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 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?
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.
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.
Types | Purchase outside Japan | Purchase in Japan |
---|---|---|
Kintetsu Rail Pass 5-day | 3,700 yen | 3,900 yen |
Kintetsu Rail Pass Plus 5-day | 4,900 yen | 5,100 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.
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.
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.
station | Osaka (Namba) | Kyoto | Nara | Nagoya | Ise (Toba) |
Osaka (Namba) | – | 940 900 | 560 510 | 2360 1900 | 2040 1610 |
Kyoto | 940 900 | – | 620 510 | 2590 1900 | 2280 1610 |
Nara | 560 510 | 620 510 | – | 2250 1610 | 1940 1610 |
Nagoya | 2360 1900 | 2590 1900 | 2250 1610 | – | 1710 1320 |
Ise (Toba) | 2040 1610 | 2280 1610 | 1940 1610 | 1710 1320 | – |
station | Osaka (Osaka-Abenobashi) | Kyoto | Nara | Nagoya |
Yoshino | 970 510 | 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
Trains | Trip time | Fare |
Kintetsu Railway Limited Express | 2 hrs 30 mins | 3800 yen + Limited express surcharge |
Shinkansen (Nozomi) and Subway | 1 hr 20 mins | 6840 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)
Trains | Trip time | Fare |
Kintetsu Railway Limited Express and JR local train | 2 hrs 45 mins | 3800 yen + Limited express surcharge + 180 yen (JR) |
Shinkansen (Nozomi) and JR local train | 1 hr 10 mins | 6560 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
Trains | Trip time | Fare |
Kintetsu Railway Limited Express and Subway | 3 hrs | 3800 yen + Limited express surcharge + 280 yen (subway) |
Shinkansen (Nozomi) | 50 mins | 6560 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
Trains | Trip time | Fare |
Kintetsu Railway Limited Express Need to transfer at Yamato-Yagi | 2 hrs 35 mins | 3800 yen + Limited express surcharge |
Shinkansen (Nozomi) | 36 mins | 5800 yen |
Both Kintetsu Railway and Shinkansen are direct access to Kyoto. Shinkansen is 2 hours faster than Kintetsu Railway Limited Express.
Nagoya – Nara
Trains | Trip time | Fare |
Kintetsu Railway Limited Express and Kintetsu local train Need to transfer at Yamato-Yagi | 2 hrs 15 mins | 3800 yen + Limited express surcharge |
Shinkansen (Nozomi) JR local train | 1 hr 30 mins | 6560 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
HI! My leaving point is in Osaka Universal Studio and from there I wanna go to NAGOYA.
Please advice which route i should take to get Kintetsu Rail Pas.
Thanks!
Hi Jane,
You have to go to Osaka-Namba first. You can take JR and Hanshin railway via Nishikujo to get Osaka-Namba. The trip from USJ to Osaka-Namba is not covered by Kintetsu rail pass.
Please see the link below to find the route:
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/tips-for-japan-rail-pass/guide-to-take-trains-in-osaka-how-to-choose-the-best-route-by-train-to-get-the-major-spots.html
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi! its jane again, may i know the timing of that JR line and hashin railway? And what is your timing too.. What is the interval? your last trip. Can you advice me till what time I should be stay in Osaka universal studio? so I could reach out the NAGOYA trip.
Bestregards,
Janette
Hi Jane,
Kintetsu Railway’s limited express train leave from Osaka-Namba every :00 and :30 until 21:30. If you take the last one at 21:30, you will arrive in Nagoya at 23:55.
It takes about 20 minutes by JR and Hanshin railway to get Osaka-Namba from Universal city. This 20 minutes includes 5 minutes transfer time at Nishikujo. If you worry about transfer at Nishikujo, you can add 10 minutes to travel from Universal city to Osaka-Namba.
