How much is the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass?

It costs ¥19,800 for adults and ¥9,900 for children aged 6 to 11, for 5 consecutive days. The price is the same online, through overseas agents and at stations in Japan.

Does the Takayama-Hokuriku pass cover the Shinkansen?

It covers the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Toyama and Tsuruga, which includes Kanazawa. It does not cover the Tokaido Shinkansen, or the Hokuriku Shinkansen east of Toyama towards Tokyo.

Does the pass cover the bus to Shirakawa-go?

Yes. Buses from Takayama, Kanazawa, Toyama and Shin-Takaoka to Shirakawa-go are covered. Most of them need a reservation, which opens one month before the travel date.

Can I use the pass from Tokyo?

Not directly. Take a separate Shinkansen to Nagoya, Toyama or Kanazawa and start the pass there. You can buy or collect it at the JR Central ticket offices at Tokyo Station before you go.

Can foreign residents of Japan use the pass?

No. You need a passport issued outside Japan and Temporary Visitor status, shown by the stamp or sticker you receive at immigration.

Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass: Price, Route and Is It Worth It?

10/05/202510/10/2026

A white Thunderbird limited express train at a station platform

Quick answer

The pass costs ¥19,800 for adults and ¥9,900 for children aged 6 to 11, for 5 consecutive days.
It covers Nagoya, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kanazawa, Toyama, Kyoto, Osaka and Kansai Airport, with six free seat reservations.
It does not cover the Shinkansen from Tokyo, so it pays off on a loop through the Alps, not a single return trip.

Contents

What Is the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass?

The Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass is a 5-day ticket from JR Central and JR West for one loop through central Japan, from Nagoya to the old town of Takayama, the thatched farmhouses of Shirakawa-go, Kanazawa and Toyama on the Sea of Japan side, and back down to Kyoto and Osaka.

It combines JR trains, the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Toyama and Tsuruga, and the highway buses to Shirakawa-go in one ticket.

It is a foreign visitors' pass, priced for people who want to see the Japan Alps and the Hokuriku coast without renting a car. It is not a pass for travelling between Tokyo and Kyoto.

The Tokaido Shinkansen is not part of it.

It also appears in our list of regional rail passes in Japan, where you can compare it with the other area passes.

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Price, Validity and Who Can Buy It

The pass costs ¥19,800 for adults and ¥9,900 for children aged 6 to 11, and runs for 5 consecutive days, counted by calendar day from the start date you choose.

	Adult (12+)	Child (6 to 11)	Validity
Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass	¥19,800	¥9,900	5 consecutive days

The price is the same online, through overseas agents and at stations in Japan. Our older version of this page said prices were "accurate as of 2025". They have not changed in 2026.

Who can use it. The pass is only for visitors with a passport issued outside Japan and a "Temporary Visitor" stamp or sticker from immigration.

Foreign residents of Japan cannot buy it. If you go through the automated gates at the airport, ask an officer for the stamp. Without it you may be refused the pass.

The pass is in the holder's name and cannot be lent to anyone.

Children under 6 ride JR trains free when they share an adult's seat. If you want a reserved seat of their own on a long ride, they need a child ticket, so ask at the counter whether a child pass is the cheaper option.

What the Pass Covers

The pass covers non-reserved seats in ordinary cars on these routes, and up to six free seat reservations on JR limited express trains and the Hokuriku Shinkansen.

JR trains (local, rapid, express and limited express).

Nagoya to Takayama to Toyama on the Takayama Line, including the Hida limited express
Tsuruga to Kyoto and Osaka, via the Hokuriku and Kosei lines, including the Thunderbird
Osaka to Kansai Airport, on the Hanwa and Kansai Airport lines
The Hokuriku Shinkansen between Toyama and Tsuruga, which includes Kanazawa

Buses.

