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
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:
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-day | 2,400 yen | 2,4000 yen | 2,400 yen |
| 2-day | 4,600 yen | 4,600 yen | 4,600 yen |
| 3-day | 5,600 yen | 5,600 yen | 5,600 yen |
| 4-day | 6,800 yen | 6,800 yen | 6,800 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.
- The limited express Haruka (Kansai airport-Tennoji-Shin Osaka-Kyoto, non reserved seat only)
- Special Rapid Service (Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe-Himeji)
- Kansai Airport Rapid Service (Kansai airport-Tennoji-Osaka)
- Yamatoji Rapid Service (Osaka-Tennoji-Nara)
- Miyakoji Rapid Service (Kyoto-Nara)
Of course, you can ride any local trains that are not shown on above list.
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:
| Stations | Osaka | Shin Osaka | Kyoto | Kansai airport | Sannomiya (Kobe) | Nara | Himehji | JR Namba |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osaka | – | 160 | 540 | 1160 1150 | 390 | 780 | 1450 | 190 |
| Shin Osaka | 160 | – | 540 | 1330 1150 | 540 | 890 | 1450 | 210 |
| Kyoto | 540 | 540 | – | 1830 1150 | 1050 | 690 | 2210 | 890 |
| Kansai airport | 1160 1150 | 1330 1150 | 1830 1150 | – | 1660 1150 | 1660 730 | 2730 1150 | 1030 730 |
| Sannomiya (Kobe) | 390 | 540 | 1050 | 1660 1150 | – | 1210 | 950 | 690 |
| Nara | 780 | 890 | 690 | 1660 730 | 1210 | – | 2210 | 540 |
| Himeji | 1450 | 1450 | 2210 | 2730 1150 | 950 | 2210 | – | 1620 |
| JR Namba | 190 | 210 | 890 | 1030 730 | 690 | 540 | 1620 | – |
*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
Hi,
I am trying to plan my trip to Kyoto and Osaka and I am so lost and confuse with all the transportation passes and offers @_@ Please help me!
I will stay in Kyoto 13th-16th April and just enjoying the city for that amount of time.
Then 16th-20th April I will go to Osaka and from Osaka I want to make a 1day trip to Nara, Mt Koya and Himeji castle.
Could you please be so kind and advise me what is better for me either Kansai Thru Pass or Kansai Area Pass and in Kyoto is it enough to just walk around a lot and buy some normal tickets?
Thank you very much!
Hi Quynh,
Please see the following link. You will find the info that you need.
https://jprail.com/sample-itineraries/7days/visit-kyoto-osaka-nara-and-kobe-for-5-to-7-days-sample-itinerary.html
https://jprail.com/sample-itineraries/7days/how-to-build-the-itinerary-and-choose-the-deals-for-osaka-stay-5-to-7-days.html
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi
If I land in Narita and depart from Kansai Airport, is it possible to use the JR West Pass?
In my trip, I will spend 2 days in Kyoto and 2 days in Osaka (plus day trip to Himeji in Osaka) Will it be worth the price for 4 days ticket? Also does the JR pass include the Haruka express from Osaka to Kansai Airport?
Thanks
Kelvin
Hi Kelvin,
JR west pass covers Kansai area only. So you need to purchase single fare ticket from Narita to Kyoto.
Kansai area pass is recommended for trip to Himeji but it’s not useful for sightseeing in Osaka and Kyoto.
https://jprail.com/destinations/kansai-area/guide-to-take-trains-in-kyoto-how-to-choose-the-best-route-by-train-to-get-the-major-spots.html
https://jprail.com/destinations/kansai-area/guide-to-take-trains-in-osaka-how-to-choose-the-best-route-by-train-to-get-the-major-spots.html
You can take Haruka by this pass. But there are many kinds of deal available from Osaka to KIX.
https://jprail.com/sample-itineraries/airport-access/kansai-kix/how-to-choose-the-deals-for-access-tofrom-kansai-airport.html
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi,
Is it possible to buy the “ICOCA & Haruka Pass” for a child and then buy another “child ICOCA” for the same child? Can a person possess 2 or more ICOCA cards at the same the time?
For child, day trip Osaka – Himeji -Osaka, is it cheaper to get (single trip child ticket X 2 ) or the “Kansai Tru Pass” 1 day child pass?
Hi Sou,
ICOCA and Haruka is not available for child. If you use this ICOCA for child, adult rate is applied to child. Don’t use this deal for child. Simply purchase child ICOCA.
You can Kansai area pass one day for trip to Himeji. Child rate is available.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi,
I am asking which card should I use during my visit to Japan. I am planning to use ICOCA.
I will visit Japan on march and plan to visit Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and last Tokyo.
Here is my itinerary
I will arriving at KIX on the morning.
I plan to have one day trip on Kyoto so I will buy ICOCA one way trip to Kyoto and then in the night I will go back to osaka by rapid train (use ICOCA). Spend the night in osaka (namba)
The next day i will go around osaka for sightseeing and go to kobe for dinner in the noon. (i will ICOCA for accommodate my 2nd trip)
on the third day, i will sightseeing again until afternoon and take shinkansen to tokyo. (also use ICOCA on tokyo)
I also heard that ICOCA can also use in Tokyo but we cannot refund ICOCA in Tokyo.
PS: I will go back from Narita
Based on my Itinerary, Which card suited most? Is it ICOCA or Kansai Thru Pass?
Hi Ryan,
Regarding ICOCA, you cannot use it for Shinkansen. You have to purchase single ticket.
