Kintetsu Rail Pass, Most affordable deal for Osaka/Kyoto-Nagoya and access to Ise.

kintetsu railway limited expressRail pass for visitors
Kintetsu Railway has the biggest limited express train network in all private railway companies.
Kintetsu Railway has the biggest limited express train network in all private railway companies.

I have received many inquiries about Nagoya-Osaka or Kyoto trip. There are lots of travellers who arrive in Chubu (Nagoya) airport and depart from Kansai (Osaka) airport or reverse or arrive in/depart from Chubu. Even if you have round trip between Nagoya and Osaka, JR Pass is too expensive choice. And there is no options to cover both Nagoya and Osaka/Kyoto by JR. One way ticket from Nagoya to Osaka or Kyoto by Shinkansen is very common choice. However JR is not only railway that connect Nagoya, Osaka and Kyoto. Kintetsu Railway that is the biggest private railway company operates many trains among these three cities, Nara, Ise and Yoshino. Kintetsu Railway has very useful deal for the travellers who want to travel in this area.

In this post, I would like to show you Kintetsu Rail Pass and Kintetsu Rail Pass Wide.

What is Kintetsu Railway?

In Japan, there are many railway services. This is the biggest reason why you are very confused. Kintetsu Railway is NON JR and the biggest private railway company in Japan. Of course this railway service is not covered by any JR deals, such as JR Pass, Kansai Area Pass. Please see the map below to find Kintetsu Railway network.

Kintetsu Railway lines are shown in bold navy blue line. Other railways are shown in this map for your convenience. (C) JP Rail
Kintetsu Railway lines are shown in bold navy blue line. Other railways are shown in this map for your convenience. (C) JP Rail

Kintetsu Rail Pass covers all part of this network. As you see the map above, you can use this railway to get Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka (Namba, Uehonmachi, Tsuruhashi), Nara, Yoshino and Ise. And this pass includes three vouchers to take Kintetsu Railway Limited Express. Kintetsu Railway Limited Express has very nice accommodation and have same level service as JR’s limited express train. I tell you about detail of this limited express train and coverage below.

You may know about Kansai Thru Pass. This pass covers Kintetsu Railway and other major private railways in Kansai area. But this pass does not include Nagoya and Ise. And it does not include Kintetsu Railway Limited Express train voucher. As long as you travel both Nagoya and Osaka/Kyoto, Kansai Thru Pass is not your first choice. Please find the detailed about Kansai Thru Pass at the link below:

How to use Kansai Thru Pass. Compare pass and single fare.

How good is Kintetsu Railway Limited Express?

Ise-Shima Liner 23000 series is used for limited express to Ise area.
Ise-Shima Liner 23000 series is used for limited express to Ise area.

Some of major private railway companies operate limited express as commute train without extra charge, such as Hankyu, Keihan and Hanshin. But Kintetsu operates limited express as special train. It has reserved seat only. You have to pay limited express surcharge on top of base fare and this limited express train has same level of interior as JR’s limited express train.

There are many kinds of fleets for limited express trains. But all fleets have 2+2 seat configuration and seat pitch is 1000 to 1050 mm. It is spacious and comfortable.

Regular seat car interior of 21000 series, Urban Liner. Most of Kintetsu Railway Limited Express has like this interior. (C) By 2013.1.28 (Own work)
Regular seat car interior of 21000 series, Urban Liner. Most of Kintetsu Railway Limited Express has like this interior. (C) By 2013.1.28 (Own work)
The regular seat of 22600 series. This fleet is used for most of limited express trains.
The regular seat of 22600 series. This fleet is used for most of limited express trains.

Especially if you travel between Nagoya and Osaka, trip time is more than 2 hours. The seat and interior are very important factor.

You can take limited express train up to three times by Kintetsu Rail Pass if you use it until the end of September, 2016. After 1st of October, 2016, you have to purchase a separate ticket to take limited express train.

Who is eligible

Visitors who land as “Temporary Visitor” status can purchase this pass. And Japanese who live in foreign country as permanent resident or who are married to a foreigner residing outside of Japan can purchase this deal as well.

Types and prices

A few types of pass, Kintetsu Rail Pass and Kintetsu Rail Pass wide are available.

