How to choose the best train pass for sightseeing in Osaka

Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Nara
You can feel real tradition of Osaka in Shinsekai. ©Osaka Government Tourism Bureau/©JNTO
2016.11.13
Osaka castle, icon of Osaka (C) Osaka Government Tourism Bureau / JNTO
Osaka castle, icon of Osaka (C) Osaka Government Tourism Bureau / JNTO

There are many deals for sightseeing in Osaka. I would like to show you the deals for the tourist who stays in Osaka and want to visit the places in Osaka.

By the way, if you intend to have a day trip to Osaka from other cities, such as day trip to Osaka from Kyoto, please see the link below:

How to choose discount railway ticket and pass for the trip in Kansai area
This post shows you the list of the pass which cover Kansai area. If you are looking for the deal in Kansai area, you can get some idea in this post.
jprail.com
2011.11.27

One-day unlimited Pass, Enjoy Eco Card

Subway Midousuji line Namba station
Subway Midousuji line Namba station
  • Price (weekday) – Adult:800 yen / Child:300 yen
  • Price (weekend) – Adult:600 yen / Child:300 yen
  • Coverage – All Osaka Metro lines and Osaka city bus in allocated area
  • Valid period – one day (midnight to midnight)

This is most common deal to cover Osaka. You can get unlimited ride of Osaka city subway and city bus. You can visit almost anywhere in city of Osaka.

Osaka subway map

If you use buy this pass on weekends or holidays, you can get this pass at lower price, only 600 yen. If you take subway train from Umeda (same place as JR Osaka) to Namba, the fare is 230 yen.

Roughly, if you make 4 trips by subway a day, it is paid off. It is not hard to use more than worth of 800 yen. You can purchase this pass at Osaka subway stations.

Osaka 1-day pass and 2-day pass

  • Price (1-day) – Adult:700 yen / Child: Not available
  • Price (2-day) – Adult:1,300 yen / Child: Not available
  • Coverage – All Osaka Metro lines and Osaka city bus in allocated area
  • Valid period – one day (midnight to midnight)

This deal offers same coverage of Enjoy Eco Card. But this deal is cheaper than Enjoy Eco Card weekday rate. This deal is available for the foreign tourist who stays in Japan as the short term visitor.

This deal is sold in Kansai Tourist Information Center at Kansai International Airport only. You cannot purchase it at Osaka Metro station.

Osaka Amazing Pass

Umeda Sky Building is on the attraction list of Osaka Amazing Pass. (C) JNTO
Umeda Sky Building is on the attraction list of Osaka Amazing Pass. (C) JNTO
  • Price (one day) – Adult:2,700 yen / Child:Not available
  • Price (two days) – Adult:3,600 yen / Child:Not available
  • Coverage – All Osaka subway lines and Osaka city bus in allocated area
  • Valid period – one day (midnight to midnight), two consecutive days

This deal is 28 attractions free entry adding on Enjoy Eco Card (subway day pass). Please find the link below to find which attraction is included.

Attraction list of Osaka Amazing Pass

If you visit three or more attractions on the list, this deals gives you a better deal than subway pass.

There are two kinds of Amazing Pass available, 1-day and 2-day. The difference is the coverage trains. 1-day pass has better coverage. It covers not only subway but also non JR lines in city of Osaka, such as Nankai railway, Hanshin Railway, Kintetsu Railway and Keihan Railway. Please see the links below to compare the coverage trains:

Osaka Amazing Pass 1-day coverage map
Osaka Amazing Pass 2-day coverage map

As long as you stay in downtown Osaka, subway is okay to visit all places. But if you stay outside downtown Osaka, 1-day pass coverage may help you to access downtown Osaka. Please check the location of your stay before choosing the deals.

Child rate is not available. You need to use Eco Card (one day subway pass) and pay admission separately. But some attractions offers discount rate for Eco Card user.

Osaka Kaiyu Ticket

Kaiyukan is one of the most popular venue in Osaka. It can be accessed by Osaka subway. (C) JNTO
Kaiyukan is one of the most popular venue in Osaka. It can be accessed by Osaka subway. (C) JNTO
  • Price (Basic Osaka city version) – Adult:2,600 yen / Child:Not 1,300 yen
  • Coverage – All Osaka subway lines and Osaka city bus in allocated area
  • Valid period – one day (midnight to midnight)

This is combo deal of Osaka subway unlimited ride pass and Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium admission. You can take Osaka subway train to get Osakako station which is the nearest station to Kaiyukan Aquarium. If you visit there from Namba or Umeda by this pass, it is paid off. If you take subway train after visiting Kaiyukan Aquarium, your saving is getting bigger and bigger. There are several versions of Osaka Kaiyu Ticket available. Some deals include other railway trains to get Osaka from other cities. Please see the detailed information in the link below:

Osaka Kaiyu Ticket basic information

I have used this ticket before and wrote about it in the link below. It may help you to plan for your visit Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium.

