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. Caroline says:
    August 1, 2018 at 6:48 am

    Hello Takeshi,

    How are you? Hope you’re well. I’m planning for an 8-day trip to Osaka, Kyoto & Nara. This is my rough itinerary:

    Day 1: Arrive KIX at night. Check in hotel near Shin-Osaka station.
    Day 2: Travel to Kyoto (preferably shinkansen). Visit Fushimi-Inari shrine.
    Day 3: Arashiyama bamboo forest, Kiyozumidera temple.
    Day 4: Day trip to Nara. Then travel back to Shin-Osaka to check in.
    Day 5: Universal Studio
    Day 6: Namba, Shinsaibashi.
    Day 7: Around Osaka & Rinku Outlet mall
    Day 8: Leave Shin-Osaka to KIX in the morning.

    I’m not sure if I should get the Kansai Thru Pas as the validity is only 3 days max. Which pass would you suggest I get as I’ll be taking the Tokaido shinkansen to/fro Kansai airport from Shin-Osaka station? I was thinking I would need 2 different passes for this trip.

    Thank you very much if you have further tips for me 🙂

  2. Joanne Peh says:
    July 31, 2018 at 2:49 am

    Hi Takeshi,
    My Trip is from 6th to 14th Oct 2018. I will arrived at Kansai Airport on 6th Oct at 1800hrs. I plan to cover Kyoto, Tokyo, Hakone (Mt Fuji), Nara, Osaka. I plan to get the 7 days All Japan JR Pass for the first 7 days. Then for the balance 2 days, i would like to get a pass for Osaka area. May i know which pass do you recommend?

    My brief itinerary is as follows:

    6th Oct: Arrived at 1800hrs. Stay 1 night at hotel near Shin-Osaka station.

    7th Oct: Travel to Kyoto for 1 day sight seeing (mainly Arashiyama Bamboo Groves, Kinkakuji Temple, Fushimi Inari Shrine and Kiyomizudera Temple (if have extra time). Then back to Osaka and take a Sunrise Izumo Night Sleeper train to Tokyo.

    8th Oct: Arrive Tokyo, check-in Hotel then proceed to Hakone (Mt Fuji) and Gotemba Outlet Mall.

    9th Oct: Disney Sea

    10th Oct: Roam around Tokyo City (Asakusa temple, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, etc.) Then take a Sunrise Izumo Night Sleeper train to Hijimei Station and change train to Osaka.

    11th Oct: Arrived in Osaka. After check in hotel (Namba area), proceed to Nara for half day sightseeing. Then go to Instant Noodle Muesum. In the evening shop around Namba area near hotel.

    12th & 13 Oct: Sightseeing in Osaka (no planning yet)

    14th Oct: Visit Rinku Outlet mall before going to Airport. 1535hrs flight from Kansai Airport back to Singapore.

    Thank you and appreciate your kind advice and recommendation. I have a big headache planning a trip to Osaka and Tokyo area. I did Hokkaido self drive 2 years ago which is much easier.

  3. Soo Lee Teng says:
    July 30, 2018 at 5:35 am

    Dear Takeshi-san,

    My friend and I have booked a free and easy trip to Osaka and return to Singapore via Tokyo. The trip is from 21 Nov 2018 (arrived at Kansai Airport 12.40pm) and leaving Tokyo on 3 December at 7.30pm from Haneda Airport.

    Below is the draft itinerary. Would appreciate if you could review and advise if we have allocated too many days in Osaka and Kyoto. As shopping is not our priority, we are prepared to reduce the number of days in Osaka to 2 nights and Kyoto as well.

    Would we be able to travel to Kawaguchiko after the Tateyama Kurobe Japan Alpine Route and would we be able to reach Kawaguchiko by 30 Nov? Is there a night train where we can take to Kawaguchi on 29 Nov so we could arrive at Kawaguchiko on 30 Nov morning?

    Look forward to hearing from you soon.

