Takayama Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass user guide. Perfect deal to travel Takayama, Kanazawa, Toyama, Shirakawago from Nagoya or Osaka

shirakawago winterRail pass for visitors
Tanabata festival decoration in Takayama ©Y.Shimizu/©JNTO
Tanabata festival decoration in Takayama ©Y.Shimizu/©JNTO

This train pass has been very popular to travel Kanazawa, Takayama and Shirakawago. The train route to these destinations from Nagoya and Osaka are covered. However there are some restrictions. You may be confused how you use this pass.

In this post, I will clarify the condition and the coverage area of this pass. You will find what you can do and what you cannot do by this pass in this post. I also compare the price of pass and a regular fare. You will easily find how you can get the worth of this pass.

Who is eligible

Visitors who land as “Temporary Visitor” status can purchase this pass.

Types, prices and conditions

There is only 5-day pass.

Purchasing placeAdultChild (6-11yrs)
Overseas travel agent
(Before arrival in Japan)
14,260 yen7,130 yen
At the designated station
(After arrival in Japan
15,280 yen7,640 yen
Online15,280 yen7,640 yen

*5 year old or younger child is free. Maximum 2 children per one adult. But one of your adult traveler must share the seat with the child who is 5 years old or younger.

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.

You may book a reserved seat on the train up to 4 times by this pass. This four times booking seat fee is covered. But you cannot book a seat on the limited express Haruka and the Hokuriku Shinkansen. This four times reservation does not include Nohi bus reservation. I will tell you about this restriction later.

Sales location

You can purchase this pass before or after you arrive in Japan. If you purchase an exchange order of this pass, the price is 1,000 yen cheaper than the price in Japan. You can find the sales location list in the official site in the link below:

Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass official site

Coverage area and valid transportation

Kentrokuen garden is one of three best Japanese Gardens.  ©JTA/ ©JNTO
Kentrokuen garden is one of three best Japanese Gardens. ©JTA/ ©JNTO

The pass covers Osaka, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Shirakawago, Takayama, Gero, Gifu and Nagoya. Please see the coverage map below:

The coverage area of this pass is blue shaded.

Basically this pass covers JR trains, Nohi Bus and Kaetsuno Bus in the coverage area. I would like to show you the key train and bus services one by one.

The limited express Haruka and Kansai Airport Rapid train

The limited express Haruka connects Kansai airport, Tennoji, Shin-Osaka and Kyoto.

Haruka operation route shown by a bold red line

If you start using this pass right after you arrive in Kansai airport, you may take this train. This train has both reserved seat car and non reserved seat car. But this pass covers only non reserved seat car. This train does not stop at Osaka. Please see the link below to find more information about Haruka:

Kansai Airport Limited Express Haruka

If you cannot take Haruka, you can take Kansai Airport Rapid train too. This is a sort of commute trains. Haruka has nicer interior.

Kansai Airport Rapid Service

Local train services in downtown Osaka

This pass covers a local train in Osaka, such as Osaka Kanjo line (Osaka loop line). You can get many places by this pass in Osaka. Please see the link below to find the information about JR local train service in Osaka:

The limited express Thunderbird (Osaka, Kyoto – Kanazawa)

This train is a primary way to get Kanazawa from Osaka or Kyoto.

The limited express Thunderbird operation route shown by a bold red line

You can book a reserved seat on this train by this pass. But you have to make a reservation after you arrive in Japan.

Nohi Bus (Kanazawa – Shirakawago – Takayama), Kaetsuno Bus (Shin Takaoka – Shirakawago)

Both bus services are shown by a green line in the coverage map above.

Most of you take Nohi Bus to get Shirakawago. You also take this bus when you move between Takayama and Kanazawa. All bus services between Kanazawa and Shirakawago requires an advanced booking. You cannot book online and you have to make a call to book a seat. A few bus services can be taken without reservation between Takayama and Shirakawago. You can find the phone number and timetable in the link below:

Nohi Bus official site

If you want to visit Ainokura, Suganuma and/or Gokayama, you will take Kaetsuno Bus. Reservation is not required.

The Hokuriku Shinkansen (Kanazawa – Toyama)

The Shinkansen train runs very frequently between Kanazawa and Toyama.

The Hokuriku Shinkansen route which is covered by this pass. (shown by a red bold line)

This pass does not allow you to book a seat on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. There are three kinds of trains running on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. Those are Kagayaki, Hakutaka and Tsurugi. But the fastest train “Kagayaki” does not have any non reserved seat cars. You have to take other two trains, Hakutaka or Tsurugi on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. Usually Tsurugi has lots of empty seats and easily can take a seat in non reserved cars.