You need to book your seat to take Kintetsu railway limited express train. You cannot take this train without booking. You can book it at major Kintetsu railway station, such as Osaka-Namba, Osaka-Uehonmachi or Tsuruhashi in advance if you want. You have to do it at Kintetsu railway station. You cannot book it at other railway’s station, like JR Universal city station.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi! its jane again. so i should booked ahead of time? like 1 day before the travel? or I can book in the morning then in the afternoon i will take the ride . Is that okey?
Also for JR lines, do i need to book ahead of time? Sorry, This is just my first time and i am travelling alone.
Example I will be leave at the studios by 3pm.
thanks!
HI Jane,
It’s hard to find how busy train is. So I recommend you to book it as early as possible.
JR and Hanshin railway are commute trains. You cannot book it anyway. Just purchase a ticket at the vending machine before taking trains at the station.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi Takeshi,
I’m planning my itinerary but couldn’t find the timetable for Kyoto-Osaka. Can please provide the link for this?
Many thanks,
Ling
Hi Yeow,
Only Hyperdia can show you that.
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/basic-informations/timetable-and-reservation/hyperdia-perfect-guide-train-timetable-and-route-search-engine.html
But if you look for the timetable of Kintetsu railway train from Kyoto to Osaka, you have to check by two segment, Kyoto to Yamatosaidaiji and Yamatosaidaiji to Osaka-Namba (or other stations in Osaka).
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
What pass would u recommend for this itinerary?a combination of takayama pass and Kitnetsu pass?
Arrive osAka and transfer to Kyoto directly (5 nights Kyoto). Kyoto to Kanazawa (3 nights), Kanazawa to takayama (3 nights), takayama back to Osaka (4 nights)?
I understand that the Takayama pass does not cover the Nagoya to Osaka part
Hi Diana,
You can use ICOCA and Haruka or Haruka discount ticket from KIX to Kyoto.
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-visitors/icoca-and-haruka-ticket-very-flexible-and-good-deal-for-tourist-who-stay-in-kansai.html
Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass is not recommended. If you start using it when you leave Kyoto, it’s expired when you are in Takayama. You can use only Kyoto to Kanazawa, Kanazawa to Takayama via Shirakawago or Toyama. Single ticket is cheaper and this is your best option.
When you go back to Osaka, you can take express bus from Takayama.
https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/highwaybus/osaka.pdf
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Dear Takeshi-san
thank you for you insightful feedback. to clarify:
Kyoto to Kanazawa — i will take the Thunderbird train service. can this be purchased in advance? if so, how?
Kanazawa to Takayama —- By Bus? or by Train? if by Train, i can see from Hyperdia that it involves the use of a Shinkansen Train to Toyama, then change to limited express to Takayama. would this be very expensive? if by Bus, can i use Nohi bus ? would this be better as it will involve direct service?
Can the Train be booked in Advance if we choose to use the train? i am worried that since we will be traveling during the April Takayama Sakura Festival, that the trains or buses will be packed.
Takayama to Osaka — will book Nohi bus as indicated on your previous post.
thanks!
Diana
Hi Diana,
Unfortunately you cannot book for train in advance. You have to do it after you arrive in Japan.
Therefore Nohi bus is more recommended for Kanazawa to Takayama. You can book in advance and it’s direct.
Cheers,
Takehsi / JPRail.com
hi Takeshi-san
i have a friend that will be visiting Japan on October. can i ask her to book all the trains in advance while she is there? how soon do trains allow advance booking? i also have friends in Japan and i think I can ask them to book in advance if needed. thanks!
Hi Diana san,
Ticket is on sale one month prior to departure date.
You can ask your friend to book it. But if you don’t travel in peak season, such as New Years holiday, Golden week (late Apr to early May), mid August, you will be okay. It’s not hard to book for Thunderbird.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi again Takeshi,
For the JR pass, what are the instances where a JR pass holder can ride Nozomi or Mizuho trains? For example, I am checking the trains departing tomorrow from either Osaka station and Kyoto station but all of it are Nozomi going towards Tokyo from 5am till 12nn. Where there instances that only Nozomi trains will depart from these stations?
