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. siew may says:

    Hi Takeshi-san!
    I’ll be visiting Japan for the first time. I would like to get your opinion on the best pass to purchase.
    Day 1:
    – Arrive at KIX
    -Travel to Kyoto Station (Icoca + Haruka Pass)
    -Hotel in around Kyoto Station.
    Day 2:
    – Explore Kyoto
    -Kiyomizu-dera
    -Nineizaka
    -Sanneizaka
    -Yasaka Shrine
    -Hanomikoji Dori
    -Gion street walking

    Day 3:
    -Explore Nara
    -Nara Park
    -Todaiji Temple
    -Nakatanidou
    -Back to Kyoto
    Day 4:
    -Explore Arashiyama
    -Bamboo Forest
    -Sagano Sight Seeing Tram
    -Togetsu-kyo Bridge
    -Back to Kyoto
    Day 5:
    -Kyoto to Osaka
    -Explore Osaka

    Looking forward for your suggestion before I purchase the pass.

    Thank you!

  2. Cheng says:

    Hi Takeshi-san!

    I’ll be visiting Japan with my parents in June. I would like to get your opinion on the best pass to purchase.

    Day 1:
    – Arrive at KIX at 9.30pm.
    – Travel to Namba station by Nankai Line Airport Expres. [Purchased voucher]
    – Namba Station to apartment at Chuo-ku [by Japan taxi]

    Day 2:
    – Explore Nara [By Kintetsu Rail Pass Plus- 1st day (4800 JPY)]
    – Apartment (Chuo-ku) to Osaka Namba station [by Japan taxi]
    – Kintetsu Osaka Namba station to Kintetsu Nara station
    – Todaiji temple
    – Kasuga Taisha Shrine
    – Nara Park
    – Kofukoji Temple
    – Naramichi Walk
    – Kintetsu Nara station to Kintetsu Nippombashi station
    – Kintetsu Nippombashi station to Chuo-ku

    Day 3:
    – Explore Kyoto [By Kintetsu Rail Pass Plus- 2nd day]
    – Apartment (Chuo-ku) to Osaka Namba station [by Japan taxi]
    – Kintetsu Osaka Namba station to Yamato-Saidaiji station [By limited express- top up 900 JPY]
    – Yamato-Saidaiji to Kyoto station
    – Drop baggage at apartment near Kyoto station
    – Kyoto Station to Fushimi Inari Taisha [By JR Nara line?]
    – Araki-Jinja Shrine
    – Yasaka Pagoda [By Keihan Main Line?]
    – Gion street walking
    – Gion-Shijo station to Tofukuji station [By Keihan main line?]
    – Tofukuji station to Kyoto station [By JR Nara line?]

    Day 4:
    – Explore Arashimaya
    – Kyoto station to Saihoji Temple [By Kyoto City Bus (市营206甲)?]
    – Saihoji Temple to Tenryuji Temple [By Kyoto City Bus (市营93)?]
    – Bamboo Grove
    – Nakagyo Ward
    – Nakagyo Ward to Kyoto station [By Kyoto City Bus (市营206甲)?]

    Day 5:
    – Explore Osaka
    – Kyoto station to Shin Osaka station [By Shinkansen, 1420 JPY- my parents have not try Shinkansen before, so I plan to let them try once]
    – Drop baggage at apartment near Dotonbori/ Shinsaibashi
    – Osaka castle [By Midouji Line + Keihan Main Line?]
    – Shinsaibashi [By Keihan Main Line + Midouji Line?]
    – Dotonbori

    Day 6:
    – Explore Osaka
    – Umeda Sky Building [By Midosuji Line?]
    – Kuromon Market [By Midosuji Line?]
    – Shinsekai (Tsutenkaku Tower) [By Sakaisuji Line]
    – Shitennoji Temple

    Day 7:
    – Apartment near Dotonbori/ Shinsaibashi to Namba station [By Japan taxi]
    – Namba station to KIX [Purchased voucher]

    Looking forward to your suggestion before I purchase the passes.

    Thank you!

