How much is the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass?

It costs ¥17,000 for adults and ¥8,500 for children aged 6 to 11, for 5 consecutive days. Up to two children aged 1 to 5 ride free with each pass holder if they share a seat.

Does the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass cover the Nozomi?

Yes. Between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima it covers all Sanyo Shinkansen trains, including Nozomi and Mizuho, in ordinary-car reserved and non-reserved seats. It does not cover the Shinkansen west of Hiroshima.

Does the pass include the ferry to Miyajima?

Yes, the JR West Miyajima Ferry from Miyajimaguchi is included. The ¥100 Miyajima visitor tax is charged separately when you board. The other ferry company's boats are not covered.

Can I use the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass from Kyoto to Hiroshima?

Yes, but not on the Shinkansen between Kyoto and Shin-Osaka, which is the Tokaido line. Take the JR special rapid from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka, about 25 minutes, then change to the Sanyo Shinkansen.

Can I use the pass from Tokyo?

No. The Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo is run by JR Central and is not covered. Buy Tokyo to Shin-Osaka separately, then start the pass in Kansai.

Is it worth it just for Osaka and Kyoto?

No. Without the Shinkansen to Hiroshima, a cheaper Kansai pass or an IC card does the same job for much less.

Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass 2026: Price, Coverage and Is It Worth It?

10/24/202510/10/2026

The red torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine standing in the sea off Miyajima

Quick answer

The Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass costs ¥17,000 for adults and ¥8,500 for children aged 6 to 11, for 5 consecutive days.
It covers the Sanyo Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima, including Nozomi, plus HARUKA and the JR ferry to Miyajima.
One Osaka to Hiroshima return plus the airport train already exceeds the price of the pass, so it pays off for most Hiroshima trips.

Contents

What Is the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass?

The Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass is a 5-day JR West rail pass for foreign visitors that joins Osaka, Kyoto and Kansai Airport to Hiroshima and Miyajima. Its main value is the Sanyo Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima, which it covers in reserved seats, including the fast Nozomi and Mizuho trains that the national Japan Rail Pass leaves out.

It is the pass to look at when your trip to western Japan includes one thing beyond Kansai, such as the Peace Memorial Park, the floating torii of Itsukushima Shrine, or both. If you are staying in Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, it is far more pass than you need.

This page is the JR West pass for Kansai plus Hiroshima. For the other JR West passes, see the Kansai Wide Area Pass (Kansai plus Okayama, no Hiroshima), the Sanyo-San'in Area Pass (7 days to Fukuoka and the Sea of Japan coast) and the Kansai Area Pass (short city trips).

All of Japan's regional passes are compared in our regional rail passes guide.

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Price and Validity in 2026

The pass costs ¥17,000 for adults and ¥8,500 for children aged 6 to 11, and it runs for 5 consecutive calendar days. These are the prices on JR West's official page in October 2026, unchanged since August 2024.

JR West lists one price for every sales channel. An agent may add its own booking fee.

Passenger	Price	Validity
Adult (12 and over)	¥17,000	5 consecutive days
Child (6 to 11)	¥8,500	5 consecutive days
Children aged 1 to 5	Free, up to 2 per pass holder	Sharing a seat
Babies under 1	Free	Sharing a seat

Age is counted on the day you buy the pass or the agent issues the voucher, not on the day you travel.

Small children. Each adult or child pass holder can bring up to two children aged 1 to 5 free. A third child aged 1 to 5 needs a child pass, and so does any child under 6 who takes a reserved seat of their own.

On a long Shinkansen leg with a 4- or 5-year-old, a ¥8,500 child pass that buys them their own seat is often worth it.

Validity. Each day runs from 0:00 to 24:00 Japan time. The 5 days are consecutive.

You cannot pause the pass on a rest day, and the start date cannot be changed once the pass is issued.

What the Pass Covers, and What It Does Not

The pass covers almost every JR West train between Kansai Airport and Hiroshima, plus the JR ferry to Miyajima. What it does not cover is the Shinkansen beyond Hiroshima, the Tokaido Shinkansen to Tokyo, and private railways.

The Atomic Bomb Dome across the river in Hiroshima — The Atomic Bomb Dome, a short tram or bus ride from Hiroshima Station

Covered.