Trip to Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium by Osaka Kaiyu Ticket

If you use Osaka Amazing Pass, you can get a discount to enter this aquarium. Osaka Amazing Pass covers other attractions around Kaiyukan Aquarium, such as Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel, Cruise Ship Santa Maria. If you have a plan to visit these places when you visit Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka Amazing Pass may be better than Osaka Kaiyu Ticket.

ICOCA, Kansai One Pass and other IC cards

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 Osaka. 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 travel.

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 both subway and JR trains.
  3. You cannot fix your plan and want to have some flexibility.

If you visit three places in subway coverage area, you may need to take subway 4 times. It costs around 800 yen that is equal to one day subway pass.

Please refer the post below to find the information about IC card in Japan:

What is IC card, Suica, ICOCA, Pasmo? How to use these cards?
IC card is very common ways to take a train and a bus in these days in Japan. There are so many cards available in Japan. This post will explain you the type of IC card, the way of using it and the coverage area.
jprail.com
2018.07.30
Find your hotels in 500 cities throughout Japan!!!

Hotels in Namba
Hotels in Umeda (JR Osaka station)
Hotels in Tennoji
Hotels in Osaka
Hotels in Kansai International Airport

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 visit Osaka and other cities in same day

As I mentioned at the top of this article, there are some deals available, such as Kansai Thru Pass. But if you move other city after sightseeing in Osaka, Kansai Thru Pass and other deals may not be suitable.

e.g.
Sightseeing in Osaka, move to Kyoto and stay (no sightseeing in Kyoto)

In this case, the combination of one of the deals in Osaka and single fare between Osaka and Kyoto is usually cheaper than Kansai Thru Pass or other pass. But if you do sightseeing in two cities, Kansai Thru Pass is your choice.

e.g.
Sightseeing in Osaka, move to Kyoto and sightseeing in Kyoto

But sightseeing in two cities in one day is very tight and not very recommended.

For traveler who use national or regional pass

If you use JR pass (national pass) or other JR regional deals, such as Kansai Area Pass, Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass, Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass, JR train network in Osaka is covered. You may visit many places by these passes. You may not have any other passes beside these deals. Please see the link below to find the coverage of these national and regional deals in Osaka.

Osaka train route guide. How much can we use JR Pass in Osaka? How to choose the best route by train to get the major spots in Osaka?
There are lots of the train lines and subway lines in Osaka. This post shows you the train network in Osaka. You can learn how to get the major places in Osaka.
jprail.com
2013.10.30

I hope this post helps you to find the best deal in Osaka.

Comments

  1. Ka Mei says:
    June 7, 2017 at 7:10 am

    Hi Takeshi san,
    Your article is very informative, I would appreciate if you can help to look at my itinerary below and whether the pass i choose is suitable:

    Day 1: arrive kix at night time. Staying near tsurugaoka station, planning to purchase single trip.

    Day 2: osaka castle and umeda sky building and hep five ferris wheel. Use 2 days osaka amazing pass.

    Day 3: Sumiyoshi Taisha, Shinsekai and Dontobori. Osaka amazing pass.

    Day 4: To Kyoto and stay 4 nights- Kinkaku-ji and Shijo Dori. Use 3 days Kansai Thru pass

    Day 5: One day trip to Nara

    Day 6: One day trip Arashiyama

    Day 7: To Kobe (half day), back to Kyoto – Fushimi Inari Taisha. Please suggest what pass should i buy?

    Day 8: Kiyomizu, Gion-Shijo. Buy single fare trip. Back to Osaka – Namba.

    Day 9: Osaka- Namba to KIX in the morning.

    I am not so sure what pass to purchase for Day 7 to Day 9. Please advice. Thank you so much.

  2. Elang says:
    May 29, 2017 at 2:18 am

    Hi Takeshi

    We’re couple who are first timer visit japan for 2 weeks during summer. We are going to stay near Shinjuku St.in Tokyo and near Shin Osaka St. in Kansai Area. We only visit popular attractions both in Tokyo and Kansai Area.

