All Regional Japan Rail Pass for your trip

Regional Japan Rail Passes: A Guide for Travelers

In addition to the nationwide Japan Rail Pass, there are also many regional passes available. These passes can be a great way to save money if you’re planning to travel within a specific region of Japan.

Regional Pass Options

Here is a list of some of the main regional passes, divided by region:

Hokkaido

Hokkaido Rail Pass

Available for 5, 7, or 10 consecutive days. Allows unlimited travel on all JR trains in Hokkaido (except the Hokkaido Shinkansen) and many JR buses.

Sapporo-Noboribetsu Area Pass

Valid for 4 days and costs 9000 Yen (10000 Yen if purchased in Japan). Allows unlimited travel on all JR trains (only ordinary seats) between Noboribetsu and Otaru, as well as access to Hokkaido-Iryodaigaku Station (from Soen) and Iwamizawa Station (from Shiroishi).

Sapporo-Furano Area Pass

Valid for 4 days and costs 10000 Yen (11000 Yen if purchased in Japan). Allows unlimited travel on all JR trains (only ordinary seats) between Otaru, Sapporo, New Chitose Airport, and the eastern area to Furano, Biei, and Asahikawa.

JR East South Hokkaido Rail Pass

This pass costs 35000 Yen and is valid for 6 consecutive days. It covers JR trains from Sapporo to the Tokyo region and includes the Hokkaido Shinkansen.

JR Tohoku South Hokkaido Rail Pass

This pass costs 30000 Yen and is valid for 6 consecutive days. It covers JR trains from Sapporo to the Tohoku region (from Shin-Shirakawa Station) and includes the Hokkaido Shinkansen.

Kanto & Tohoku

JR East Tohoku Area Pass

This pass allows unlimited travel on all JR trains in the Kanto and Tohoku regions (from Tokyo to Aomori).

JR Tokyo Wide Pass

Valid for 3 days and allows unlimited travel on all trains in the Tokyo area, including the Tohoku Shinkansen (up to Nasu-Shiobara), the Joetsu Shinkansen (up to Gala Yuzawa in winter, otherwise up to Echigo-Yuzawa), and the Hokuriku Shinkansen (up to Sakudaira).

JR East Nagano Niigata Area Pass

This pass allows unlimited travel on all JR trains in the Greater Tokyo Area, Nagano and Niigata Prefectures, and the Shonai Region of Yamagata Prefecture.

Other Regions

Hokuriku Arch Pass

This pass allows unlimited travel on all JR trains between Tokyo and Osaka via the following route: Tokyo, Nagano, Toyama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, and Osaka. The Hokuriku Shinkansen is included up to Kanazawa (up to Tsuruga from March 16, 2024).

In addition to the cities listed above, the pass also includes transfers to Narita, Haneda, and Kansai airports. You can also use the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, reach Nara and Kobe from Kyoto/Osaka, and some cities along the Tokyo-Osaka route.

The pass is only available to foreign tourists and costs 25,500 Yen for 7 consecutive days.

Children under 5 years old are free. Children between 6 and 11 years old receive a 50% discount.

IMPORTANT: From March 16, 2024, the pass will cost 30,000 Yen and will no longer be available for purchase in Japan. It can only be purchased through an agency or on the official website.

Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass

This pass allows unlimited travel on all JR trains between Nagoya, Takayama, Toyama (Ltd. Express Hida View), Shinkansen between Toyama and Kanazawa, and trains between Kanazawa and Shin-Osaka (Ltd. Express Thunderbird). It also includes JR trains in the Osaka area (including the Loop Line) and the Kansai Airport train (NON-Haruka). Reserved seats cannot be taken on any trains.

JR Hokuriku Area Pass and JR Kansai Hokuriku Area Pass

The JR Kansai Hokuriku Pass and the JR Hokuriku Pass cost 17,000 Yen and 5,090 Yen respectively if purchased outside of Japan, or 18,500 Yen and 5,500 Yen if purchased on the official website.

The passes are valid for 7 and 4 consecutive days respectively.

The first pass covers the Kansai area up to the Okayama, Hamasaka, and Shingu areas. It then covers the area between Kanazawa, Toyama, and Joetsu Myoko, and it is possible to take the Shinkansen from Joetsu Myoko to Kanazawa and from Shin-Osaka to Okayama. It is also possible to reach Kanazawa from Osaka and Kyoto. The second pass only covers the Kanazawa area up to Obama and the Toyama area up to Kurobe. The Shinkansen between Kurobe Unazuki Onsen and Kanazawa is also included.

Children under 5 years old are free. Children between 6 and 11 years old receive a 50% discount.

JR West All Area Pass

The JR West All Area Pass allows travel on Shinkansen between Joetsumyoko and Kanazawa (up to Tsuruga from March 16, 2024). It also includes the Thunderbird train from Kanazawa to Shin-Osaka (from Tsuruga from March 16, 2024).

