The Kansai region is very large and has many attractions, such as Okayama Kurashiki, Amanohashidate, Ine, and Kinosaki Onsen, which are all very attractive attractions.
If you want to go to these places, the JR Kansai WIDE Area Pass is the best transportation ticket to use.
Because the price is not expensive, and you can take the Sanyo Shinkansen and JR limited express trains, and the use days are also long, the CP value is quite high.
Suitable for travelers who like to be budget-conscious and want to travel easily.
Ticket Name
JR-WEST RAIL PASS – Kansai WIDE Area Pass
Ticket Versions and Prices
Divided by age, there are versions for adults (12 years old and above) and children (6-11 years old).
Adults: ¥12,000 Japanese Yen, Children: ¥6,000 Japanese Yen
Sales Locations for JR Kansai WIDE Area Pass
The Kansai Wide Area Pass is no longer available for purchase within Japan. Currently, it can only be purchased through the following two methods.
Online Purchase of Overseas Travel Agencies
The purchased item is a voucher (MCO or E-Ticket). When you arrive in Japan, you will need to exchange it for physical tickets at designated stations or green ticket machines.
Ticketing Travel Agency:
■ KKDAY
■ WAmazing
■ KLOOK
JR West Japan Official Website Reservation
Reservation URL: Click here to make a reservation.
When making a reservation, payment must be made in advance with a credit card. After arriving in Japan, you will need to collect the physical tickets at the designated station or the green ticket vending machine.
Receiving/Exchanging Location
Receiving refers to obtaining tickets through reservations made on the official website of JR West Japan. Only when you make a reservation on their website can you receive the tickets.
Exchanging refers to purchasing exchange vouchers from travel agencies outside of Japan, and then redeeming them for physical tickets at designated locations or ticket machines.
■ Receive
Fukui Prefecture: Tsuruga
Kyoto Prefecture: Kyoto, Uji, Fukuchiyama
Osaka Prefecture: Shin-Osaka, Osaka, Kyobashi, Tennoji, Shin-Imamiya, Nishikujo, Kansai Airport, JR Namba, Shin-Osaka Travel Service Center
Hyogo Prefecture: Kobe, Shin-Kobe, Sannomiya, Himeji
Nara Prefecture: Nara Station
Wakayama Prefecture: Wakayama Station
Tottori Prefecture: Tottori Station
Okayama Prefecture: Okayama Station
Kagawa Prefecture: Takamatsu Station
■ Exchange
Kyoto Prefecture: Kyoto, Fukuchiyama, Nippon Travel Agency TiS – Kyoto Branch
Osaka Prefecture: Shin-Osaka, Osaka, Kansai Airport, Shin-Osaka Travel Service Office, Nippon Travel Agency TiS – Osaka Branch
Hyogo Prefecture: Sannomiya, Nippon Travel Agency TiS – Sannomiya Branch
Nara Prefecture: Nara Station
Wakayama Prefecture: Wakayama Station
Tottori Prefecture: Tottori Station
Okayama Prefecture: Okayama Station
Kagawa Prefecture: Takamatsu Station, Warp – Takamatsu Branch
Detailed collection and redemption stations may be subject to adjustments. It is recommended to check the official website before redemption: click here to view.
Ticket Information
The travel pass is in the form of a magnetic card ticket, which does not have a name on it but has a usage date.
With the travel pass, you can take unlimited rides within the designated period on the transportation within the specified range.
Travel Pass (Sample) and Ticket Pouch
Travel Pass (Sample)
(The above photos are provided by JR West)
Validity period
When making a purchase, please specify the start date of use. The validity period is within 5 consecutive days starting from the specified start date.
(if there is a day in between that is not used, the validity period will not be extended).
Note: Since the train operates from early morning until the next day’s early morning, the one-day ticket can be used until the next day’s early morning (i.e., the last train).
If you activate it at 23:00 on the same evening, it can only be used until the last train of that day.
Kansai Wide Area Pass Usage Area
You can take the following trains within the specified range.
1. Sanyo Shinkansen (Shin-Osaka to Okayama, not available on the Shin-Osaka to Kyoto Shinkansen): The Sanyo Shinkansen trains offer reserved or unreserved seating in the ordinary cars.
The train types on the Sanyo Shinkansen include Nozomi (Japanese: のぞみ), Mizuho (Japanese: みずほ), Hikari (Japanese: ひかり), Kodama (Japanese: こだま), and Sakura (Japanese: さくら).