Please find more details about the Hokuriku Shinkansen in the following link:

Find your hotels in 400 cities throughout Japan!!!

Hotels in Takayama
Hotels in Kanazawa
Hotels in Shirakawago

The limited express Wide View Hida (Nagoya – Takayama – Toyama)

This is very popular train to get Takayama. The scenery is very nice from this train.

Limited Express Wide View Hida operation route (shown by a bold red line)

This train runs once an hour in daytime between Nagoya and Takayama. But this train runs only a few times between Takayama and Toyama. If you cannot take this train between Toyama and Takayama, you can take a local train. But there is no direct local train between Toyama and Takayama. You have to change trains at Inotani between Takayama and Toyama.

Please see the link below to find more information about Wide View Hida:

You can book a reserved seat on this train by this pass. But you have to make a reservation after you arrive in Japan.

Train which is not covered at all or partially

This pass does not cover any train services between Gifu and Kyoto. This means you cannot make a circle tour by this pass. I would like to show you some trains which are not covered by this pass and how much you have to pay extra.

The Tokaido Shinkansen (Nagoya – Kyoto – Shin Osaka)

It is not covered at all. Even though the Shinkansen runs partially between Kyoto and Shin-Osaka in the coverage area, it is not covered at all. You may consider using Platt Kodama if you want to take the Shinkansen between Nagoya and Kyoto/Shin-Osaka.

Osaka departure of the limited express Wide View Hida (Osaka – Kyoto – Gifu – Takayama)

One round trip of Wide View Hida runs between Osaka and Takayama. However this train runs outside the coverage area partially.

This train runs outside the coverage area between Kyoto and Gifu.

If you take this train, you have to pay for Kyoto – Gifu. The one way extra cost (the base fare and the reserved seat fee) is around 4,500 yen. The reserved seat fee is covered in the coverage area. But you have to use two of four times seat booking for Takayama – Gifu and Osaka – Kyoto. If you take this route, you have to book a seat for both inside coverage area and outside coverage area at same time. You can get a same seat all the way.

The limited express Shirasagi (Kanazawa – Nagoya)

If you move between Nagoya and Kanazawa, the limited express Shirasagi is the fastest way. However this train runs outside the coverage area partially.

The segment between Tsuruga and Gifu is outside the coverage area.

If you take this train, you have to pay for Tsuruga – Gifu. The one way extra cost (the base fare and the reserved seat fee) is around 3,500 yen. Reserved seat fee is covered in the coverage area. But you have to use two of four times seat booking for Nagoya – Gifu and Kanazawa – Tsuruga. If you take this route, you have to book a seat for both inside coverage area and outside coverage area at same time. You can get a same seat all the way.

If you want to avoid this extra cost, you can take one of these following routes:

  • The limited express Wide View Hida (Nagoya – Toyama), the Hokuriku Shinkansen (Toyama – Kanazawa)
  • The limited express Wide View Hida (Nagoya – Takayama), Nohi Bus (Takayama – Kanazawa)

These routes are covered but the trip time is much longer than the limited express Shirasagi. If you take the limited express Shirasagi, the trip time is about 3 hours to get Nagoya from Kanazawa without changing trains. But if you take one of these above routes, the travel time is about 4.5 hours and you have to change trains or train/bus. Please think which choice is better for you, spending 1.5 hours or spending 3,360 yen.

Local train service in downtown Kyoto

You can get Kyoto by this pass. But after you arrive in Kyoto, this pass does not help you at all. You cannot get even some spots in Kyoto by this pass. JR lines connect Arashiyama and Fushimi from Kyoto station. But this pass does not cover these lines.