TypesPurchase outside JapanPurchase in Japan
Kintetsu Rail Pass
5-day
3,700 yen3,900 yen
Kintetsu Rail Pass Plus
5-day
4,900 yen5,100 yen

Child price is half amount of the adult price. It applies to child who is 6 to 11 years old. Adult price is applied to 12 years old and up.

5 year old or younger child is free. But when you take Limited Express train, all seats are reserved. You have to share your seat with your child. If you want to have a seat for your child, please purchase child pass for even 5 years old or younger child.

The pass must be used in consecutive days. The validity of a rail pass starts from 12 O’clock at night.

e.g.
If you start to use 5 days pass on May 1, the pass is expired at 23:59 on May 5.

Sales location

If you want to purchase an exchange order before you leave, you can find the authorized travel agent list at the link below:

Kintetsu Rail Pass official site

They may ship the exchange order to you by mail. Please contact the nearest vendor. Kintetsu Rail Pass Wide can be purchased at both Chubu airport and Kansai airport. But Kintetsu Rail Pass can be purchased at Kansai airport only. You can find the sales location in the airport at the link above as well.

Coverage area and valid transportation

Both Kintetsu Rail Pass and Kintetsu Rail Pass Wide covers all part of Kintetsu Railway network and include three limited express vouchers.

Kintetsu Rail Pass does not include limited express voucher. The separate ticket for taking limited express train is required.

Sightseeing Limited Express Shimakaze is not covered by this pass. This is one of most difficult trains to book in Japan now. (C) Oka21000
Sightseeing Limited Express Shimakaze is not covered by this pass. This is one of most difficult trains to book in Japan now. (C) Oka21000

Some of Kintetsu Railway Limited Express trains have upper class seat. But this pass covers ordinary reserved seat only. And Kintetsu Railway operates Sightseeing Limited Express “Shimakaze”. This train is not covered by this pass either.

If you do not want to pay any extra, you can take rapid express, express, semi express and local trains. These are commute trains. The interior is totally different from the limited express train.

The exterior of Kintetsu Railway commute trains
The exterior of Kintetsu Railway commute trains
Interior is nothing special. (C) ちょろ
Interior is nothing special. (C) ちょろ

When you take a train among Kyoto, Osaka and Nara, you can use these trains because of the short distance transfer.

Compare the pass and single fare

I would like to show you the fare table. Upper fare is base fare and lower is limited express surcharge.

stationOsaka
(Namba)
KyotoNaraNagoyaIse
(Toba)
Osaka
(Namba)
940
900
560
510
2360
1900
2040
1610
Kyoto940
900
620
510
2590
1900
2280
1610
Nara560
510
620
510
2250
1610
1940
1610
Nagoya2360
1900
2590
1900
2250
1610
1710
1320
Ise
(Toba)
2040
1610
2280
1610
1940
1610
1710
1320
stationOsaka
(Osaka-Abenobashi)
KyotoNaraNagoya
Yoshino970
510
1230
900
850
900
2390
2120

If you travel from Nagoya to Osaka or Kyoto by limited express by 30th of September, it is higher than Kintetsu Rail Pass at 3800 yen. It is really good deal for the traveller who wants to travel from Nagoya to Kyoto or Osaka. If you go to Ise from Kyoto, Osaka or Nara, it is better deal than single fare too. But if you visit Ise, Kintetsu Rail Pass Wide may be better deal for you. Please see next chapter.

If you travel after 1st of October, limited express voucher will not be included. You must have at least one round trip between Kansai area (Osaka, Nara and Kyoto) and Nagoya or Ise.

Compare cost and trip time between the Shinkansen fare and Kintetsu Rail Pass

Shinkansen is most common way to get Kyoto and Osaka from Nagoya. It is much faster than Kintetsu Railway Limited Express trains. But Shinkansen is much more expensive too. Before you decide to go for Kintetsu Rail Pass, you should compare these trains by cost and time.