JR Kansai Area Pass and JR Kansai Wide Area Pass

The Kansai Area Pass is available for 1, 2, 3, and 4 consecutive days. With this pass, you can take JR trains in the Kansai area. You can use the Haruka train from Kansai Airport (non-reserved seats only). You cannot use Shinkansen or Limited Express trains.

The Wide Pass, on the other hand, lasts for 5 consecutive days and has a larger area of use. You can use the Shinkansen (between Shin-Osaka and Okayama) and the Limited Express, but only non-reserved seats.

Passes can be purchased through authorized retailers or on the official website.

Children under 5 years old are free. Children between 6 and 11 years old receive a 50% discount.

Kansai Wide Area Excursion Pass

The Kansai Wide Area Excursion Pass is valid for 3 consecutive days. You can use the Shinkansen (between Shin-Osaka and Okayama) and the Limited Express. The pass also covers the route to Toyama, Tottori, Kinosaki Onsen, and Kii-Katsura.

Official Site

Ise-Kumano-Wakayama Area Tourist Pass

This pass covers the area from Nagoya to Kii-Katsura.

It is valid for 5 consecutive days and allows you to take all trains (including limited express trains, non-reserved seats only) and part of the Ise Railways in the Shizuoka area. It also includes some bus lines in various cities.

The pass costs 16,500 Yen and can be purchased through authorized retailers, on the official website, or directly in Japan.

Children under 5 years old are free. Children between 6 and 11 years old receive a 50% discount.

JR Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass

This pass is valid for 5 consecutive days. It allows you to take JR Sanyo Shinkansen trains (including Nozomi and Mizuho) between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima (ordinary seats only), trains between Osaka and Hiroshima, and the ferry to Miyajima.

JR Sanyo San’in Area Pass

This pass is valid for 7 consecutive days. It allows you to take JR Sanyo Shinkansen trains (including Nozomi and Mizuho) between Shin-Osaka and Fukuoka (Hakata), JR Sanyo Main Line (between Kobe and Shimonoseki), local trains in the Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe area, JR Haruka (train from Kansai Airport to Kyoto) and the ferry to Miyajima.

JR Sanin Okayama Area Pass

This pass covers the Okayama, Tottori and Matsue area. It is valid for 4 consecutive days and allows you to take all trains (including limited express trains, ordinary seats only).

Hiroshima-Yamaguchi Area Pass

This pass covers the area between Mihara, Onomichi, Masuda, Hiroshima and Hakata. It is valid for 5 consecutive days and allows you to take all trains (including Shinkansen between Mihara and Hakata, ordinary seats only).

Okayama-Hiroshima-Yamaguchi Area Pass

This pass covers the area between Okayama, Takamatsu, Mihara, Onomichi, Masuda, Hiroshima and Hakata. It is valid for 5 consecutive days and allows you to take all trains (including Shinkansen between Okayama and Hakata, ordinary seats only).

All Shikoku Rail Pass

This pass allows you to take the following lines on Shikoku Island:

• JR Shikoku
• Tosa Kuroshio Railway
• Asa Kaigan Railway
• Kotoden
• Iyotetsu
• Tosaden

The pass can be purchased through authorized retailers, on the official website, or directly in Japan.

The pass is available for 3, 4, 5, and 7 days. Children under 5 years old are free. Children between 6 and 11 years old receive a 50% discount.

Sanyo-San’in Northern Kyushu Pass

This pass is a combination of the JR West Sanyo Sanin Pass and the JR Kyushu Northern Kyushu Pass. The pass is valid for 7 consecutive days.

The pass can be purchased through authorized retailers, on the official website, or directly in Japan.

Children under 5 years old are free. Children between 6 and 11 years old receive a 50% discount.

Kyushu Rail Passes

All Kyushu Area Pass, Northern Kyushu Pass, and Southern Kyushu Pass

With the All Kyushu Area Pass, you can use all JR trains on the island of Kyushu, excluding Sanyo Shinkansen trains, night trains, and JR Kyushu buses.

The Northern Kyushu Pass is similar to the All Kyushu Area Pass, but it is limited to the northern part of the island up to Kumamoto. The Southern Kyushu Pass covers the area from Kumamoto to the south.

The All Kyushu Pass is available for 3, 5, and 7 days. The Northern Kyushu Pass is available for 3 and 5 consecutive days, while the Southern Kyushu Pass is only available for 3 consecutive days.

There is also the Fukuoka Wide Pass, which is valid for 2 days and costs 3,060 Yen. This pass covers local trains in the Fukuoka and Hakata areas.

Children under 5 years old are free. Children between 6 and 11 years old receive a 50% discount.

Here is a table summarizing the different Kyushu Rail Passes:

I hope this information is helpful!

Important Notes

• Regional passes are only available to foreign tourists.
• Prices are subject to change.
• Some passes may not be available for purchase in Japan.

Regional Japan Rail Passes can be a great way to save money and explore a specific region of Japan. Be sure to research which pass is right for your travel plans.

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