Sanyo Shinkansen, Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima, ordinary-car reserved and non-reserved seats, including Nozomi and Mizuho
Limited express trains in the area, such as HARUKA (Kansai Airport), KUROSHIO (Shirahama), KONOTORI and KINOSAKI (Kinosaki Onsen)
JR West special rapid, rapid and local trains, including the JR lines to Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Himeji, Okayama and Takamatsu
The JR West Miyajima Ferry (Miyajimaguchi to Miyajima). The ¥100 Miyajima visitor tax is paid separately when you board
West JR Bus and JR Bus Chugoku local routes inside the area, including the Hiroshima Meipuru-pu sightseeing loop bus
The Kyoto Tango Railway to Amanohashidate and the Wakayama Electric Railway to Kishi, which appear on JR West's map

Not covered.

The Sanyo Shinkansen west of Hiroshima to Hakata, and the Kyushu Shinkansen
The Tokaido Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Kyoto, Nagoya and Tokyo. Between Osaka and Kyoto, use the JR special rapid instead
Subways, Hankyu, Keihan, Kintetsu, Nankai, Hiroshima trams and city buses
Expressway buses, Green Car seats and paid seats such as the A-Seat on Kansai rapid trains

Is the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass Worth It?

Yes, for nearly every trip that includes Hiroshima. One return trip from Osaka to Hiroshima, plus the HARUKA from and to Kansai Airport, already exceeds the price of the pass, even at JR West's own discounted fares for visitors.

JR West sells a SANYO-SHINKANSEN One-way Ticket to foreign visitors through overseas agents. It is the cheapest official single ticket we can compare against, so the sums below are the most favourable case for buying single tickets.

Trip (adult)	Discounted single ticket	Covered by the pass?
Kansai Airport to Kyoto, HARUKA	¥2,200	Yes
Osaka to Hiroshima, Shinkansen	¥7,900	Yes
Hiroshima to Osaka, Shinkansen	¥7,900	Yes
Osaka to Kansai Airport, HARUKA	¥1,800	Yes
Total	¥19,800	¥17,000 pass

The pass also covers rides the table does not show, such as the Kyoto to Osaka trains, the JR line to Miyajimaguchi and the ferry, and any day trip to Nara or Himeji. The discounted single tickets also do not let you get off on the way, so a stop at Himeji Castle between Osaka and Hiroshima breaks them, while the pass allows it.

When it does not pay off. If you fly into Hiroshima, or spend all 5 days in Kansai with only a single one-way trip west, add up your own journeys first.

If you only go as far as Okayama and Kurashiki, the cheaper Kansai Wide Area Pass at ¥12,000 covers that.

For a family of four (two adults, two children aged 6 to 11), the passes cost ¥51,000 in total. The same four journeys as single tickets cost ¥59,400, before any day trips.

A 5-Day Route from Osaka to Hiroshima and Miyajima

The pass works best when you sleep in two bases, Kansai and Hiroshima, and use the long Shinkansen ride only twice. Moving hotels every night with children is tiring. Two bases keep the train days light.

Himeji Castle against a blue sky — Himeji Castle sits between Osaka and Hiroshima, an easy stop on the way west

Day 1. Kansai Airport to Kyoto. Ride the HARUKA to Kyoto with a reserved seat, then visit Fushimi Inari, which has its own JR station (Inari).
Day 2. Nara or Kyoto. The JR Nara Line runs from Kyoto to Nara in under an hour. The deer park is a short walk from JR Nara Station.
Day 3. Himeji, then Hiroshima. Take the Shinkansen to Himeji, see the castle in the morning, and continue to Hiroshima in the afternoon.
Day 4. Hiroshima and Miyajima. Visit the Peace Memorial Park in the morning, then take the JR Sanyo Line to Miyajimaguchi and the JR ferry to the island.
Day 5. Back east. The Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Shin-Osaka takes about an hour and a half on the fastest trains. Fly home from Kansai Airport by HARUKA, or carry on to Tokyo on a separate ticket.

The torii of Itsukushima Shrine at high tide — Miyajima, where the JR West ferry is covered but the ¥100 visitor tax is not

ONO

I recommend Hiroshima and Miyajima to families.

With young children, reserve every Shinkansen and limited express seat when you collect the pass, so the family sits together. If you carry a suitcase over 160 cm in total dimensions on the Sanyo Shinkansen, reserve a seat with an oversized baggage area as well.

Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass vs the Other JR West Passes

Choose by the farthest point on your route. The Kansai-Hiroshima pass is the right one when Hiroshima is that point. Other JR West passes win when it is not.