Nagoya – Namba

TrainsTrip timeFare
Kintetsu Railway
Limited Express
2 hrs 30 mins3800 yen
+ Limited express surcharge
Shinkansen (Nozomi)
and Subway
1 hr 20 mins6840 yen

Shinkansen and subway combination is much faster but the cost is almost double. And Kintetsu Railway is direct access without any transfer. This is the strongest point.

Nagoya – Osaka (Umeda)

TrainsTrip timeFare
Kintetsu Railway
Limited Express
and JR local train
2 hrs 45 mins3800 yen
+ Limited express surcharge
+ 180 yen (JR)
Shinkansen (Nozomi)
and JR local train
1 hr 10 mins6560 yen

You have to transfer at Shin-Osaka to get Osaka by the Shinkansen. But it is same station and very easy to transfer from the Shinkansen to JR local train. If you take Kintetsu Railway, you can transfer at Tsuruhashi to JR Osaka Kanjo line. It is much easier than transfer at Namba to subway. Tsuruhashi station is much smaller than Namba. JR and Kintetsu stations are connected directly.

Nagoya – Shin-Osaka

TrainsTrip timeFare
Kintetsu Railway
Limited Express
and Subway
3 hrs3800 yen
+ Limited express surcharge
+ 280 yen (subway)
Shinkansen (Nozomi)50 mins6560 yen

Shin-Osaka is Shinkansen’s terminal station. Shinkansen is much more accessible than Kintetsu Railway. If you take Kintetsu Railway, you have to transfer at Namba to get subway. And subway fare is extra.

Nagoya – Kyoto

TrainsTrip timeFare
Kintetsu Railway
Limited Express
Need to transfer at Yamato-Yagi
2 hrs 35 mins3800 yen
+ Limited express surcharge
Shinkansen (Nozomi)36 mins5800 yen

Both Kintetsu Railway and Shinkansen are direct access to Kyoto. Shinkansen is 2 hours faster than Kintetsu Railway Limited Express.

Nagoya – Nara

TrainsTrip timeFare
Kintetsu Railway
Limited Express
and Kintetsu local train
Need to transfer at Yamato-Yagi
2 hrs 15 mins3800 yen
+ Limited express surcharge
Shinkansen (Nozomi)
JR local train
1 hr 30 mins6560 yen

Shinkansen and JR trains are still faster than Kintetsu Railway. But the difference is smallest in all above cases.

Assessment

If you are really sensitive with cost, Kintetsu Rail Pass is a good choice for even Nagoya to Osaka or reverse one way trip. If you travel from Nagoya to Osaka and visit Nara and Kyoto, this pass gives you a huge savings.

Even though the Shinkansen is much faster, this pass is one of my most recommended deals.

Comments

  1. J says:

    Hi Takeshi

    Day 1: KIX Airport to Nagoya (Staying in Nagoya)
    Day 2 & 3: Nagoya
    Day 4: Kyoto (Staying in Kyoto)
    Day 5: Nara
    Day 6: Kyoto
    Day 7: Kobe + Himeji (Staying in Osaka)
    Day 8 & 9: Osaka
    Day 10: KIX airport back Home Sweet Home

    Note: The itinerary above is flexible and can be change to best suit the railway pass timing/schedule.

    May I know which pass will be best suitable for me please? Thank you!

  2. Chinita says:

    Dear Takeshi San,

    We’re spending our winter break in Japan for 21 days. Here’s our planned itinerary and hope you can help us make our trip fun, stress free and budget friendly.
    We are a family of 4 (3 adults & 1Kid)
    December 17 arrival – Nippori area
    Dec 17 – Dec 27 Tokyo area
    Tokyo
    Yokohama
    Kamakura
    Asakusa
    Please help us find the most affordable free pass
    Dec 27 Tokyo to Kyoto
    any bus transport?
    Dec 29 – Kyoto to Osaka
    Dec 30 – Day trip to Nara
    Dec 31- Dau trip to Nagoya? Any suggestions?
    Jan 1 – Osaka area
    Jan 2 – Osaka to Tokyo- any bus transport?
    Jan 3 -4 Tokyo
    Jan 5 – Narita

    Thank you very much and hoping to hear from you

  3. Jesy says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    We are travelling to Osaka via Nagoya on Oct 9-18.
    I just want to know if it is better for us to get the Kintetsu Rail Pass going to Nagoya or to stick to the highway bus? Thanks.