Trip to Nara, Trip to Kobe

These cities are a step away from Kyoto or Osaka. But these cities are not in the coverage area. Please do not think using this pass even partially. Just pay as you go or think about using other deal:

Compare cost between pass and single fare

First of all, please see the fare table for major segments below. These fares are approximate and may be varied by the seasonality:

One way fare

Kansai airport – Shin-Osaka by Limited Express NON reserved seat2,500 yen
Kansai airport – Kyoto by Limited Express NON reserved seat3,000 yen
Osaka – Kanazawa by Limited Express reserved seat7,800 yen
Kyoto – Kanazawa by Limited Express reserved seat7,000 yen
Nagoya – Takayama by Limited Express reserved seat6,000 yen
Toyama – Takayama by Limited Express reserved seat3,500 yen
Toyama – Kanazawa by Hokuriku Shinkansen NON reserved seat2,900 yen
Kanazawa – Shirakawago by Nohi bus2,000 yen
Takayama – Shirakawago by Nohi bus2,600 yen
Kanazawa – Takayama by Nohi bus3,600 yen
Shirakawago – Shin-Takaoka by Kaetsuno bus1,800 yen

You may find more information about the access to Takayama and Kanazawa at the links below:

You can find the timetable of the limited express Wide View Hida, Thunderbird, and Shirasagi in the link below:

Due to COVID-19, it may be operated on a schedule different from the normal timetable. Check the train schedule on Hyperdia.
Hyperdia perfect guide, train timetable and route search engine

Assessment

This deal is highly recommended if you visit Takayama, Shirakawago and/or Kanazawa from Osaka, Kyoto or Nagoya. Especially the coverage of Nohi Bus and Kaetsuno Bus offers a big deal.

I hope this post helps you to build your trip plan.

Comments

  1. Kristen says:

    HI Takeshi!

    Appreciate your kind advice for my draft itinerary below, especially on the Shirakawago part:
    Day 1 – KIX directly to Osaka around Namba/Dotonbori for some shopping, check-in to Namba accomodation
    Day 2 – Osaka to Shirakawago Day Trip (will buy the Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass) *Shirakawago > Suganuma > Gokayama via Shin Takaoka taking Kaetsuno World Heritage Bus
    Day 3 – Osaka castle & park, Umeda & Shinsaibashi
    Day 4 – Osaka Kaiyukan, Santa Maria Port & Tempozan Ferris Wheel, Shinsekai
    Day 5 – Check out from Namba to Rinku Premium Outlet & KIX and fly back Msia…
    On my Day 2, I wish to reach Shirakawago from Shin-Osaka as early as possible so which stop at Kanazawa or Shin Takaoka JR Station is much ideal? Seem that Nouhi Bus unable to all 3 UNESCO heritage sites
    Is the fastest route & all transports (Thunderbird, Kaetsuno Bus, etc.) covered by Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass? If no, please advise on the best route & transport using the said pass
    What transport in the route are not included in the pass ?
    Also, the Takayama Hokuriku Pass can covered most of my journey on the above itinerary from Day 1 from Osaka and the rest of the days? If no, what other pass or card should I purchase ?
    Thanks in advanced … (^_^)

    • Hi Kristen,

      All trips on day 2 are covered by Takayama Hokuriku area pass. You can check the timetable at hyperdia:
      jprail.com/travel-informations/basic-informations/timetable-and-reservation/hyperdia-perfect-guide-train-timetable-and-route-search-engine.html

      Please see the links below to find the bus timetables:
      https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/highwaybus/shirakawago.pdf
      https://www.japan-guide.com/bus/gokayama.html

      Most part of Osaka is covered but I recommend you to use Osaka Kaiyu ticket on day 5.
      jprail.com/trains/sort-by-type/subway/trip-to-osaka-kaiyukan-aquarium-by-osaka-kaiyu-ticket-2.html

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

      • Kristen says:

        Hi Takeshi

        Kindly advise on my further queries are as below :
        1) The Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass included transport to & fro to Kansai Airport?
        2) I understand that Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass only allows to reserve seats 4 times – what kind of seats allowable ? Can I utilize this eligibility to reserve ANY kind of seats on (a) the round trip via Thunderbird on Day 2 + (b) the round trip train Kansai Airport-Osaka when I redeem the pass? How about reserve seat for Kaetsuno Bus?
        3) For Day 2 to Shirakawago, which bus stop is more accessible/nearer from the JR station – Takaoka Ekimae or Shin-Takaoka Ekimae ?
        4) Is it necessary to buy a transport ticket for local/subway train for the whole period ?
        5) Instead of Osaka Kaiyu ticket, should I purchase Osaka Amazing Pass – 2 days to cover entrance fees for all attractions on Day 3 & 4 ?

        Thanks… 🙂

  2. joshua says:

    hi takeshi..
    we are planning to visit japan this 10 january 2018
    our arrival is at kansai airport, we are planning to use this pass for travel from airport to namba station, osaka to kyoto, kyoto to kanazawa, kanazawa to shirakawago, and from shirakawago back to kyoto, our trip to shirakawago from kyoto and back from shirakawago to kyoto again (1day trip) is at 15 january 2018.. do you think it is possible to cover all my trips using the takayama hokuriku pass 5days?

    regards,
    josh 🙂

  3. Haiza says:

    Hi takeshi san,

    Thanks for your reply. I think i have to revise my itinerary a bit.

