Edit 8 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
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| A map of the Kansai region in mid-western Honshu. T.Kambayashi [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
| Name | Area(s) | Period | Price | Reserved Seats | Shinkansen |
| Kansai Area Pass | Kansai | 1 day | ¥2,300/ 2,400* |
No | None |
| 2 days | ¥4,600/ 4,800* |
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| 3 days | ¥5,600/ 5,800* |
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| 4 days | ¥6,600/ 6,800* |
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| Kansai Wide Area Pass | Kansai, Okayama | 5 days | ¥9,200/ 10,200* |
No | Sanyo1 |
| Kansai Hokuriku Area Pass | Kansai, Hokuriku | 7 days | ¥15,270/ 16,290* |
No | Sanyo2, Hokuriku3 |
| Hokuriku Arch Pass | Tokyo, Hokuriku, Kansai | 7 days | ¥24,440/ 25,460* |
Yes5 | Hokuriku |
| Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass | Kansai, Sanyo | 5 days | ¥13,700/ 14,700* |
No | Sanyo1 |
| Sanyo-San'in Area Pass | Kansai, Sanyo, San'in |
7 days | ¥19,400/ 20,400* |
Yes | Sanyo |
| Setouchi Area Pass | Kansai, Sanyo, Northern Shikoku |
5 days | ¥17,310/ 18,330* |
No | Sanyo |
| Sanyo-San'in Northern Kyushu Pass | Kansai, Sanyo, San'in, Northern Kyushu |
7 days | ¥22,400/ 23,420* |
No | Sanyo, Kyushu4 |
1 Sanyo Shinkansen covered between Shin-Osaka and Okayama stations.
2 Sanyo Shinkansen covered between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima stations.
3 Hokuriku Shinkansen covered between Joetsu-Myoko and Kanazawa stations.
4 Kyushu Shinkansen covered between Hakata and Kumamoto stations.
5 Not valid for reserved seats on the Haruka limited express.
I'll start with the JR West regional passes covering Kansai. Since I already went into detail in the article above, I'll spare you the second time around. All the passes listed above cover JR trains between the major cities of the Kansai region, including Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Himeji, and Nara, plus Kansai International Airport. Some also cover other regions administered by JR West, such as Hokuriku to the north, and Sanyo and San'in to the west.
The main advantage of using these passes over the Japan Rail Pass, apart from their lower price points, is that they allow users to ride Nozomi and Mizuho express services on the Sanyo Shinkansen, a notable omission of the JR Pass. However, they do not cover any part of the Tokaido Shinkansen which, despite passing through the area, is owned by JR Central as opposed to JR West. Thus, if you're coming in from Tokyo or elsewhere in the country, you might get more value out of the JR Pass after all.
| Name | Networks | Areas | Period | Price |
| Kansai Thru Pass | Kintetsu, Hankyu, Hanshin, Nankai, subways, et al. |
Kansai | 2 days | ¥4,300/ 4,400* |
| 3 days | ¥5,300/ 5,500* |
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| Kintetsu Rail Pass | Kintetsu | Kyoto, Osaka, Nara | 1 day | ¥1,500 |
| Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Asuka, Yoshino |
2 days | ¥2,500 | ||
| Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Asuka, Yoshino, Iga-Ueno, Nagoya, Ise-Shima |
5 days | ¥3,700/ 3,900* |
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| Kintetsu Rail Pass Plus | 5 days | ¥4,900/ 5,100* |
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| Hankyu Tourist Pass | Hankyu | Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Takarazuka |
1 day | ¥700 |
| 2 days | ¥1,200 | |||
| Hanshin Tourist Pass | Hanshin, Kobe Rapid | Osaka, Kobe | 1 day | ¥700 |
| Hankyu-Hanshin 1-Day Pass | Hankyu, Hanshin, Kobe Rapid |
Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Takarazuka |
1 day | ¥1,200 |
| Keihan Kyoto Sightseeing Pass |
Keihan | Kyoto, Uji | 1 day | ¥600 |
| Keihan Kyoto-Osaka Sightseeing Pass |
Keihan | Kyoto, Uji, Osaka | 1 day | ¥800 |
| 2 days | ¥1,200 | |||
| Nankai All Line 2-Day Pass | Nankai | Osaka, Koyasan, Kansai Airport |
2 days | ¥2,000 |
| Koyasan World Heritage Ticket | Nankai (Koya Line, Koyasan Cable Car, Koyasan buses) |
Osaka, Koyasan | 2 days | ¥2,900 |
JR West is not the only rail company in Kansai, however. There are over twenty rail operators in the region, and many more lines on top of that. Some connect between multiple cities, and some are centred in only one city. One of them, Kintetsu, operates the largest rail network not affiliated with the JR group, reaching as far east as Nagoya and the Ise-Shima peninsula.
The Kansai Thru Pass is valid on lines operated by twenty companies in the Kansai area, including Kintetsu, Keihan, Hankyu, Hanshin, and the subway networks of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It can also be used on local buses in the above-mentioned cities. It does not, however, cover any lines run by the JR group. Also, on limited-express trains run by Kintetsu and Nankai, the pass will only cover the regular fare; you will need to pay the additional limited-express fee yourself. How the pass works is unique; it is valid on two or three non-consecutive days within the given period of validity. If you buy the pass between April and September, it is valid until the end of October, and if purchased between October and March, it is good through April. Only non-Japanese citizens, or Japanese citizens living abroad, are allowed to purchase the Kansai Thru Pass.