    • Hi Jesy,

      I’m not familiar with highway bus, so I cannot compare which one the better option is for you.
      But if you use Kintetsu rail pass, one way trip from Nagoya to Osaka is not enough to get the worth. If you go to other place, such as Nara, you may get the worth.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  4. Cherie says:

    Hi Takeshi-san!

    Thanks for the very useful article. I’m figuring out what the best way is to travel round Tokyo-Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka-Nara for 17 days.

    Day 1-6 Tokyo+ mt fuji
    Day 7 Tokyo-Nagoya
    Day 8-12 Kyoto
    Day 13-15 Osaka+ Nara
    Day 16 Osaka- Tokyo

    Because I’m spending 9 days in Kensai and Nagoya, I’m not sure if I should get a pass or bus or buy tickets separately. Please give me some advice! ><
    Thank you soooo much!

  5. Nabie Braga says:

    Hi 🙂

    I would just like to clarify… If I buy the Kintetsu Rail Pass and plan to travel within 5 days:

    3800 Kintetsu Rail Pass
    1900 Limited Express Train Ticket (Nagoya to Osaka)
    1900 Limited Express Train Ticket (Osaka to Nagoya)
    = 7,600 Total Kintetsu Fare (excluding local train usage)

    Is this correct?

    Thanks,
    Nabie 🙂

  6. cherrybun says:

    Hi Takeshi-san,

    We’re going to Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya for 10 days.
    Families members are 2 adult 1 teenager and 1 toddler.

    Planning :
    Day 1 KIX –> Nagoya (what is the convenience rouge ) ?
    Day 1-4 –> Nagoya
    Day 4-6 –> Kyoto & Nara
    Day 7-10 –> Osaka

    May I know what is your recommendation of Pass we should purchase ?

    Many Thanks
    Cherrybun

    • Hi Cherrybun san,

      Before choosing the pass, please make sure these following things:

      1. Are you going to stay in Nara or Kyoto on day 4 to 6, or staying in Nagoya and make day trips?
      2. How about day 7 to 10? Are you going to stay in Osaka or day trip from Nagoya?
      3. How do you stay in Nagoya from day 1 to 4. Are you going to travel outside Nagoya or staying in inside Nagoya only? If you go to outside Nagoya, where do you go?
      4. Are you going to leave Japan from KIX on day 10?

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  7. Jason says:

    Hi Takeshi san,

    We’ll be in Japan for 5 days. We’ll primarily based in Nagoya, I would like to know the best and cheapest way to go to these places:

    Day 1 and 2 – Nagoya tour
    Day 3 – Kyoto
    Day 4 – Osaka and Nara
    Day 5 – Flight in the morning

    Please recommend the best train and pass to use for these. Thanks so much!

  8. Joa says:

    Hi Takeshi san-

    We are going to japan for 5 days from nagoya airport to osaka.
    what is the cheapest way?

  9. Ooi says:

    Hi Takesshi – san,
    We are going to Japan this November for 10 days,
    Here is our plans:
    Day 1 – arrived Kansai Airport then proceed to Kyoto.
    Day 4 – From Kyoto to Nagoya.
    Day 5 – From Nagoya to Ramayana and Shirawago.
    Day 6 – From Nagoya to Nara then Osaka.
    Day 9 – Osaka to Kansai Airport.
    Please advise will it be better for JR pass or Kintetsu pass cheaper and give me some suggestions, thanks

  10. Michael says:

    Hi Takeshi-san,

    We’re going back to Japan for 11 days this November. Here’s our planned itinerary:

    Day 1 and 2 – Nagoya
    Day 3 – Kyoto (staying in Nagoya at night)
    Day 4 – Osaka and Nara (staying in Nagoya at night)
    Day 5 – Tokyo (overnight)
    Day 6 to 9 – Hokkaido:
    Sapporo
    Furano
    Otaru
    Day 10 and 11 – Nagoya

    Will it be better if we purchase Kintetsu Rail Pass for Days 1-4? Planning to get JR unlimited Pass for Days 5-11. Will that be sufficient or do you have any other suggestions?

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