The Hello Kitty Shinkansen belongs to the Kodama train type, so you can ride it.
2. JR’s route on the Zairai Line: from the west to Kurashiki and Tottori, from the north to Kinosaki Onsen, from the east to Maibara and Tsuruga, and from the south to Shirahama and Shingu (on the Zairai Line, there are limited express, special rapid, rapid, and local trains), which can be taken in reserved or unreserved seats.
The reserved seats on the Sanyo Shinkansen and the Zairai Line have no restrictions on the number of times they can be used.
3. Tango Railway Line: Fukuchiyama to Amanohashidate, Nishi-Maizuru to Toyooka, including free seating and reserved seating on limited express trains (excluding Kuro-Matsu and Aka-Matsu).
4. Wakayama Electric Railway: Kishigawa Line (Wakayama~Kishigawa)
5. Chizu Express: Kamigori to Chizu
6. West JR Bus: Takao-Keihoku Line (Kyoto~Shuzan), Enpuku Line (Sonobe~Fukuchiyama), Jakko Line (Omi-imazu~Obama) (News)
7. In Shikoku, you can only enter and exit at Utazu, Sakaide, and TAka-Matsu stations. Other stations are not accessible (even unmanned stations do not allow disembarking).
Below is the available route map for use.
How to Use the Kansai Wide Area Pass
1. When you want to take a designated seat, you need to go to the green ticket machine or the green window to reserve your seat.
2. When entering or exiting the station, please use the automatic ticket gate.
When passing through, you will need to insert your travel pass and retrieve it afterwards.
How to Reserve a Designated Seat on the Official Website
When purchasing a travel pass on the official website, there are instructions on how to reserve designated seats through the website.
■ English webpage (click here to enter)
Go to “Reserve Lookup / Changes / Refunds” in the red box below.
After entering, you will need to enter the number of your reserved travel pass in order to book a designated seat.
Since I haven’t purchased a travel pass from the official website yet, I can only write up to this point.
■ Chinese webpage (click here to enter)
Go to “Inquiry, Change Reservation, Refund” in the red box below (please scroll to the bottom)
After entering, you will need to enter the number of your reserved travel pass in order to book a designated seat.
Since I haven’t purchased a travel pass from the official website yet, I can only write up to this point.
Additional Explanation
1. This ticket can only be purchased by foreign tourists. (Short-term stay is required for landing permits).
2. Shinkansen and limited express trains (official website), as long as they are within the range of various trains, can be taken (only commonly used trains are listed below):
a. はるか: Haruka, Chinese: 遙遠號, available between Kansai Airport and Kyoto (some trains continue to Yasu)
b. きのさき: Kinosaki, Chinese: 城崎號, available between Kyoto and Kinosaki Onsen
c. こうのとり: Kounotori, Chinese: 東方白鸛號, available between Shin-Osaka and Kinosaki Onsen
d. はまかぜ: Hamakaze, Chinese: 浜風號, available between Osaka and Tottori
e. サンダーバード: Thunderbird, Chinese: 雷鳥號, available between Osaka and Tsuruga
f. くろしお: Kuroshio, Chinese: 黑潮號, available between Kyoto and Shingu
g. スーパーはくと: Super Hakuto, Chinese: 超級白兔號, available between Kyoto and Tottori
h. スーパーいなば: Super Inaba, Chinese: 超級因幡號, available between Okayama and Tottori
Please refer to the official website for the routes of other limited express trains not listed above.
3. Holders of the Pass can also enjoy discounts at major attractions. For more details, please click here to inquire.
4. To inquire about transportation routes, please use the JR-West official website (inquiry for instruction).
5. If you only plan to explore the Keihanshin area, it is necessary to carefully calculate the fare to determine if it is cost-effective.
Generally, it is not cost-effective to only explore the urban areas of Keihanshin, so you may consider using the JR-WEST RAIL PASS – Kansai Area Pass instead.
Important Notes
1. Please check the timetable before boarding, as not every train will arrive at the destination mentioned above! For the limited express “Kinosaki”, many trains only travel to Fukuchiyama and do not continue to Kinosaki Onsen.
2. The Shinkansen can only be taken from Shin-Osaka to Okayama!! (Shinkansen: Shin-Osaka to Kyoto is within the Tokaido Shinkansen range and cannot be used).
If you plan to take the Shinkansen from Okayama to Kyoto, you will need to pay an additional fare of ¥1420 for the Shinkansen (Limited Express Reserved Seat) from Shin-Osaka to Kyoto.