    Here is the itenerary :
    Day 1 -> Arrive afternoon at Narita (Stay near Shinjuku st.)
    Day 2 -> Disney sea using bus from Shinjuku st
    Day 3 -> Disneyland using bus from Shinjuku st
    Day 4 -> Hakone : using Hakone Pass
    Day 5 -> Tokyo : using Tokyo Subway Ticket 2 days pass
    Day 6 -> Half day in Tokyo then travel to Osaka by Shinkansen in evening (Stay near Shin Osaka St.)
    Day 7 -> Kyoto using Sightseeing 2 days Kyoto Pass
    Day 8 -> Kyoto using Sightseeing 2 days Kyoto Pass
    Day 9 -> Nara using Kansai Thru 3 days Pass
    Day 10 -> Kobe using Kansai Thru 3 days Pass
    Day 11 -> Osaka using Kansai Thru 3 days Pass
    Day 12 -> Depart evening to Osaka KIX

    Does the transport pass we are going to buy is the best deal?
    Need your advice.

    Thanks
    Elang

    • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
      May 29, 2017 at 6:13 am

      Hi Elang,

      You have researched very deeply and have chosen the great deals.
      You have keep this plan but I just want to give you a few tips.

      When you go to Kyoto from Shin-Osaka, JR train is the best choice which is not covered by Kansai thru pass. But you need to pay single fare which is 560 yen. And as you think, you can add Kyoto sightseeing card 2 days.

      If you use Knasai thru pass, you need to go to Umeda or Yodoyabashi by subway. And then take Hankyu railway from Umeda or Keihan railway from Yodoyabashi. But you can access to Gion-Shijo, Arashiyama, Kiyomizu-Gojo (near Kiyomizudera temple), Fushimi-Inari by these trains. And Kansai thru pass covers subway, city bus and other non JR trains in Kyoto which is much more convenient than Kyoto sightseeing card.

      If I were you, I use Kansai thru pass 3 days for trip to Kyoto 2 days and Nara.

      I use single fare ticket to Kobe which is almost same as trip to Kyoto by JR trains. In Kobe, many places can be accessed by walk or you may add city loop bus pass.
      https://jprail.com/destinations/kansai-area/guide-to-take-trains-in-kobe-how-to-choose-the-best-route-by-train-to-get-the-major-spots.html

      In Osaka, there are lots of deals available in the post above.

      This is my thought.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  3. ruth diasanta says:
    May 25, 2017 at 11:38 pm

    hi takeshi,
    this is a sample itinerary for my brother and his family. pls help me and advised me if the ticket im goin to purchase for them are the one applicable for their schedule. they will stay near namba area from jun 20-25, 2017.
    d1 arrive KIX late nite
    use yokoso osaka ticket
    d2 sightseeing around osaka
    use the same ticket
    am i correct?
    d3 visit USJ single ticket to and fro namba station
    d4 kyoto
    d5 kyoto and nara
    for d3-d4, can kansai thru pass good enough and save them time and money being a first time visitors?
    d6 AM dotonbori area
    PM single ticket goin to KIX
    what particular ticket should i buy for this?
    thank you and hope u can help me in this matter.

    cheers!
    ruth

  4. Dave McHale says:
    May 23, 2017 at 6:46 am

    Dear Takeshi

    We are arriving in Kyoto on 1st June for 5 nights and would like some advice on transport passes during this period. Our Itinirary is below (we wrote earlier but not sure it got through, so we’ll try a different laptop and email).

    Day 1. Arrive Osaka Kansai Airport (KIX) 18.00 and need to get to central Kyoto. Our Guest House is Sunput Nanajo Mibu 600-8833,Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Shimogyo-ku Nishisuya cho 3-21.
    Day 2. Tour of East Kyoto ending somewhere at the Philosopher’s path. Heian jingu shrine for Noh play in the evening.
    Day 3. Tour of West Kyoto including Kinkuju-ji and the afternoon at Arashiyama. Nishiki market perhaps later.
    Day 4. DayTrip by train to Nara. Gion in the evening.
    Day 5. Day trip to Miho museum (bus + train)
    Day 6. Morning bus ride to Hiei -zan and back and then leave for Osaka (KIX) to catch 19.00 flight to Nanjing

  5. Michelld says:
    May 11, 2017 at 11:11 am

    Hi, Takeshi -san,
    Can we use the jr area pass 1 in touring osaka also?
    If we tour nara in the am and go to osaka castle in the afternoon and osaka housing.
    Can we use this pass?

