Everything you need to know about the JR Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass
What is the JR Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass?
The JR Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass offers foreign tourists unlimited travel on local trains and buses for 7 consecutive days within the designated areas.
It allows you to explore the Kansai and Hokuriku regions, and Okayama.
How much does it cost?
- 7-day pass:
- Adult: 19,000 yen
- Child: 9,500 yen
Child passes are only available for those between 6 and 11 years old.
Where can it be used?
- Non-reserved seats on the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Tsuruga and Joetsu-Myoko.
- Non-reserved seats on the Sanyo Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Okayama)
- JR-WEST limited express, rapid and local trains within the pass area.
- Kyoto Tango railway trains.
- Wakayama Electric Railway trains.
- Limited express, rapid, and ordinary trains on the HAPI-LINE FUKUI (between Fukui and Echizen-Hanando).
- Limited express, rapid, and ordinary trains on the Noto Railway (between Nanao and Wakuraonsen stations).
- Limited express, rapid, and ordinary trains on the IR Ishikawa Railway (between Kanazawa and Tsubata).
- Limited express, rapid, and ordinary trains on the Ainokaze Toyama Railway (between Toyama and Takaoka).
- West JR Buses (local routes only).
Important information
- Valid for seven consecutive calendar days (midnight to midnight) from the date of your choice.
- Exclusively for foreign visitors to Japan (on temporary visitor status).
- Not valid for Japanese residents.
- The age of a child is defined as the age on the date of purchase. A passport or other such document is required to prove a child’s age.
- Children under 6 years old who do not require seat reservations do not need a pass.
- A separate fee is applicable if you wish to use the Green Car or GranClass.
- Youth fares (including student discount) are not offered for this pass.
- You can only use one JR Kansai-Hokuriku Area Rail Pass at a time while travelling in Japan. (You cannot purchase two of the same type of pass if their validity periods overlap)
- The pass does not allow travel on the following Shinkansen routes:
- Hokuriku Shinkansen between Joetsu-Myoko and Tokyo.
- Tokaido Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Tokyo.
- Sanyo Shinkansen between Okayama and Hakata.
Where to buy
- Purchase through online or offline travel agents outside of Japan.
- Travelers must collect the physical pass at a JR West Travel Service Center, JR West Ticket Office (Midori-no-madoguchi) or at a passport reader-equipped ticket machine in a JR West station.
- Available for purchase on the official JR West website.
For a full list of JR West locations where passes booked via the official JR West website can be collected, the JR West website provides a search function that will find the all locations where the pass can be collected in their area.
How to reserve seats
Free seat reservations available at:
- Seat reservation ticket machines.
- JR ticket offices.
- JR West Train Reservation website (collect physical tickets at a ticket machine or ticket office).
How to use
Insert only your rail pass into the automatic ticket gate.
Make sure to pick up your rail pass after passing through the gate. The rail pass cannot be reissued even if it is lost or stolen etc.
Value
The pass offers value for those wishing to explore the Kansai and Hokuriku regions of Japan and making multiple long-distance journeys within these regions.
It is not good value for those seeking to make one or two short journeys within the pass area, however it can be cost saving if you plan to make multiple journeys within the timeframe and predominantly use the Shinkansen or Limited Express trains to do so.
Combining multiple Shinkansen and Limited Express journeys with daily use on local lines and buses would likely give good value for the ticket price and in many cases exceed the cost of the pass.
For one adult, a one-way trip on between Osaka and Toyama will cost approximately 10,690 yen.
Making that into a round trip, or adding additional trips on the Hokuriku Shinkansen and limited express trains in the area will add up to more than the cost of the pass.
A number of other rail passes also include travel within the Hokuriku Region.
If you only require transport within the Hokuriku Region, the Hokuriku Area Pass may offer more value for money.
If travelling from Tokyo to the Hokuriku Region and either returning to Tokyo or heading to the Kansai Region, it may be more cost effective to use the Hokuriku Arch Pass.
The JR Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass may also be a viable alternative if travelling from Osaka/Kyoto to Nagoya via the Hokuriku Region.
