or worth if my trip is as planned below:

    April 5: Singapore to Kansai Airport (reaching 9:30pm – using exchange order to change JR pass)
    April 6: Osaka-Kyoto-Osaka (day trip)
    April 7: Osaka-Nara-Osaka (day trip)
    April 8: Osaka-Tokyo (morning train timing)
    April 8-11: Within Tokyo, would love to visit Mt.Fuji is time and budget permits (Using local subway card within Tokyo?)
    April 11-13: Tokyo-Osaka-Kansai Airport

    Are there any other passes or cards for consideration as well? I remembered reading somewhere that a local card is used within Kansai area.
    I will be staying at Hotel Nikko @ Tokyo. That’s another different private subway line, is that correct? Does Pasmo card covers that?

    Thank you for your kind attention and looking forward to your kind advice.
    Cheers!

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