    Day Date Details
    1 21 Nov Osaka. Arrived at Kansai Airport at 12.40pm
    Check-in Nerarel Hostel Namba
    2 22 Nov Osaka – start using the 2-day Amazing Osaka Pass
    3 23Nov Osaka
    4 24 Nov Leave Osaka & Travel to Kyoto.
    Check-in Tanaka Gokurakudo Guest House
    5 25 Nov Kyoto
    6 26 Nov Kyoto
    7 27 Nov Leave Kyoto & travel to Takayama. Check-in Takayama Ouan
    8 28 Nov Tour Takayama, day trip to Shirakawago, return to Takayama
    9 29 Nov Leave Takayama to Toyama. Go for Tateyama Kurobe Japan Alpine Route & travel to Kawaguchiko
    10 30 Nov Kawaguchiko – check-in to Rakuyu Onsen hotel
    11 1 Dec Checkout Rakuyu Onsen hotel & travel to Tokyo
    12 2 Dec Tokyo
    13 3 Dec Tokyo

    • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
      July 30, 2018 at 6:37 am

      Hi Soo Lee Teng san,

      I do not recommend to go to Kawaguchiko after Alpine route. Especially you will start your trip from Takayama. There is no express trains running in the morning from Takayama to Toyama. You have to take a local train from Takayama to Toyama which is more than 2 hours trip. And also, actually this segment is closed now and it might not be fixed when you travel. Please see the link below:
      https://jprail.com/train-operation-status

      As you saw, there is a substitute bus from Takayama to Inotani. But you have to take a local train from Inotani to Toyama. It takes another one hour.

      And then you will start a trip to Alpine route. There is no overnight train options to Kawaguchiko. When you go to Kawaguchiko after alpine route, you have to get Tokyo first. You should stay in Tokyo before going to Kawaguchiko if you keep this itinerary.

      At the end, Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is open until the end of November. But Alpine route in November is completely winter condition. The scenery is not autumn. There will be lots of snow. When the weather is severe, this route may be closed.
      https://www.alpen-route.com/en/about/climate.html

      Please think about these conditions before you fix your trip plan.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  4. kms says:
    July 27, 2018 at 11:46 am

    Hi

    I need some information on the HANKYU TOURIST PASS, but couldn’t find it anywhere or on the official site, If I want to purchase the one day pass, do you have to purchase it and use on the same day, or can you purchase it a day before and use on the next day, I will be going to Minoo Park, Nifred, then to Osaka Aquarium on the same day starting from about 0630-0700 in the morning, so purchase on the same day is not possible as the tourist center opens at 0800.
    Am I correct to presume the pass should cover the full cost for the destination I will be visiting.

    Thanks

    • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
      July 27, 2018 at 12:40 pm

      Hi kms,

      You can choose the day of usage when you purchase a pass.

      Actually Hankyu tourist pass does not cover all places where you will visit. You have to take subway to get Osaka Aquarium from Umeda. I believe you meant Nifrel. You also need to take monorail from Minami-Ibaragi. The pass is still cheaper than regular fare. But please remember that you need to add the fare to take subway and monorail. Those are not covered.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  5. Miffy says:
    July 27, 2018 at 1:36 am

    Hi Takeshi

    Our itinerary are as the followings:
    1) Arrive at Kansai International Airport around 6pm
    2) Stay over Tsuruhashi station area for two nights and intend to visit Namba/Shinsanbashi/Tsutenkaku/Dotonburi night market
    3) Then move to Kyoto Nishikyogoku station area for three nights and intend to visit
    – Day 3: Arashimaya
    – Day 4: Kiyomizudera and Kamogawa river
    – Day 5: Fushimi Inari Taisha and Nishiki market
    4) Then Kobe (Hyogo) for two nights
    – Day 6: Chinatown and earthquake remain
    – Day 7: Mount Rokko? Mount Maya?
    5) Stay near Kansai airport for 1 night
    6) fly off

