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Kansai Wide Area Pass and other passes

I have reviewed lots of material, and I would like your help to determine which pass to buy. These passes are 1) Kansai wide area Pass, 2) Kansai Thru Pass 2 or 3 days, 3) Osaka Amazing Pass. Can I use this pass to ride subway in Osaka?

Below is my itineraries
Day 1- Arrive KIX and stay at Namba (Ride Nankai Limited Express Rapi:t), Evening tour to Dotonbori and Shinsekai
Day 2- Osaka Castle and Osaka Station
Day 3- Kiyomizu-dera templa (Kyoto) and Fushimi Inari (if time allowed)
Day 4- Universal Studio
Day 5- a) HEP Five Osaka, b) Kuchu-Teien Obervatory, c) Umeda Station Shopping, d) Shinsaibashisuji
Day 6- Kobe (Animal kingdom?) or other popular sight seeing suggestion

Please let me know if this make sense to you. Appreciate any comments and please suggest me what pass will save me money.
Thanks a lot!

J

Comments

  • Hi,
    You cannot use the JR passes on subways. The others you can. However, unless you are doing some long distance riding, it is hard to make the passes pay off.
    You could with some long distance travel, such as going to see Himeji (with Japan's greatest castle, and Kokoen Garden next door). With the Osaka Amazing Pass, you might break even with a lot of riding and going to the places it gives discounts to.
    You could only make a Kansaia
  • Hi,
    You cannot use the JR passes on subways. The others you can. However, unless you are doing some long distance riding, it is hard to make the passes pay off.
    You could with some long distance travel, such as going to see Himeji (with Japan's greatest castle, and Kokoen Garden next door). With the Osaka Amazing Pass, you might break even with a lot of riding and going to the places it gives discounts to.
    You could only make a Kansai Area Wide Pass worthwhile with some long distance travel - such as taking the bullet train from Osaka to Himeji or beyond. But you could use the Kansai Area Pass there too, and it is much cheaper (though you could not use the bullet train or limited express trains with it).
    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_03.html
    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_08.html

    Another pass that might help is the Hanshin Tourist Pass.
    http://www.hanshin.co.jp/global/en/tourist/
    Although its usage area is limited.

    It might be that no pass really pays off for you. You might look at the Icoca & Haruka discount ticket.
    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_icoca_haruka.html
    It gives a good discount on the express Haruka trains to/from KIX.
  • Please help with the follow-up questions below.

    1) If I buy the Icoca & Haruka discount ticket, I can use in all transportation including in Subway. Is that correct?

    2) Is this same as the JR West Line pass? Only different is JR West Pass is purchased before and don't need to add value like Icoca card?

    3) If I stay in Namba area, I can only use the Haruka Limited express to ride from the KIX airport to Namba directly? Or I have to change to JR Yamatoji Line at Tennoji and get to Namba?

    4) If I stay at Namba, I can ride JR Yamatoji line to Universal Studio directly, no other transit (i.e. Subway or bus) needed?

    5) If I buy Icoca & Haruka discount ticket, but I can still ride the Nankai Limited Express Rapi:t to Namba, then use Icoca for other JR transportation between location. Does this make sense and reasonable?

    Thanks

    J

  • You can use the IC cards for nearly everything. If you get the Icoca & Haruka discount ticket, you take the JR Haruka train to whatever point you pay for - it could be Osaka (Tennoji or Shin-Osaka) or up to Kyoto if you like. You wouldn't use Nankai from the airport - it is a different company than JR.
    The JR Kansai passes are just that - passes, not IC cards - you don't refill them.
    You need to be careful with "Nanba" - there are 4 different stations in the area. One is JR Nanba, plus there is Nankai Namba, the subway Namba station, and another for Hanshin and Kintetsu. If you start at JR-Namba, you can take JR all the way, but you'll need to change trains twice.
    See this as a sample:
    http://bit.ly/2zRToyI
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