3. Do not board the special rapid train “A-SEAT”. If you wish to ride this train, you will need to purchase a separate designated seat ticket.
4. When taking the Sanyo Shinkansen, if you have oversized luggage with you, an additional fee is required.
Please refer to the regulations for oversized luggage on the Tokaido-Sanyo-Kyushu-West Kyushu Shinkansen.
5. During the usage period, only one purchase is allowed, and multiple purchases are not permitted.
(If you wish to purchase multiple tickets, the dates must not overlap.)
6. The official website states, “Through JR-WEST ONLINE TRAIN RESERVATION, you can book designated seat tickets. * When purchased through overseas travel agencies, you can reserve designated seats at various sales locations upon arrival in Japan.”
In other words, if you don’t book tickets on the official website, you cannot make online reservations for designated seats!
7. After making more than 6 reservations, if you are unable to make a reservation using the automated ticketing machine, please proceed to the green window for reservation.
(Because the official website emphasizes this point in other ticket sections, although this ticket was changed in October and does not indicate this, I think it is possible to encounter the same problem.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Can this travel pass be used in Nara, Uji, Arashiyama, or Misayama?
A1: Yes, it can be used, but there are no limited express trains available to Nara and Uji, only regular trains (rapid, local) can be used.
For Arashiyama, the limited express train “Kinosaki” does not stop at Umahori or Saga-Arashiyama stations, so please be aware!
For Misayama, the limited express train “Kinosaki” stops at Sonobe, but not at Hiyoshi.
(However, this travel pass cannot be used on the Nantan City Bus)
Q2: Can I take the Shinkansen to Kyoto? How can I get from Himeji to Kyoto?
A2: No, you can only take the Sanyo Shinkansen with this ticket. The section from Shin-Osaka to Kyoto belongs to the Tokaido Shinkansen, and you can only take the Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Okayama on that line.
So, after arriving at Shin-Osaka station, you need to exit the Shinkansen station and go to the adjacent JR Shin-Osaka station to take the JR train to Kyoto.
Q3: Can I enter the station from Kyoto Station on the Shinkansen? How can I go directly from Kyoto to Himeji?
A3: You cannot enter the station from Kyoto Station on the Shinkansen. If you want to ride, please go to the ticket counter or the ticket vending machine to purchase a ticket.
Purchase a Shinkansen ticket from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka, and when entering the station, use the purchased ticket. When exiting at Himeji, use the JR-WEST RAIL PASS – Kansai WIDE Area Pass.
Alternatively, you can choose to take the Zairai line (either the limited express or the rapid train) to Shin-Osaka Station, exit using the travel pass, go to the Shinkansen Shin-Osaka Station, and then take the Shinkansen to Himeji.
Q4: Can this ticket be purchased together with the JR-WEST RAIL PASS – Kansai Area Pass?
A4: Yes, it is possible, but the dates cannot overlap.
Q5: Can this ticket be used to board the スーパーはくと (Super Hakuto) and スーパーいなば (Super Inaba) trains to Tottori?
A5: Yes, it can.
Q6: Can this ticket be used to reserve designated seats on the Hashidate train?
A6: If you want to reserve designated seats on the Kyoto-Amanohashidate train (including the Hashidate train, but excluding the Kuro-Matsu and Aka-Matsu trains), you can do so at the JR Japan Green Window or ticket machines.
If you use the JR-WEST ONLINE TRAIN RESERVATION, you can only reserve designated seats for the Kyoto-Fukuchiyama section. Unfortunately, you cannot make online reservations for the Fukuchiyama-Amanohashidate section.
(The above response is from JR West official)
Note: Netizen WEI confirmed that you can use the ticket machine to reserve seats for Kyoto~Amanohashidate.
Q7: Can this ticket be used to ride the Tango Railway Aka-Matsu Train?
A7: When riding the Aka-Matsu Train, two fees need to be paid: the regular fare and the ticket fee. This ticket can only be used to offset the regular fare, so an additional payment of the ticket fee (¥550 Japanese Yen) is still required.
However, it is important to note that employees of the Tango Railway may ask you to pay an additional fare, which is not correct. If you encounter this situation, please say to the Japanese person, “ご確認お願いします” (Please confirm).
Q8: Can I reserve a seat a few days before using it?
A8: Yes, you can reserve a seat in advance. The date for reserving a seat must be within the validity period of the ticket.
Reference Materials
JR West Pass-Kansai WIDE Area Pass Official Website
『Original Source：https://nicklee.tw/1198/』
