JR West Kansai WIDE Area Pass E-Voucher [For Tourists] (5-Day)

Overview

The 5-day Kansai WIDE Area Pass from JR West helps you save on traveling within Kansai! Get five days' worth of unlimited rides on the Sanyo Shinkansen, local trains, Kyoto Tango Railway, Chizu Express, Wakayama Electric Railway, and West JR Bus in the valid area. This pass is available only for those entering Japan on a Temporary Visitor visa.

The Kansai region is comprised of Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Wakayama, Mie, and Shiga Prefectures, all of which have their own charms!

Description

The Kansai WIDE Area Excursion Pass helps you save money while exploring the Kansai region in western Japan, home to some of Japan's most popular tourist areas. Enjoy the beauty of Kansai for 5 days with unlimited rides on the Sanyo Shinkansen (selected sections of the route only), JR West trains (local, rapid, special rapid, and Limited Express) and buses, as well as selected private railways.

Travel with ease from one prefecture to another with the handy Kansai WIDE Area Excursion Pass, which gets you five days' worth of consecutive travel on the following:

• Non-reserved seats* on Sanyo Shinkansen bullet train (between Shin-Osaka–Okayama)
• Non-reserved seats* on the following Limited Express trains: Haruka, Kuroshio, Thunderbird, Kounotori, and Super Hakuto (between Kyoto–Kamigori)**
• Special rapid, rapid, and local JR West trains
• JR West buses within the valid travel area
• Selected private railways (Kyoto Tango Railway, Chizu Express, and the Wakayama Electric Railway)

Luggage Space, Seat Reservation and Smoking Area

• Please be aware that luggage space is sometimes limited on busy trains. Additionally, effective May 20, 2020, passengers bringing baggage with dimensions totaling more than 160 cm but less than 250 cm on three sides (oversized baggage) on the Sanyo Shinkansen are now required to reserve a seat to be able to bring their baggage onto the train for free, or, they must purchase a separate Unlimited Ride Oversized Baggage Ticket (available for purchase at JR West ticket offices at major stations). Otherwise, they will be charged for bringing oversized baggage
• On some busy journeys (free) seat reservations may be required, but they are not usually needed. Consider reserving seats if traveling during national holidays, or with a large group to be seated together. Green Car seats and certain special trains such as Narita Express always require a seat reservation. Note that an extra payment is required to board a Green Car
• When using reserved seating, make sure to reserve seats in advance before boarding. Reserved seating cannot be reserved on the train.To use reserved seating after boarding the train, a non-discounted Limited Express reserved seating ticket must be purchased separately
• A few Shinkansen trains have smoking carriages, and some seating may be near to separate smoking rooms. For a guaranteed smoke-free ride, a seat reservation is recommended

Tickets for Young Children:

Infants (ages 1–5) and babies (younger) travel for free on JR trains except in the following cases, when a child ticket is required:

1. When 3 or more infants accompany 1 adult or child (an Adult or Child rail pass holder can bring up to 2 infants for free)
2. When an infant or baby occupies a reserved seat, Green Car seat or berth, etc.
3. When an infant travels alone

Notes:

• *Reserved seats can be booked unlimited times with this pass at a green ticket-vending machine or a station ticket office; for more info see here (seats must be reserved at the JR ticket office from the 7th time)
• **For the Kamiogori–Tottori section of the Super Hakuto Limited Express, a separate fare will be charged

How to Receive Your JR Pass

1. Choose the date you want to redeem the JR Pass and book. A lead guest may book on behalf of a group, but note that all guests must be foreign nationals with non-Japanese passports
2. Receive your QR code e-voucher with your confirmation email. It is valid for 3 months from the date of issue, and is non-refundable, non-amendable, and non-cancellable
3. Present your QR code e-voucher, printed or displayed on your smartphone, at any valid exchange office to redeem your physical pass. (If your passport has an IC chip, you can instead redeem your pass at a green ticket vending machine marked with a blue passport logo. In this case, simply scan your QR code and passport to redeem your pass.) All guests must also present their passport for verification during redemption. Find redeption points in Osaka, Kyoto, and beyond with this site

How to Use Your JR Pass

1. You need to specify the date that you want to start using the pass at the exchange office. It must be within one month of exchanging your e-voucher for the physical pass. The usage period begins when you use your physical pass to pass through the automated ticket gates
2. Once you have started using your JR pass, it is valid for use for 5 consecutive days, with the first day being the date of first use
3. Use your pass on the Sanyo Shinkansen (including Nozomi and Mizuho) and local train services as well as Kyoto Tango Railway, Chizu Express, Wakayama Electric Railway, and JR West bus

Conditions for Use

1. Valid only for the person whose name appears on the pass – must be a foreign national with a non-Japanese passport¹
2. Use the physical JR pass to pass through the automated ticket gates
3. You must carry your passport at all times while using the pass, and be prepared to present it to conductors or station attendants if requested.
4. Valid for use on: Sanyo Shinkansen (Shin-OsakaーOkayama) and local trains, Kyoto Tango Railway, Chizu Express, Wakayama Electric Railway, and West JR Bus within the valid area — Not valid on JR Group expressway buses, or certain local bus routes
5. The pass itself doesn't ensure specific seating options — to obtain a reserved-seat ticket at no additional cost, present your pass at a green ticket-vending machine or a station ticket office. Certain trains require a reserved-seat ticket. Additional fares apply to travel in Green Cars. An extra charge must be paid in advance to ride local trains requiring a numbered ticket or liner ticket.
6. The pass can only be used within its validity period, which cannot be changed
7. The pass cannot be exchanged for other kinds of pass or ticket
8. The pass cannot be reissued in the event of loss or theft
9. Exchange Orders can only be refunded by the travel agency from which you purchase them, and any application for a refund must be made before the start of the Kansai WIDE Area Excursion Pass validity period. Any refund will be for the value of the pass in yen, less a 10% handling fee
10. Once you have started using the pass the validity period cannot be extended, nor can any refund be given, even if trains or other transportation services are suspended or delayed for any reason. The JR Group will not bear additional costs due to changes in your route, such as alternative transportation or accommodation charges
11. In addition to these conditions, you must obey the JR Group's regulations, terms and conditions, and the laws of Japan while using the pass
12. Violation of these conditions may result in the invalidation and confiscation of the pass, as well as a penalty equal to twice the basic fares and charges for all transportation for which the pass was used
13. The official terms and conditions of the pass are written in Japanese, and the text of the Japanese version shall be given priority of interpretation, in the event of questions regarding transportation conditions that may arise regarding conditions that are written in other languages

• The details above are current as of October 2023 and subject to change. Please confirm the latest terms and conditions with a JR attendant.