☆☆☆ A Fast and Easy Guide to Purchasing and Exchanging a Pass ☆ ☆ ☆

Don’t be scared off! It's actually quite simple. You only need to know:

 

1. Purchasing a pass before you come to Japan is cheaper than getting it in Japan, so it is recommended that you purchase through a JR Pass agent and exchange your tickets when you come to Japan.

 

2. The Kansai Area Pass is actually a joint pass of JR, Kyoto City Subway and Keihan Railway, so you need to exchange three tickets at the stations of these three companies.

 

3. For example:

Step 1: Buy a pass through a JR Pass agent and keep the MCO;

Step 2: Arrive at Kansai Airport and exchange for a pass at Kansai Airport JR Station;

Step 3: Take the Haruka to Kyoto Station, transfer to the subway, and exchange for Kyoto City Subway "One-Day Pass" at the subway station;

Step 4: Exchange for "Kyoto Sightseeing Pass" at Keihan Railway Sanjo Station.

☆☆☆ Why We Plan the Itinerary Like This ☆ ☆ ☆

 

1. Kiyomizu-dera Temple opens at 6:00 a.m., so you can visit it in the early morning before breakfast to avoid the crowds.

 

2. Gion is very busy during the day, therefore it’s recommended to visit it at night. You can walk around the dreamy historical neighborhood, Shirakawa, Hanami-koji Alley, Ishibe-koji Alley, Gion Corner, or have a cup of coffee at the world’s first Starbucks with tatami.

 

3. Using the delivery service to handle your luggage can save you the time going to your hotel, and also avoid the hassle of traveling on public transport with large luggage.

 

4. Traveling by bus in Kyoto usually takes more time than by subway and railway, and buses to popular attractions are often overcrowded. It is likely that you can’t even get on board. So it’s recommended to use JR, subway and Keihan Railway to save time, as well as to avoid the hassle of finding a bus station or taking a bus to the opposite direction which are frequently encountered problems of foreign tourists.

☆☆☆ How much can you save with the Kansai Area Pass? ☆☆☆

 

1. If you do not buy a pass, the total transportation expense for the above itinerary is: Haruka round-trip ticket 5800 yen + subway One-Day Pass 600 yen + Keihan Kyoto Sightseeing Pass 600 yen = 7000 yen. If you buy a 3 day pass for 5,600 yen, you will save 1,400 yen, enough to have a bowl of ramen!

 

2. If you purchase the Haruka + ICOCA (a rechargeable transport card in the Kansai Area) round trip package, it will cost you 5,260 yen with 1,500 yen pre-charged to your ICOCA. But for the recommended itinerary above, supposing you stay near Kyoto Station, the local transportation in Kyoto will cost you 2,370 yen, which means you need to charge an extra 870 yen to your ICOCA. So your total expense will be 6,130 yen. Again Kansai Area Pass wins! And don’t forget a day pass always allows you to be more flexible with your trip, so Kansai Area Pass is your best solution for money and time-saving, as well as flexibility.