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. Chelsea says:

    Hello Takeshi,

    Regarding my planned day trip to Himeji, you have suggested that I use the Kansai Area pass. I’m a bit confused as to how to use this so I’d like to know if I’m leaving from the Nishi-Umeda going to Himeji, how should I go about it?

    Regards,
    Chelsea

    • Hi Chelsea,

      Actually Nishi Umeda is same place is JR Osaka station. You can access to JR Osaka station from Nishi Umeda by walk. It takes 5 minutes.
      From Osaka station, you can take Special rapid service to get Himeji.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  2. Nafiza says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    Thank you for your effort in writing details about the trains in Japan, it’s very useful. I have a question:

    My trip to Osaka Kyoto Nara Kobe in February next year will be with 2 kids under 12. I’m just wondering about their fare for limited express Haruka from KIX to Kyoto. I wanted to buy JR west rail pass to save on their airport transfer to Kyoto, but from what I read it can only be used on consecutive days. Can I buy 2 one day pass and use it on different day (for return trip)?

    Thanks a lot 🙂

    • Hi Nafiza,

      Unfortunately you cannot purchase two X one day pass. In JR West Official site says, “Caution: A Visitor may purchase Kansai Area Pass ONLY ONCE per visit.” You have to pay single fare for either arrival or departure day.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  3. Erna Vitrawati says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    I want to know is JR Kansai Area Pass and JR Kansai Wide Area Pass the same pass?

    My plan when visiting Japan 11 – 20 March’16 is 4-5 days spend at Kansai area, some places i wish to visit: Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Mt. Koya (Koyasan Temple) and Komano Nachi so which Pass should i use best?
    So far i plan to buy JR Kansai Wide Area and for Koyasan i’ll buy the Koyasan World Heritage Ticket.

    I wish to see Ume-matsuri too, but i’ve read some news about the Plum tree disease and some Park just cut down all the trees. Can you tell me which park that still have best view of Plum blossom?

    Best Regards,
    Erna

    • Hi Erna,

      Kansai Area Pass is different from Kansai Wide Area Pass. Kansai Area Pass does not cover Nachi. It covers only Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and surrounding area. If you intend to take a train from Kii Katsuura, Shingu or Kii Tanabe, Kansai Wide Area Pass is your choice as you think.

      Sorry but I have no idea about plum trees.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  4. Jacelyn says:

    Hi Takeshi San,

    I am planning a trip to Japan next year and I hope to seek your advice regarding the type of pass I should get.

    Day 1: Arrive at Narita Airport, will travel to Osaka and Kobe
    Day 2: Osaka
    Day 3: Nara
    Deer park etc.
    Day 4: Kyoto
    Day 5 & 6: Fujiyoshida (kawaguchiko)
    – Mt Fuji & Fuji-Q highland
    Day 7 – 10: Tokyo Staying at setagaya area, near shibuya.
    ( going back from Haneda Airport)

    Do let me know if these information are not detailed enough!
    Thank you so much

    Regards.

  5. Sophie says:

    Dear Takeshi,

    My sister and I are planning for a day trip to Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari from Namba, may I know if JR West Kansai Area Pass is the right one to purchase, or should I just other transportation?

    I have done some research and seems like this is the way to go :
    JR-Namba -> Kyoto -> Arashiyama (Sagano line) -> Kyoto -> Inari -> Kyoto -> JR-Namba

    Thank you so much!

    Cheers,
    Sophia

  6. Tam Huynh says:

    Dear Takeshi
    I bought JR Kansai West Pass in my country, so can i refund it in Kansai airport if not used ?
    Thanks !

    • Hi Tam,

      I’m not sure but I don’t think you can refund it at Kansai airport. The official site says, ” Refund location: only where a rail pass was issued or exchanged”. So you have to refund at the travel agent where you bought the pass in my understanding. And 10% handling charge will be applied.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  7. Lissa says:

    Good evening Takeshi San,

    Would appreciate your advice on what passes are most convenient and economical for our itinerary. We are a group of 5 friends arriving at KIX airport in the evening and will spend 8 days in Japan as follows:
    Day 1-Tues: Arrive KIX airport 8:00 pm, stay at hotel in Gion area hotel
    Day 2-Wed: Visit Arashiyama, Kinkakuji
    Day 3-Thurs: Visit Fushimi Inari, Nara
    Day 4-Fri: Go to Tokyo, check-in at hotel in Shinjuku area, visit Roponggi, Shibuya crossing, Hachiko Station
    Day 5-Sat: Visit Mt. Fuji, Lake Kawaguchi and Gotenba
    Day 6-Sun: Go to Osaka, check-in at hotel near Osaka Business Park, Visit Shinsaibashi, Umeda Sky Building,
    Day 7-Mon: Minoh National Park,
    Day 8-Tues: Visit Osaka Castle, Tempozan Ferris Wheel, Depart KIX Airport 8pm

    We plan to buy:
    1) JR Pass (activated on Day 2)
    2) Icoca-Haruka One -way pass (use for KIX to Kyoto)
    3) Kyoto-sighseeing 2-day pass

    What passes should we get for Tokyo and Osaka?

    Thank you!
    Lissa

  8. Elaine says:

    Dear Takeshi-san,

    I am travelling to Osaka this Saturday with my parents and we have bought the JR West Kansai Pass. We arrive at the airport at night and will not have time to validate the JR Pass at the airport. I am thinking to validate it at Osaka station the next day.

    May I know whether I could validate the pass on behalf of my parents by bringing their passports along with me (without my parents’ presence at the counter) so that they do not need to walk as much unnecessarily?

    I look forward to hearing from you.

    Many thanks.

    Kind regards
    Elaine

  9. Joyce says:

    Dear Takeshi,

    I’m planning to day trip Nara from Kyoto then directly go to osaka afterward. Would like to check what train should i take is more convenient and cost saving. My stay in osaka is around umeda area which need to take train from Nara to Osaka station. Pls advise the train name and fare:

    1. Kyoto to Nara
    2. Nara to osaka station
    3. Any luggage storage at Nara?

    Tks,
    Joyce

  10. Soon chee says:

    Dear Takeshi,

    Hi, I will be travel with my family to Osaka & Kyoto this coming 6/10/15, is around 7 days trip. I was a bit confuse with all the selection either to choose JR pass, eco card, Osaka unlimited pass or ICOCA.

    Pls advice
    The following is my itinerary plan
    6/10/15
    – arrived KIX airport to Kyoto hotel which local at center of Kyoto. To nishiki market, Nijo castle, fushimi Inari shrine
    7/10/15
    – kinkakuji temple, kiyomizuderra, gion (try to cover attraction east & north Kyoto)
    8/10/15
    – Arashiyama, sagano
    9/10/15
    – Kyoto to Osaka ( hotel near shisabashi area)
    – Osaka castle, ,tenoji, Imelda
    10/10/15
    – explore namba area
    11/10/15
    – day trip to Nara
    12/10/15
    – aquarium, USJ
    13/10/15
    -Osaka to KIX airport

    I was thinking to exclude JR. pass, it was not applicable for my trip sometimes, could you pls advice me which passes or single fare pass is more cost saving for me?

    Thank you
    Regards
    Soon chee

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