A few private rail companies also sell their own passes. Kintetsu, for instance, sells multiple passes which cover varying degrees of their vast network. The main Kintetsu Rail Pass covers their entire network of trains, between Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, and Ise-Shima, while the Kintetsu Rail Pass Plus additional covers buses in Nara, Ise-Shima, and a few other cities. Both of these are valid on 5 consecutive calendar days. They also offer shorter-term varieties: the 1-Day pass covers the main lines between Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka, and the 2-Day pass covers the entire western half of their network, including the above cities. Limited-express supplement fees are not covered by the pass; only the base fare is. Only non-Japanese citizens may purchase these passes, and the 5-day passes may be bought before entering the country for a discount.
In addition for a regular 2-day pass for their lines, Nankai Railway sells a pass called the Koyasan World Heritage Ticket, an economical option for travelling to Mount Koya from Osaka. Koyasan, as it is called, is a popular choice for spending the night at Buddhist temple lodgings, and for walking along wooded pilgrimage trails. The pass includes one round-trip from Osaka (Namba or Shin-Imamiya stations), the Koyasan Cable Car, and buses in the town of Koyasan. There is also a version of the pass which includes a discounted limited-express ticket from Osaka (but not from Koyasan); the normal supplement fee is ¥780. Note that the Kansai Thru Pass also covers the same area.
More information:
Kansai Thru Pass: (English)
Kintetsu Rail Pass: (English)
Hankyu Railway Tickets: (English) (Japanese)
Hanshin Railway Tickets: (English) (Japanese)
Keihan Railway Tickets: (English) (Japanese)
Nankai Railway Tickets: (English) (Japanese)
Nankai Koyasan World Heritage Ticket: (English) (Japanese)
| City | Name | Networks covered | Period | Price |
| Osaka | Osaka One-Day Pass | Subways, buses | 1 day | ¥700 |
| 2 days | ¥1,300 | |||
| Osaka Amazing Pass | Subways, buses, attractions | 1 day | ¥2,700 | |
| 2 days | ¥3,600 | |||
| Kyoto | Kyoto One Day Bus Card | Buses | 1 day | ¥600 |
| Kyoto Subway One Day Card | Subways | 1 day | ¥600 | |
| Kyoto Sightseeing Card | Subways, buses | 1 day | ¥900 | |
| 2 days | ¥1,700 | |||
| Kobe | Kobe 1-Day Tour Coupon | Subways, buses | 1 day | ¥950 |
| Kobe 1-Day Tour Coupon (Hankyu version) |
Subways, buses, Hankyu trains | ¥1,750 | ||
| Kobe 1-Day Tour Coupon (Hanshin version) |
Subways, buses, Hanshin trains | ¥1,580 | ||
| Kobe 1-Day Tour Coupon (Kintetsu version) |
Subways, buses, Kintetsu and Hanshin trains |
¥1,990 | ||
| City Loop Day Pass | City Loop bus | 1 day | ¥660 | |
| Subway and Bus Day Pass | Subways, buses (not including City Loop) |
1 day | ¥1,040 | |
| Nara | Nara 1-Day Bus Pass | Buses | 1 day | ¥500 |
| Nara 1-Day Bus Pass Wide | Buses (including Horyu-ji area) | 1 day | ¥1,000 | |
| Nara 2-Day Bus Pass | Buses (including Horyu-ji and Asuka areas) |
2 days | ¥1,500 |
There are also separate passes for the subway and/or local bus systems of individual cities, including Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Kobe. The bus passes for Kyoto and Nara are self-explanatory, but the passes available in Osaka and Kobe are of special note. In Osaka, there is the Osaka One-Day Pass, for free use of the subways and buses and discounted admission to tourist attractions, and the Osaka Amazing Pass, which is available for one or two consecutive days. In addition to covering the subways and local buses in Osaka, as with the One-Day Pass, it allows for free admission to many tourist attractions in the city, such as the Umeda Sky Building, Osaka Castle, Osaka Museum of History, Tsutenkaku tower, and more. The one-day edition, but not the two-day, also covers some additional non-JR lines, within the city limits.
Meanwhile, in Kobe, there is a tourist-oriented bus service, called the City Loop bus, which connects major stations (Shin-Kobe and Sannomiya) and attractions (including the harbour area, the Nankin-machi Chinatown, and the Kitano-cho foreigner district). The City Loop bus has its own one-day pass. A separate pass covers Kobe's two subway lines and its buses, but not the City Loop. On top of that, the Kobe 1-Day Tour Coupon (a.k.a. the Kobe Meguri 1-Day Coupon) covers the subways, buses (including the City Loop), and a couple of non-JR trains within Kobe. It also includes a ¥700 coupon for admission to tourist attractions around the city, so it can easily be of excellent value.
More information: (English)
Hankyu, Hanshin, and Kintetsu also sell their own varieties of the Tour Coupon, which include free use of their respective lines into Kobe, in addition to the benefits of the base pass. Since Kintetsu's network does not extend to Kobe, it also covers the Hanshin network, which you can transfer to from the Kintetsu Nara/Osaka line at Osaka-Namba station.
More information:
Osaka Amazing Pass: (English)
OsakaMetro Tickets: (English)
Kyoto Bus/Subway Tickets: (English)
Kobe Bus/Subway Tickets: (Japanese)
Kobe 1-Day Tour Coupon: (English)
Kobe 1-Day Tour Coupon (Hankyu ver.): (English)
Kobe 1-Day Tour Coupon (Hanshin ver.): (English)
Kobe 1-Day Tour Coupon (Kintetsu ver.): (Japanese)
Nara Kotsu Bus Pass: (English)