    We do have two toddlers – 1.5 and 3.5yo
    Do we need to pay for bus/subway for toddlers?
    Can you please kindly advise the best travel pass option?
    Thank you for your kind help

  6. Jennifer Lum says:
    May 16, 2018 at 9:28 am

    Hi Takeshi san,

    I’ll be going to Kansai area end of May for 10 days.
    I’ve pre-purchased Kansai WIDE Area Pass from Klook.com and my planned itinerary is as per below to use the 5-Day pass for Kansai WIDE Area pass.
    Day 1 – Teradacho Stn / Tennoji Stn -> Okayama (spend 1 night)
    Day 2 – Okayama -> Kurashiki -> Okayama -> Himeji (spend 1 night in Himeji)
    Day 3 – Himeji -> Teradacho Stn / Tennoji Stn
    Day 4 – Day trip to Kyoto / Kobe from Teradacho Stn / Tennoji Stn
    Day 5 – Day trip to Nara from Teradacho Stn / Tennoji Stn

    I’ll be staying in a Guesthouse near Teradacho Station in Osaka most of the time.
    Can I know if I can use the Kansai WIDE Area pass on Osaka Loop subway to the main station such as Tennoji or I need to pay separately?

    Is there any part in the trip itinerary above that Kansai WIDE Area pass do not cover?

  7. Gigi says:
    May 7, 2018 at 7:01 am

    Hi Takeshi. We will stay near the Osaka Uehonmachi station. We were told to take the Airport bus to and from the airport. Will 2-day Kansai Thru Pass and/or ICOCA benefit us given the following itinerary?
    Day 1: Osaka: Kuromon Market, Dotonburi, Namba, Shinsaibashi, Umeda Sky building, Osaka Museum of Housing and Living
    Day 2: Kyoto : Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Maruyama-koen Park, Nishi Market, Fushimi-Inari Taisha , Kembu Samurai Theater.
    Day 3: Nara& Kyoto: Nara deer Park, Tenryu-ji temple, Arashiyama bamboo forest, Okochi Sanso Villa, Golden pavilion.
    Day 4: Osaka Castle, Tamatsukuri Church, Abeno Haruka or Namba, possibly Kobe.
    Thank you.

  8. Syuhada says:
    April 16, 2018 at 3:51 am

    Hi mr takeshi

    I would appreciate if you could recommend the best railway pass for my 4 days 3 nights Trip to osaka,kyoto and nara.

    Day 1- from Kansai international airport – kyoto (overnight)
    Day 2- fushimi inari, nara and osaka
    Day 3- universal studio japan
    Day 4- osaka city and depart

    Hope you can assist as we want to minimize our budget.

    Thank you.

  9. Melanie Bugarin says:
    April 15, 2018 at 5:24 pm

    Hello takeshi,

    We will be in japan late May. We are arriving at the Kansai airport and staying in Namba. Which rail pass do you suggest we use?

    We are planning to visit Umeda, universal studios, Namba, naniwa Ward, Kyoto, shisaibashi and Kobe.

    Can you please help?

  10. Katie W says:
    April 9, 2018 at 3:03 am

    Hi Takeshi,

    Please could you recommend the best travel pass for a 10 day visit to Japan this month?

    We fly in to Osaka on Thursday, then travel immediately to Kyoto for 3 days of sightseeing, including areas such as Gion and Arashiyama. Our hotel is located in the north of the city. We then travel on Sunday to Kobe for a conference until Friday, but may have some time for local exploring. Unfortunately I am not sure how much we will be able to see there but it would great if we had some flexibility. On Friday we head back to Osaka for two days until our flight home on Sunday. We in to Kansai airport, and fly out from Itami.

    I hope I have given you enough information. Our trip is short so we want to fit in as much as possible. I would really appreciate any advice you could give us!

    Many thanks and kind regards,
    Katie

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