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
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:

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:

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:

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.

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. Namez says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    i will be arriving on japan on 11th-15th January 2018
    i will be stayed at Kansai First World Hotel during the duration. I dont know which pass is good for me. My itinerary as follow

    Day 1- Rinku Town-osaka premium
    Day 2- Dotombori, Namba, Tonbori
    Day 3 -Universal Studio, Aquarium
    Day 4 -Day trip to Kyoto. Planning to take ride as early as 7a.m
    Day 5- Rinku Town

    I will be travelled with my wife and 2years old kid. Need your help in choosing the pass. Tq Mr Takeshi.^_^

  2. Karen says:

    Hi Takeshi-san

    I will be travelling to Japan and would appreciate that if you could recommend which travel pass is worth to use for transportation.

    Day1 – Kansai Airport to Kobe
    Day 2- Kobe (Mt Rokiko and Arima Onsen)
    Day 3 – Kobe (sightseeing)
    Day4 -Kobe to Kyoto
    Day 5- Kyoto (sightseeing)
    Day 6 – Kyoto to Osaka
    Day 7 – Osaka ( Universal Studio)
    Day 8- Osaka (Biwako Valley-optional)
    Day 9- Osaka
    Day 10- Osaka
    Day 11 – Osaka to Kansai Airport

    If we want to go Nagoya- Shirakawa Village from Osaka is it possible for one day trip or any good recommendation.

    Thanks in advance

  3. Michelle says:

    Hi Takeshi!

    Thanks for writing this post! The website’s been super helpful.

    We’re going to Osaka April 2017. We’re a group of 13 and I’m wondering what the best pass to get is:

    Day 1:
    Arrival in Kansai Airport
    AirBnb located near Dohtonburi
    Nara Park + Todaiji Temple
    Back to Dohtonburi

    Day 2: Kyoto / near Kyoto
    Fushimi Inari Shrine
    Kiyomuzi-dera
    Gion District
    Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
    Back to Dohtonburi

    Day 3:
    Universal Studios
    Back to Dohtonburi

    Day 4:
    Going around Osaka sightseeing spots
    Fly out

    I hope you can help us out. Thank you!

  4. Natalie says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    My boyfriend and I will be travelling to Japan this weekend. It would be very helpful if you could recommend us which train pass / ticket to use for transportation:

    Day 1: Kansai Airport to Osaka
    Day 2: Osaka to Nara to Osaka
    Day 3: Osaka to Kobe to Osaka
    Day 4: Osaka to Kyoto
    Day 5: Kyoto
    Day 6: Kyoto to Tokyo
    Day 7-9: Tokyo
    Day 10: Tokyo to Haneda Airport

  5. Joanne C says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    Thanks for sharing information on this website! We’re heading to Japan in a week and would like to find out what is the best and most cost effective type of tickets / passes we should get.
    Our itinerary is as follows:
    – Day 1: Arrive at KIX and travel to Kyoto directly
    – Day 2-3: Travel around Kyoto
    – Day 4: Travel from Kyoto to Nara, and stay the night in Nara
    – Day 5: Travel from Nara to Osaka and stay in Osaka
    – Day 6-7: Travel around Osaka
    – Day 8: Travel from Osaka to KIX.

    Would really appreciate your help.

    Cheers,
    Joanne

  6. rachel says:

    Hi, I would be travelling to kyoto (5 nights) then kobe (2 nights) then osaka (3 nights). May I get your advice on which ticket I should purchase?
    Thank you:)

  7. Angela says:

    Hi Takeshi!

    Thanks for the informative post! I’m travelling to Osaka tomorrow, and also Kyoto and Kobe within a week. I have a JR pass, but I heard that it doesn’t have that much coverage, so I’m also planning to get the Kansai One Pass. Is this alright, or do you have any other suggestions? Thank you!!

  8. Maziah says:

    Hi Takeshi,
    We will be travelling to KIX from 16-23 Dec 2017, and will be staying around 7 days in Kyoto (near Kyoto Station). I will be travelling with my 9 yo daughter.

    Our Itenary would be
    Day 1 – KIX – Kyoto
    Day 2 – Kyoto – Nishiki Market – Gion – Ginkakuji
    Day 3 – Kyoto – Nijo – Arashiyama – Kinkakuji – Riyoanji
    Day 4 – Kyoto – Nara – Kyoto
    Day 5 – Kyoto – Osaka-Kyoto
    Day 6 – Kyoto – Fushimi Inari -Kyoto Flea Market (near Kyoto Station)
    Day 7 – Kyoto – (to cover other places that we missed)
    Day 8 – Kyoto – KIX

    I planned to take the ICOCA HARUKA for Day 1 from KIX to Kyoto, and use the KANSAI THRU PASS for the rest of my trip. And to go back on Day 8 I will top up my ICOCA HARUKA card to go from Kyoto to KIX.

    Do you have any other suggestion? Its a bit overwhelming and confusing, I am afraid that I will get lost haha…

    Thank you!
    Maziah

  9. Mark Bursell says:

    Dear Takeshi-san

    My wife and I am visiting Japan on the 1st February for 13 days. We are arriving at Kansai KIX on at 16.00 and are staying in the centre of Kyoto. We are planning to explore Kyoto for a few days and also visiting Hiroshima, Nara, Osaka, Tokyo, Kanazawa, the snow monkeys and Yudanaka Onsen near Takayama. We need to get to Kansai by around 07.00 on the 13th.

    I was considering a national JR pass for 7 days and either individual tickets or getting a regional pass for a shorter period. I thought I would not get full use from a 14 day JR pass which is quite expensive. We are flexible on which order to do things.

    I would be vey grateful for help with the best and most economical method.

    May I say I am very impressed with your posts and links. We have nothing link this in the UK!

    Best wishes

    Mark

  10. Chelsea says:

    Hello Takeshi,

    I will be travelling to Japan this December and we are planning to used Kansai thru pass for our trip to Kyoto and Kobe. We will be staying 3 days/2 nights in Kyoto and go to Kobe for day trip. How would you suggest I use my 3 day Kansai thru pass ? I think there will be a day I cannot use it so what other options do I have.. Thank you.

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