Did you know that there is an incredible way to save money while sightseeing in Japan, with the JR West Rail Pass (Kansai Wide Area Pass) issued by JR West!
This is a special discount ticket for foreign tourists. You can get unlimited rides on select Sanyo Shinkansen and limited express trains not only in Kansai but also in other areas such as Sanyo, San’in and Hokuriku. You can do all this using the JR West Rail Pass.
What exactly is the JR West Rail Pass?
The JR West Rail Pass is an unlimited-rides pass issued by JR West for foreign visitors to Japan. In total there are nine types of JR West Rail Pass. Each covers an area such as Sanyo, San’in and Hokuriku.
One of these is the Kansai Wide Area Pass which enables you to ride as much as you want over a wide area, making it very attractive. It covers an area extending from Kansai Airport to various parts of Kansai, Okayama, and Kurashiki.
This pass may be used for unreserved seats on trains of the Sanyo Shinkansen operated by JR West (Shin-Osaka to Okayama only), unreserved seats on the limited express trains Haruka, Kuroshio, Thunderbird, and Kounotori, and high-speed JR West Local trains on conventional lines.
First, check out the highlights in the area where you can use the pass.
Now let’s take a closer look at the Kansai Wide Area Pass, which is part of the JR West Rail Pass and convenient for traveling from Kansai to Okayama.
How far can you go using the JR West Rail Pass? Check out which sightseeing spots can be accessed using it!
Kurashiki Bikan Area / Sanga Park / Shutterstock.com
Great Seto Bridge
On the Kansai Wide Area Pass you can go to Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Himeji, Shiga, Okayama, Kurashiki, Wakayama / Shirahama, Kinosaki Onsen, and Takamatsu, as well as Kansai International Airport.
This pass is perfect for those who would like to visit famous places outside of the Kansai region such as the Kurashiki Bikan district in Okayama Prefecture noted for its retro-modern landscape of white-walled traditional warehouses called kurayashiki that are lined with willow trees, and the Great Seto Bridge that connects several islands between Honshu and Shikoku.
However, please note that these passes cannot be used for the Tokaido Shinkansen that runs between Shin-Osaka and Kyoto. When traveling between Shin-Osaka and Kyoto the pass can be used on the JR Kyoto Line.
You can also use the Kansai Wide Area Pass for free use of the rental bicycle called Eki Rin-kun in the area which it covers. One nice thing about this pass is that it can be used for different types of transportation to further complement your travel needs.
How much can you save by using this pass?
you can actually save by using this pass.
The normal round-trip far…