Hi Teena,
There are lots of Hikari too. Please see the timetable below:
http://english.jr-central.co.jp/info/timetable/_pdf/eastbound.pdf
“H” is Hikari.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Thanks for your prompt response.
Do you mean to say i should buy single trip ticket on Kintetsu Rail for the following trips:
a. Nagoya to ISE Toba
b. ISE Toba to Osaka
c. Osaka to Nagoya
Hi Lawrence,
No, I didn’t mean it. You should use 2 X Kintetsu rail pass and use single ticket for Chubu airport to Nagoya.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi
Need some advise on any discount public transport tickets/pass for 12 adults for the following:
Nagoya – MIE Toba – Osaka. We will be arriving in Chubu Airport 21 Nov 2016 arrival Chubu Airport –>>Nagoya Station
23 Nov 2016 Nagoya Station –>> ISE Toba Station
25 Nov 2016 ISE Toba station –>> Osaka Station
Also advise needed on cheap transport from
1 Dec 2016 Osaka Station –>> Nagoya Station
Hi Lawrence,
There is no group discount. Kintetsu rail pass is most affordable choice. You may use two Kintetsu rail pass. Do not purchase Kintetsu rail pass “Wide”. Just add single fare from Chubu airport to Nagoya beside Kintetsu rail pass. It’s cheaper.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Need your advise. be arriving in Nagoya by Nov 15. Due to schedule constraints of our tour guides (friends and relatives) will have to go to Osaka on Nov 18. Then will go back to Hamamatsu by Nov 19 and need to be in Kyoto Nov 21 and be back to Nagoya early morning by Nov 24 (tiring!) we are trying to save time and money. Which one is better, Japan rail pass or Kintetsu rail pass?
Hi Teena,
JR pass is your choice. Kintetsu rail pass does not cover Hamamatsu.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Takeshi,
Thank you for your response. May I also ask if I can use the JR rail pass to the bus, train, and subway in the Osaka-Kyoto area?
Best regards,
Teena
Hi Teena,
JR pass covers JR trains only. Please see the coverage of JR pass in Osaka and Kyoto at the links below:
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/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
Hi Takeshi san,
Is this Kintetsu Rail Pass best for us if we need to travel from Kansai airport to Osaka, then Osaka to Nogoya within 5 days.
How about the travel around the city of Osaka? Any recommendation of passes?
thanks and regards,
Lee Ling
Hi Lee Ling,
Kintetsu rail pass is most affordable choice for your trip. But as you think, it does not cover subway and trains other than Kintetsu railway in Osaka. You can find other deals in Osaka at the link below:
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-visitors/how-to-choose-discount-railway-ticket-and-pass-in-kansai-area.html
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
I’m from Manila.
I’ll be arriving Nagoya on the 22nd of October and departing Nagoya on the 28th
From Nagoya, I want to go to Osaka, Kyoto, Ise, and hopefully Tokyo if there is a train ticket with unlimited rides to all (or most) of those those places I mentioned for 7 days.
Hi Mira,
If you are sure to visit Tokyo, your choice is JR pass 7 days.
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-visitors/japan-rail-pass-user-guide-how-to-use-jr-pass-to-its-maximum.html
You can visit all places on your list by JR Pass. But it does not cover subway, local bus and non JR trains. You need to add the fare for Chubu airport to/from Nagoya and may be subway fare in Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo.
But JR pass is only choice to cover the places.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com
Hi, we’ll only have 4 whole days in Japan, will arrive & depart at Nagoya. We are planning to spend the first 3days in kyoto & osaka and the last day in nagoya, does the kintetsu rail pass is advisable cost wise? Thank you.
Hi Gay,
Kintetsu rail pass is most affordable choice for your trip.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JPRail.com