Kansai Area Travel - best passes

Hello there,

The thing about Kansai is, there are so many rail lines and transport companies that it is hard to navigate to the more remote places. Equally to the amount of companies there are a ton of different passes available that don't make life easier. They can help you save money but are not always the fastest or most effective options. If budget is not an issue then you may just want to buy normal tickets as you travel/use an ICOCA card. It may cost a bit more but you would not be limited by the validity of an area pass. I do think that a Kansai Area Pass for travel from Osaka to Kobe and Himeji is a good idea, you can save a lot going to Himeji and back.

For day 4-8, a Ise-Kumano-Wakayama Area Pass is a good value option but as you say, going from Toba to Osaka in one go will take a long time but you would save on transport costs.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Daniel-san, thanks so much for the advice. Indeed, many train companies and passes create all kind of choices and thus hard time in deciding for individual visitors to Kansai. Let's hope my trip next week, regardless of the choices, will be filled with fun and adventure.

I'm sure it will :D Have a great trip!