    Thanks again.

    Haiza

  4. Daphny Teh says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    Reagarding this pass, I saw on their website site saying tat “During its valid period, this pass allows you to travel up to four times on reserved seats of ordinary cars of the limited express train between Nagoya - Toyama station (via Tokaido/Takayama lines), and between Kanazawa - Kyoto station - stations within Osaka City area (via Hokuriku/Kosei/Tokaido lines). Please note however, that the pass does not guarantee that you will be able to secure a seat when the desired train is crowded. Please note that you cannot be guaranteed a seat on a specific train during crowded periods.
    The periods when seat reservations are particularly difficult to secure are as follows:
    Dec. 28 – Jan. 6”

    Is it means even with this pass, I cant guarantee have a seat if I already book in advance?

  5. Haiza says:

    Hi Takeshi san

    I’ve planned my holiday on feb 2018. My proposed itinerary is:-
    Day 1 – osaka – kanazawa
    Day 2- kanazawa – shirakawago – takayama-kyoto
    Day 3 – kyoto-amanohashidate -kyoto
    Day 4 – Kyoto (one day higashiyama trail)
    Day 5 – kyoto – osaka
    Day 6 – osaka – kobe
    Day 7 – osaka – wakayama
    Day 8 – osaka
    Day 9 – osaka

    Is it worth it if I plan to use Takayama hokuriku pass for day 1 till day 5 , kansai thru pass from day 6 till day 7. Really appreciate if you can suggest a more better itinerary

    Thanks & Regards,
    Haiza

  6. Christina Kuan says:

    Hi Takeshi San,

    Me and my friend plan to going Japan Osaka on mid of Jan 2018- 5 days trip. When we arrived in Osaka, in between our travel days we also planing for a one day trip in Kyoto. Could you please suggest us which pass is more suitable for our trip, and also can you please tell us how to get from Osaka to Shirakawa-go? we will be staying at Shirakawa-go just for a night and need to leave early for the next day.

    Following itinerary:
    Day 1 – Arrive Kansai airport > Osaka
    Day 2 – Osaka > Kyoto day trip
    Day 3 – Osaka
    Day 4 – Osaka > Shirakawa-go
    Day 5 – Shirakawa-go > Osaka
    Day 6 – Osaka > Kansai airport

    Look forward to your reply.

    Thank you very much for your kind assistance. =)

    Best regards,
    Christina k

  7. Cecilia Xiao says:

    Hi Takeshi San,
    I would like your advice on transport options for the following itinerary:
    Day 1 Arrive Kansai airport -> Osaka
    Day 2 Osaka -> Nara day trip
    Day 3 Osaka
    Day 4 Osaka -> Kyoto (stay in Kyoto)
    Day 5 Kyoto
    Day 6 Kyoto -> Takayama (stay in Kyoto)
    Day 7 Takayama -> Tokyo (stay in Tokyo)
    Day 8 – 10 Tokyo

    I have been looking at the Hokuriku Arch, Kansai Hokuriku Pass, Takayama-Hokuriku Tourist passes and Nohi Bus to get to and fro Takayama. However, I am not sure if the Hokuriku Arch Pass will give more value for my itinerary. What will you suggest?

  8. susan chong says:

    Hi Takeshi-san,

    Greetings from Singapore again. We have decided to travel to Central Japan around 23 May to 2 Jun 2018. We have firmed up our itinerary and planned to purchase Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass (14000 yen, 5 day pass) and Tateyama Kurobe Option Ticket (9000 yen, 1 day pass) and hope the below itinerary covers the travelling cost of using these passes.

    Day 1 – From Singapore to Kansai Airport Osaka (Hotel stay: Toyama)
    We will take LTD. EXP HARUKA at Kansai Airport Osaka to Shin-Osaka and then take LTD. EXP THUNDERBIRD to Kanazawa. Lastly, we will take SHINKANSEN TSURUGI at Kanazawa to Toyama. All travel cost is covered under Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass.