  3. B Ong says:

    Dear Takeshi,

    My itinerary as below:
    Day 1 Nagoya
    Day 2 Nagoya-Kyoto
    Day 3 Kyoto
    Day 4 Kyoto-Osaka
    Day 5 Osaka
    Day 6 Osaka- Kansai Airport

    Option 1:
    Take shinkansen from Nagoya to Kyoto
    Using Kyoto sightseeing two day pass
    Take regular train(may be JR or Kintetsu Railway)
    Using Osaka Amazing pass
    Osaka to airport

    Option 2:
    If I use Kintetsu Rail Pass 5day(3800) starts from Day 2.
    I need to buy limited express ticket for Nagoya-Kyoto trip(is this a must?), do i need limited express ticket as well for Kyoto-Osaka trip?
    On top of this, I will also add on Kyoto sightseeing day pass and Osaka amazing pass.

    Which one you think is better choice? Or you can suggest me an option 3?

    Thank you for your help!

    Regards,
    B

    Thank you!

  4. Margery says:

    Hi. We are planning to go to osaka for a 7day trip. One itinerary is to go to nagoya for Legoland and return to osaka same day. Can the Kintetsu 5 day rail pass cover our fare going to nagoya and coming back to osaka? Thanks in advance

    • Hi Margery,

      It is covered but I recommend you to add the limited express train fare. Because Kintetsu Rail Pass covers only base fare which means you can take other limited express train. The limited express train is the fastest and only direct train between Nagoya and Osaka. If you want to add any extra, you have to take rapid express or express train. You must change trains at least once, in most cases, twice. And the train is a commute train. You cannot book a seat and sometimes you have to stand up.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  5. Valerie says:

    Hello Takeshi-san!

    I’ll be visiting Japan again soon, would like to get your opinion on the best pass to purchase:

    Day 1:
    Arrive at KIX at 6pm
    Travel to Kyoto by JR Haruka – purchase the ICOCA & Haruka ticket for 2000+1600 JPY
    Take bus to hotel in Gion – 230 JPY

    Day 2:
    Explore Kyoto – get 1 day bus pass for 500 JPY

    Day 3:
    Bus to Kyoto Kintetsu station – 230JPY
    Train to Yoshino – purchase the 2 Day Kintetsu Pass for 2500JPY
    Explore Yoshino
    Train back to Kyoto
    Bus back to hotel at Gion – 230JPY

    Day 4 (using 2nd day of Kintetsu Pass):
    Bus to Kyoto Kintetsu station – 230JPY
    Train to Osaka Namba on Kintetsu Line
    Drop off luggage at hotel in Namba
    Train to Nara on Kintetsu Line
    Explore Nara
    Train back to Osaka Namba on Kintetsu Line

    Day 5:
    Explore Osaka

    Day 6:
    Namba to KIX by Nankai Airport Express – 920 JPY

    Thank you for your help!

    • Hi Valerie san,

      Your trip plan and choice of the passes are good. I would like to add a few things.

      Kyoto city bus pass is now sold at 600 yen.

      When you to go to Namba by Kintetsu train, you will change trains at Yamato-Saidaiji. Yamato-Saidaiji is a few stations away from Nara. I understand that you want to drop off your luggages. But you can save your trip time if you drop by Nara. There are lockers and luggage storages in Nara station. You also can get Nara from Kyoto by Kintetsu train directly. You also can get Namba from Nara directly. The choice is yours.

      On day 5, you may use ICOCA but you have some choices.
      https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-residents/how-to-choose-the-best-train-pass-for-sightseeing-in-osaka.html

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

      • Valerie says:

        Hi Takeshi-san,

        Thank you very much for helping to check the itinerary and offering the tips.

        I was thinking of changing the order of my itinerary, what do you think about this:

        Day 1:
        Arrive at KIX at 6pm
        Travel to Kyoto by JR Haruka – purchase the ICOCA & Haruka ticket for 2000+1600 JPY
        Take bus to hotel in Gion – 230 JPY

        Day 2 (get 600JPY bus pass):
        Kyoto Gyoen National Gardens
        Nijo Castle & Kyoto Imperial Palace
        Kyoto Botanical Gardens
        Kiyomizu-dera

        Day 3: (get 600JPY bus pass)
        Nishiki Market
        Bus to Mitsui Outlet Shiga Ryuo (1000JPY)
        Shopping
        Bus back to Kyoto (1000JPY)
        Kodaiji night illumination
        Stroll around Gion in the evening