    Thank you.
    Michelle

  6. Michelle says:
    May 11, 2017 at 11:00 am

    Hi, Takeshi-san.

    I brought the jr area pass 1 day, I am a confused on how to use it.
    We will go to Nara on May13 from Nippombashi, we will go to Jr osaka.
    At jr osaka, which trains should we ride going to nara park? How long is the travel time?
    After nara park, which train should we ride going to fushimi inari and bamboo forest?
    and is there direct train from fushimi inari to osaka?

    Are all this locations covered by these pass?

    Thank you.

    • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
      May 11, 2017 at 12:55 pm

      Hi Michelle san,

      Please see the link below:
      https://jprail.com/travel-informations/tips-for-japan-rail-pass/rapid-service-network-in-kansai-area.html

      You can take Yamatoji rapid to Nara. When you go to Fushimi-Inari, Inari station is in front of Fushimi-Inari. But rapid train skips this station. When you take a train at Nara and if train is rapid, you can go to Kyoto and go back to Inari station. If train is local, you can get off at Inari. And then take local train to Kyoto and then take another train to Saga-Arashiyma. There is no direct trains between Inari and Saga-Arashiyma. There is no direct trains either for between Saga-Arashiyma and Osaka, Inari and Osaka. You need to change trains at Kyoto.

      In the link above, I showed rapid train service. But local train runs as well on same lines.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  7. Michelle says:
    May 9, 2017 at 6:09 pm

    Hi! Takeshi- san,
    Got it!
    So from Osaka station, we will use the kansai area pass 1 day to travel to Nara and visit nara park, then travel to fushimi nari, then transfer to Bamboo forest in arashimaya.
    Then go back to Osaka station.
    Is this correct?
    We can buy the kansai area pass at osaka station right?

    2. We also plan to go to Mt. fuji and gotemba outlet and lake kawaguchiko. Is there any pass for this?

    Thank you very much!
    Michelle

  8. Michelle says:
    May 9, 2017 at 8:56 am

    HI, Takeshi-san.
    Good evening. Can you give me informations for the following:
    Can I use the Osaka Visitor’s Ticket going from Nippombashi station to Universal Studio?
    We will tour NARA and kyoto in one day, what pass is best?
    From OSaka we will go to Nara ( Nara Park) Then go to bamboo forest and fushimi inari. then go back to osaka.
    Where can we buy the pass?
    Thank you.

  9. Sarah says:
    May 5, 2017 at 8:06 pm

    Hello Takeshi san,
    Your article is very informative, below will be my travels in Japan. Let me know if you think it is suitable:

    Day 1: arrive kix. Staying near tengachaya station, planning to use yokoso pass. Can i make stopover at tengachaya?? Then head to dotonburi in the evening.

    Day 2: osaka castle and shinsekai area. Use 2 days osaka amazing pass.

    Day 3: kaiyukan and around. Visit sky umeda at night. Osaka amazing pass.

    Day 4: nara day trip to deer farm, todaiji. Can you suggest suitable pass to use for this?

    Day 5: head to kyoto. Any pass that you can suggesy to get to kyoto??

    Day 6 & 7 & 8: travel with bus in kyoto. 500 yen per day. I live near the electric train station. Would it be convenient to travel using that?

    Day 9: kyoto to kix. One way ticket

    Thanks!!

  10. Michelle says:
    May 4, 2017 at 9:26 am

    Hi! Takeshi-san

    Thank you for all your advices.
    I would like to clarify something.
    We will be staying near kuromon market nearest is nippombashi station.

    Upon arrival at KIX, we will buy the Osaka City Subway to Kansai int’l Airport.
    Using this ticket, from kix, we will go to namba station ( we use the rapit ticket) then transfer train to nippombashi ( use the unlimited subway that comes with the ticket)? Is this correct?
    We will arrive 7:05 pm at kix.
    Can we still use the unlimited subway the next day?

    We plan to tour nara and kyoto in one day.
    We can use kintetsu 1day pass from kintetsu-nippombashi – kintetsu nara – kyoto – kintetsu nippombashi?
    When we arrive kyoto using this pass, is the station we are alighting near fushimi inari? Or do we need to buy another ticket / pass to go there?

    Thank you very much!

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