    Qn 1) Based on Hyperdia, the arrival platform in Shin-Osaka is Track 11 and the departure platform to take LTD. EXP THUNDERBIRD is Track 12, and the transfer time is only about 10mins. I have tried to search for the floor map of Shin-Osaka and it seems that the track 11 and track 12 is beside each other. Thus, I assume that once we alight from LTD. EXP HARUKA in Shin-Osaka track 11, we just carry our luggage to the opposite side to take LTD. EXP THUNDERBIRD without having to take any elevator or stairs. Am I correct?

    Qn 2) I understand that Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass covers unlimited rides when we travel between Kanazawa and Toyama using Hakutaka or Tsurugi on Hokuriku Shinkansen. Thus, when we arrive at Kanazawa on day 1, we can take either Hakutaka or Tsurugi on Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama, correct?

    Day 2 and Day 3 (Hotel stay: Toyama) – Tour at Kanazawa.
    Since we are staying at Toyama, we will travel from Toyama to Kanazawa via either Hakutaka or Tsurugi on Hokuriku Shinkansen as this is covered by Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass.

    Qn) Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass does not cover any bus cost when we travel in Kanazawa to visit the attractions in Kanazawa, correct?

    Day 4 – Visit to Shirakawago. (Hotel stay: Toyama)
    Based on this website, Nohi bus between Takayama and Kanazawa via Shirakawago is covered using Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass. But the Nohi bus from Toyama to Shirakawago is not covered using this pass based on Nohi Bus website.

    Thus, we will firstly travel from Toyama to Kanazawa via either Hakutaka or Tsurugi on Hokuriku Shinkansen as this is covered by Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass. Then take Nohi Bus at Kanazawa to Shirakawago.

    Qn) We noted that we need to make reservation on Nohi Bus to Shirakawago in advance. Can we make reservation online before we travel? If yes, can you provide us a website link? We are planning to travel to Shirakawago between 24 – 27 May period and hope these are not peak travelling season.

    Day 5 – Visit to Shin-hotaka Ropeway. (Hotel stay: Toyama)
    I understand that Nohi Bus to Shin-hotaka Ropeway is not covered by Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass, am I correct?

    Thus, we will travel from Toyama to Takayama via LTD. EXP (WIDE VIEW) HIDA as this is covered under Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass. Then we will pay for the travel cost to take Nohi Bus from Takayama to Shin-hotaka Ropeway.

    When we reach back to hotel around evening time, we will use luggage delivery service to deliver our luggage to Nagoya so that we can travel light for day 6 trip to Nagano.

    Day 6 – Visit Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (Hotel stay: Nagano)
    Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass is covered for the first 5 days so today, we will use the Tateyama Kurobe Option Ticket to visit Alpine Route.

    This pass ends at Nagano station so we decide to stay one night in a hotel near Nagano.

    Day 7 – travel from Nagano to Nagoya
    We will travel to Nagoya via LTD. EXP (WIDE VIEW) SHINANO and this is a new travel cost which we need to pay.
    Day 8 – Day 11 – Tour around Nagoya before heading to airport

    Based on the above itinerary, I feel that the travel passes that are cost effective is Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass and Tateyama Kurobe Option Ticket, am I correct?

    I understand that Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass only allows to reserve seats 4 times. Thus, if we need to make reservation using this pass more than 4 times, we will pay the fare difference, correct?

    If yes, when we purchase the Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass in Singapore, do we need to indicate which trip needs reservation during our purchase or we can reserve seats when we are in Japan itself?

    I apologise for the lengthy email and look forward to your kind assistance.

    Thank you in advance for your help! Have a great weekend!

    Best regards
    Susan Chong

    • Hi Susan san,

      Qn 1) Based on Hyperdia, the arrival platform in Shin-Osaka is Track 11 and the departure platform to take LTD. EXP THUNDERBIRD is Track 12, and the transfer time is only about 10mins. I have tried to search for the floor map of Shin-Osaka and it seems that the track 11 and track 12 is beside each other. Thus, I assume that once we alight from LTD. EXP HARUKA in Shin-Osaka track 11, we just carry our luggage to the opposite side to take LTD. EXP THUNDERBIRD without having to take any elevator or stairs. Am I correct?

      A) Correct.

      Qn 2) I understand that Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass covers unlimited rides when we travel between Kanazawa and Toyama using Hakutaka or Tsurugi on Hokuriku Shinkansen. Thus, when we arrive at Kanazawa on day 1, we can take either Hakutaka or Tsurugi on Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama, correct?

      A) Correct.

      Qn) Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass does not cover any bus cost when we travel in Kanazawa to visit the attractions in Kanazawa, correct?