I don’t think ICOCA and Haruka deal is a good choice for your trip. Only 1500 yen e-money is included in this deal. 1500 yen is not enough to cover all trips. Because you have to pay for subway and bus in Kyoto, Osaka and maybe in Kobe too.
On the other hand, Kansai thru pass covers everything. You can get Kyoto, Kobe and subway and bus in these cities. But there is no direct trains that is covered by this pass. However you can drop off your luggage before heading to Kyoto. Even though you will spend your time but it makes your trip to Kyoto be easier.
Please see the link to see the coverage of Kansai thru pass.
https://jprail.com/destinations/how-to-transfer-among-kyoto-osaka-and-kobe-compare-japan-railway-and-private-lines.html
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi. i will be at Osaka for 5 days. I am planning using Kansai Area Pass (JPY2200) just for 1 day. 1 plan to go Hikone and Nagahama. But when i saw this https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/travel-information/pass/kansai/ (Route map by westjr), they don’t mention about Hikone. No Hikone station. only Nagahama station there. Its different with your map above (i can see Hikone and Maibara). So which one i must follow?
So, it is possible to travel from Osaka – Hikone – Nagahama with this pass? if can, could you explain how to go there from Osaka ? or i must buy Kansai Wide Area pass (JPY8500 for 5 days)?tqvm
Hi Zul,
Both my map and JR West map do not show all stations. You can get both places by this pass.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi,
I am planning to spend 4 days in Osaka, going to Arima Onsen the first day from Kansai Airport, 2nd & 3rd days in Osaka, then 4th day to Kansai airport. I wondered if it is worth to buy the 4-day Kansai Area pass? Or would you have any suggestion of passes to get around?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Mara,
Kansai thru pass is better choice.
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-residents/how-to-use-kansai-thru-pass-compare-pass-and-single-fare.html
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-residents/kansai-thru-pass-sample-itineraries.html
You can use this pass for the first 3 days. And you may use other deal from Osaka to KIX.
https://jprail.com/sample-itineraries/airport-access/kansai-kix/how-to-choose-the-deals-for-access-tofrom-kansai-airport.html
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Dear Takeshi,
Thank you for your reply which is very helpful. But I am still overwhelmed with the various train lines. I am not sure if it would be cheaper to take the airport limousine to Sannomiya then Seishin-Yamate Line or to go to Osaka to connect bus to Arima onsen? And if the ICOCA and Haruka worth considering?
Hi Mara,
If you take a train from KIX to Arima Onsen, you have to change the train at least 3 times. But if you take a bus, you need to change it at Sannomiya only. So I recommend you to take limousine bus to Sannomiya and change the bus to Arima Onsen.
http://www.kate.co.jp/en/timetable/detail/KB
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/basic-informations/station-information/kobe-sannomiya-stations-guide-check-the-location-and-connections-between-many-sannomiya-stations.html#Scheduled_bus_to_Arima_Onsen
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi,
I’ll be travelling to Japan in October 2016, arriving in Haneda airport but i will be visiting mainly Osaka, Kyoto & Wakayama. Will buying the Japan Rail pass worth it?
Hi Soo,
If you arrive and depart at Haneda, JR pass 7 days will suit.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi, thank you for this article.
Does this rail pass provide convenient access to Yoshino ?
Hi Arthur,
No. This pass does not cover. Kansai thru pass covers most part of the trip to Yoshino. And Kintetsu Rail Pass covers whole part of the trip.
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/tips-for-japan-rail-pass/how-to-transfer-among-kyoto-osaka-and-kobe-compare-japan-railway-and-private-lines.html
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-residents/how-to-use-kansai-thru-pass-compare-pass-and-single-fare.html
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-visitors/kintetsu-rail-pass-most-affordable-deal-for-osakakyoto-nagoya-and-access-to-ise.html
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Fantastic,
You’re really helping me Takeshi. And i found about this Kyoto – Osaka sightseeing pass (I’m sorry for the questions, because the choices are so unbelievably many and it’s really confused me to choose the pass), does this Kyoto – Osaka sightseeing pass cover Kansai Int Airport and Arashimaya?
Actually I’ve decided to buy JR Pass for 7 days and i just have to find a pass for 3 days at Osaka and Kyoto that cover KIX, Osaka downtown, Arashimaya, Fushimi Inari, Kinkakuji & Ginkakuji, and Kyoto downtown. Can you give me an advice?
Thanks again and Cheers,
Erna
Hi Erna,
If you have day trip to Kyoto from Osaka, you may think about Kansai thru pass.
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-residents/how-to-use-kansai-thru-pass-compare-pass-and-single-fare.html
But if you stay in both Kyoto and Osaka, and need only one way transfer, you just need to add local deal, such as subway pass at each cities. Single fare is okay for Kyoto to Osaka.
http://www.insidekyoto.com/special-kyoto-bus-train-subway-passes
http://www.kotsu.city.osaka.lg.jp/foreign/english/Card.html
For Osaka to KIX, there are some deals:
https://jprail.com/sample-itineraries/airport-access/kansai-kix/how-to-choose-the-deals-for-access-tofrom-kansai-airport.html
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi,
Thank you for your reply earlier,
I want to ask you about the 7 days JR pass usage, if i activate the pass on Dec 16th at 11am then it’ll end at Dec 22nd midnight? Or I’ve mistaken the meaning of 7days?
Cheers,
Erna
Hi Erna,
Yes. You are right. The pass is valid for midnight to midnight.
When you exchange the pass, you have to decide which day you will start using pass. It doesn’t matter what time you start to use.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com