Kansai tickets and passes · Tickets and Passes in Kansai
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Tickets and Passes in Kansai
Tickets and Passes in Kansai
Most of Kansai's regional transportation companies have tied up to offer the ICOCA tickets, which can be used on pretty much any train, subway, monorail, cable car or bus in the region. The Nankai and JR trains from Kansai Airport are also included, and you can buy your card or pass at the airport's train station.
The ICOCA card is a contactless smart card that can be used on JR West, JR East (Tokyo) and most private rail and bus companies in Kansai and Chugoku (Okayama, Hiroshima). Cards are available at ticket vending machines in train stations for �2000, including a refundable �500 deposit. More money can be added at the same machines.
The Surutto Kansai magnetic card is similar to ICOCA, but it doesn't work on JR and is not rechargable, making it pretty much obsolete.
The Kansai Thru Pass can be purchased as a two-day (¥3800) or a three-day (¥5000) pass. It is valid for two/three separate days within the validity period which is printed on the back (usually a couple of months). It can be used on most non-JR trains and buses (and even some cable cars) in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Nara with the notable exception of JR trains. The service area extends south to the Kansai International Airport and the city of Wakayama and southeast to Mount Koya (Check the on the webpage for details). In addition to free transport, these tickets offer a series of small discounts to temples, museums and other attractions in the region. Be aware that you'll have to travel quite a bit to make them pay off. (Note: You might be asked to show your passport when you purchase this card.)
JR-West also offers the Kansai Area Pass , which costs ¥2000/¥4000/¥5000/¥6000 for 1/2/3/4 days respectively and is valid for unlimited travel on JR standard and Haruka limited express trains (non-reserved seats only). The area covered is approximately the same as for the Kansai Thru Pass above. There is also a more complicated route-based JR 4-day pass for different routes in the Kansai area called the Kansai Passport .
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Kansai Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.