      A) Correct.

      Qn) We noted that we need to make reservation on Nohi Bus to Shirakawago in advance. Can we make reservation online before we travel? If yes, can you provide us a website link? We are planning to travel to Shirakawago between 24 – 27 May period and hope these are not peak travelling season.

      A) You cannot make a reservation online at this point. Online site cannot be designed for this pass user. You need to make a call. Please see the note at the bottom in the link below:
      https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/highwaybus/shirakawago.pdf

      Day 5 – Visit to Shin-hotaka Ropeway. (Hotel stay: Toyama)
      I understand that Nohi Bus to Shin-hotaka Ropeway is not covered by Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass, am I correct?

      A) Correct.

      Based on the above itinerary, I feel that the travel passes that are cost effective is Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass and Tateyama Kurobe Option Ticket, am I correct?

      A) Correct.

      I understand that Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass only allows to reserve seats 4 times. Thus, if we need to make reservation using this pass more than 4 times, we will pay the fare difference, correct?

      A) If you reserve your seat more than 5 times, you need to pay full seat fare for reserved seat. It’s not the difference between non reserved and reserved.

      e.g. Reserved seat fee 2500 yen, non reserved seat fee 2000 yen.
      You need to pay 2500 yen. It’s not 500 yen. You cannot reserved your seat before you arrive in Japan. You will book when you exchange the pass at Kansai airport station.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

      • susan chong says:

        Hi Takeshi-san,

        Thanks so much for your quick reply.

        With regards to Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass, I will buy the pass in Singapore and will need to proceed to JR office in Kansai Airport to exchange the pass.

        Based on this website link (https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2016.html), the following information is needed:

        • Number of travelers
        • Date of travel
        • Departure Station
        • Destination Station
        • Ordinary or green car
        • Preference of reserved or non-reserved seat

        Qn 1) I need to provide a list of tickets (non-reserved seats) needed for 5 day trip using this pass to JR office in Kansai Airport, correct?

        The website also indicated that below additional information needed if I wish to reserve a seat:

        • Train name and number OR departure time (I will obtain information from Hyperdia)
        • Preference of smoking or non-smoking seat

        Qn 2) During the exchange of pass in Kansai Airport, do I need to indicate ALL the tickets that I would like to be reserved for my 5 days trip using this pass?

        For instance, I plan to reserve seats LTD. EXP (WIDE VIEW) HIDA from Toyama to Takayama for our day 5 trip to Shin-hotaka Ropeway. Do we need to reserve the seats at JR office in Kansai Airport or we can reserve in Toyama JR office on other days?

        Qn 3) I plan to reserve seats on Nohi bus for Day 4 (Visit to Shirakawago). Can the JR staff call the Nohi Bus Reservation Centre to book seats for us as we cannot speak Japanese?

        With regards to seat reservation, I can make 4 seat reservation (free-of-charge) plus 1 seat reservation (paying only the fare difference) to avoid paying full seat fare for reserved seat as per your reply, correct?

        Look forward to your reply.

        Thank you very much in advance for your kind assistance.

        Best regards
        susan chong

        • Hi Susan,

          This info is for the case to use a regular ticket. It’s more simple for using this pass.

          When you exchange the pass, you can book your seat if you like. But you can do it later at Toyama station or any other major stations. It’s totally up to you. I usually complete all trains ticket when I exchange the pass.

          When you reserve your seat, just show your pass and tell the departure station and time, and the arrival station. You can tell a train name but don’t need. They will find it for you

          You have to make a call to Nohi bus. They speak English. JR does not do it.

          Cheers,

          Takeshi / JPRail.com

  9. TS says:

    Hi Takeshi-san,

    Understand the pass did not cover the trip from Kyoto to Nagoya but it does cover from Nagoya to Takayama and Toyama, correct?

    Based on my checking in Google Maps, from Kyoto to Nagoya, will take Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen which cost about Yen 5600.00 per person for one day.

    If we will pay for the trip from Kyoto to Nagoya for faster route, the pass does cover from Nagoya to Takayama and Toyama, from Google Maps, from Nagoya to Takayama is suggest to take JR Tokaido Line and than by bus but according to the route map of the pass, we can take JR Takayama Line, correct? May I know at which station should we change from JR Tokaido to JR Takayama?

    Thanks.

  10. Methinee says:

    Hello Takeshi san,

    How many time i can take shinkansen between kanazawa – takayama with Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass?

    Regards&Thank you
    Methinee

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