Only Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe. Use the Kansai Area Pass or an IC card, as a 5-day Shinkansen pass is wasted here.
As far as Okayama, Kurashiki or Kinosaki Onsen. The Kansai Wide Area Pass, ¥12,000 for 5 days. Its Shinkansen stops at Okayama.
Hiroshima and Miyajima, starting from Kansai. This pass, ¥17,000.
Starting from Fukuoka instead. The Okayama-Hiroshima-Yamaguchi Area Pass, also ¥17,000 for 5 days, covers the Shinkansen from Okayama to Hakata.
Hiroshima plus the San'in coast (Matsue, Izumo) or Fukuoka, over a week. The Sanyo-San'in Area Pass, ¥23,000 for 7 days.

If you already hold a national Japan Rail Pass, you do not need any of these. It covers the same JR West lines, although on the Shinkansen it needs an extra ticket for Nozomi.

Coming from Tokyo

The pass does not cover the trip from Tokyo, because the Tokaido Shinkansen belongs to JR Central. Buy that leg separately. On smartEX, a standard reserved Nozomi ticket from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka costs ¥14,520 for an adult.

Our guide to cheap Shinkansen tickets shows the early-booking fares that cost less.

A common pattern for families is Tokyo first, then west. Take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka, start the pass the next morning, and fly home from Kansai Airport using the HARUKA on the last day.

Timing the first pass day for the morning after you arrive in Kansai means none of the 5 days is spent on the Tokaido Shinkansen it does not cover.

Before or after the western leg, the Tokyo days are where we come in. Our Tokyo private tour with kids is planned around strollers, naps and food allergies.

How to Buy and Collect the Pass

There are three official ways to buy, and the price is the same in each.

JR-WEST ONLINE TRAIN RESERVATION, from one month before your first day of travel. Pay by credit card, then collect the pass in Japan at a ticket machine or ticket office with your reservation number, your 4-digit PIN, the same credit card and your passport. Machines need a passport with an IC chip. Without one, use the ticket office.
An overseas travel agent, who issues an exchange order (MCO or E-TICKET). Exchange it in Japan within 3 months of issue.
A travel agency in Japan, up to one month before your first day.

Seat reservations are unlimited. Make them at ticket machines, at the ticket office, or online if you bought through JR-WEST ONLINE TRAIN RESERVATION. From the 7th reservation onwards, JR West asks you to book at a staffed ticket office.

Our guide to the Midori no Madoguchi ticket office explains how the counters work.

Who Can Use It, Changes and Refunds

The pass is only for visitors with a foreign passport who enter Japan as Temporary Visitor. Japanese nationals cannot use it, even with permanent residence abroad, and foreign residents of Japan cannot use it either.

Carry your passport whenever you use the pass. Staff may ask to see it.

The start date, length and pass type cannot be changed once the exchange order has been exchanged.
Before first use, a refund costs 10% of the price (minimum ¥220). After the first day starts, there is no refund.
Validity is not extended for delays or cancelled trains, and a lost pass is not reissued.
One person cannot hold two of the same pass for overlapping dates.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass?: It costs ¥17,000 for adults and ¥8,500 for children aged 6 to 11, for 5 consecutive days. Up to two children aged 1 to 5 ride free with each pass holder if they share a seat.
Does the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass cover the Nozomi?: Yes. Between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima it covers all Sanyo Shinkansen trains, including Nozomi and Mizuho, in ordinary-car reserved and non-reserved seats. It does not cover the Shinkansen west of Hiroshima.
Does the pass include the ferry to Miyajima?: Yes, the JR West Miyajima Ferry from Miyajimaguchi is included. The ¥100 Miyajima visitor tax is charged separately when you board. The other ferry company's boats are not covered.
Can I use the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass from Kyoto to Hiroshima?: Yes, but not on the Shinkansen between Kyoto and Shin-Osaka, which is the Tokaido line. Take the JR special rapid from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka, about 25 minutes, then change to the Sanyo Shinkansen.
Can I use the pass from Tokyo?: No. The Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo is run by JR Central and is not covered. Buy Tokyo to Shin-Osaka separately, then start the pass in Kansai.
Is it worth it just for Osaka and Kyoto?: No. Without the Shinkansen to Hiroshima, a cheaper Kansai pass or an IC card does the same job for much less.

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Every tour is private, for your group only, and planned with you before you arrive. From US$550 per group for a day on foot in Tokyo or Yokohama, or from US$890 for a day trip by train to Kamakura, Hakone or Mt. Fuji. Travelling with children? See our Tokyo private tour with kids.

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