        Day 4 (using 1st day of Kintetsu Pass 2500JPY):
        Bus to Kyoto Kintetsu station – 230JPY
        Train to Osaka Namba on Kintetsu Line
        Drop off luggage at hotel in Namba (would still prefer to drop off luggage to save on locker and risk not being able to find a huge locker)
        Train to Nara on Kintetsu Line
        Explore Nara
        Train back to Osaka Namba on Kintetsu Line
        Explore Osaka in the evening

        Day 5 (using 2nd day of Kintetsu Pass):
        Train from Osaka Namba to Yoshino
        Explore Yoshino
        Train back to Osaka Namba
        Explore Osaka in the evening

        Day 6:
        Explore Osaka in the morning/afternoon
        Namba to KIX by Nankai Airport Express – 920 JPY

        Thank you for your help once again!

  6. cn says:

    Hi Takeshi – san,

    I have purchase Kintetsu Rail 2 day pass, and is planing for my day trip in Nara/Nara park. However I am unsure of the Nara Kotsu Bus area which the pass covers.

    the guide I refer to is as below
    https://www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/guidebook/pdf/nara.pdf

    Is it the only route covered is the one in pink, i.e. route 160? however, the map doesn’t show in detail which station I could get off. Appreciate if you could share a more detail bus map that this pass covers?

    Thank you

    • Hi CN san,

      All bus lines which are shown in the map are covered. The major bus stop names are shown in the map too.
      e.g. Todaiji Daibutsuden / Kasugaaaishamae

      You may follow the announcement in the bus. It’s usually announced in English, Korean, and Chinese too.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  7. Goh Hock Hoe says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    My name is Goh. My family of 8 pax will be arriving Kansai airport at 9.35 PM on Sat 6 April 2019. By the time we come out from Kansai airport, it will be 23.00 PM. We will stay in Nishinari-ku area, Osaka for 5 nights. We will visit around Osaka and nearby area, like Kobe and Nara. Then we will move to Nakagyo-ku area, Kyoto for 2 nights and visit around Kyoto city. We will move to Nagoya to stay for 1 night. Then we will fly off from Chubu Centrair Airport on Sun 14 April 2019. Total would be 8 nights and 7 full days. We are planning to visit around Osaka, go to Nara for day trip, go to Kobe for day trip, visit around Kyoto city, go to Arashiyama and then go to Nagoya city before depart from Chubu airport. Can you recommend if we can buy the Kintetsu rail day passes? What if we do not want to pay additional surcharge for limited express tickets, it is possible to buy just the Kintetsu day passes to travel? Thank you

    Mr Goh

  8. Chris says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    I see, in that case this makes the Kintetsu Rail Pass quite a good deal. In that case I will use it to mainly access Nagoya from Namba station, along with trips to Yoshino and Nara to further get some value out of it. Thank you for your help!

    Chris

  9. Chris says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    I am a bit confused over how the limited express ticket surcharge works. If I want to do the Osaka-Nagoya route through limited express, even with the 5-Day Pass, I will still have to purchase a limited express ticket. This will cost the same as buying a limited express ticket without the 5-Day Pass am I correct?

    Initially I planned on getting the 5-Day pass just for the Osaka-Nagoya route, but it seems like this is not viable any more and it would be better to just buy the round trip ticket by itself.

    Chris

    • Hi Chris,

      When you take a limited express train, you have to purchase a base fare ticket and a limited express surcharge ticket. The base fare ticket is 2,360 yen for one way. Kintetsu Rail Pass covers this base fare portion. So even if you use the pass for only Osaka-Nagoya round trip, Kintetsu rail pass is still cheaper than a regular fare.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  10. Yanna says:

    Hello!

    My family is planning a trip to Japan next month and we are planning to go from Kyoto > Nagoya > Osaka. We are planning to use the Kintetsu Rail Pass and ride the Limited Express trains for this because the Shinkansen is too much for our budget. We will stay in Kyoto for 3 days and travel to Nagoya on the 3rd day, and stay in Nagoya for 3 days and travel to Osaka on the last day also. We were thinking of starting to use the Rail Pass on the last day in Kyoto to travel to Nagoya.

    Would two 1 day Kintetsu Rail Passes be able to cover the trips from Kyoto to Nagoya and from Nagoya to Osaka? Or would it be better to purchase a 5 day Pass to cover the travel? Thank you in advance!

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