Nohi, Hokutetsu and Meitetsu buses between Takayama, Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa or Toyama
Nohi, Kaetsuno and Dolphin Traffic buses between Takayama, Shirakawa-go and Shin-Takaoka
The Kaetsuno World Heritage Bus between Shirakawa-go and Shin-Takaoka Station

Gassho-zukuri farmhouses among rice fields in Shirakawa-go — Shirakawa-go. The buses from Takayama, Kanazawa and Toyama are covered

Book the Shirakawa-go buses. Part of the Takayama to Shirakawa-go service, and every bus between Kanazawa or Toyama and Shirakawa-go, needs a reservation, which opens one month before.

You reserve by phone with the bus company (Hokutetsu answers in English). The buses between Shin-Takaoka and Shirakawa-go do not need one. With children, book the seats as soon as your dates are fixed.

What the Pass Does Not Cover

The pass stops short of Tokyo and of the Tokaido Shinkansen, which catches out more visitors than anything else.

Tokyo to Nagoya, and Tokyo to Toyama or Kanazawa. No part of the pass reaches Tokyo. You need a separate ticket, or a different pass, to get to the start of the loop.
The Tokaido Shinkansen between Kyoto and Shin-Osaka, and between Nagoya and Kyoto. Use the covered JR lines instead, or pay the full fare.
Green Cars (first class) and sleeper berths.
The Kurobe Gorge Railway. The pass does not cover the trip from Toyama to Unazuki, but gives 10% off the gorge train from Unazuki.
Admission to sights, and places marked as extra on the official map.

How to Fit the Pass into a Trip from Tokyo

From Tokyo, travel to one end of the loop on a separate ticket, use the pass for five days in between, and leave from the other end. There are two usual ways in.

Tokyo to Nagoya on the Tokaido Shinkansen, about 1 hour 40 minutes on the Nozomi, then start the pass on the Hida limited express to Takayama.
Tokyo to Kanazawa or Toyama on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, then start the pass there and finish in Kyoto or Osaka.

The second way suits a family travelling on from Tokyo to Kyoto, because it turns the trip from Tokyo to Kyoto into a trip through the Alps. If you want one ticket for the whole arc, compare with the Hokuriku Arch Pass (¥35,000, 7 days), which runs from Tokyo to Osaka via Kanazawa but does not include the Takayama Line or the Shirakawa-go buses.

You can collect or buy the Takayama-Hokuriku pass before you leave Tokyo, at the JR Central ticket offices at Tokyo Station (Yaesu side) or at Shinagawa. Our Tokyo Station guide shows where the Yaesu side is.

Old wooden merchant houses on a quiet street in Takayama at dusk — Takayama's old town, two and a half hours from Nagoya on the Hida limited express

Is the Takayama-Hokuriku Pass Worth It?

The pass pays off if you ride at least three of the four long legs of the loop in five days. These are Nagoya to Takayama, Takayama to Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa, Kanazawa towards Kyoto or Osaka, and a trip to or from Kansai Airport.

Each of those is a long limited express or bus ride, and three of them together usually pass ¥19,800 for an adult.

It does not pay off for these trips.

A return trip from Nagoya to Takayama and nothing else.
A trip that only covers Kanazawa and Kyoto. A single ticket on the Hokuriku Shinkansen and Thunderbird costs less than the pass.
A slow trip that spends over five days in the area, unless you time the pass for the travel days.

Before you buy, look up the single fares for your exact route on a timetable site and add them up. If the total is close to the pass price, single tickets keep you free to change plans.

A 5-Day Route with Children

This route starts from Tokyo via Nagoya and ends in Kyoto, with one long ride a day at most, and every pass day is covered.

Day	Route (pass days 1 to 5)	Time on the move	Stay
Before	Tokyo to Nagoya, separate Shinkansen ticket	About 1 hour 40 minutes	Nagoya
1	Hida limited express from Nagoya to Takayama	About 2.5 hours	Takayama
2	Takayama, morning market and the old town	On foot	Takayama
3	Bus to Shirakawa-go, then on to Kanazawa	About 50 minutes, then about 1 hour 15 minutes	Kanazawa
4	Kanazawa, Kenrokuen and the Higashi Chaya district	Local buses	Kanazawa
5	Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tsuruga, Thunderbird to Kyoto	About 2 hours	Kyoto

If you would rather end in Osaka or fly home from Kansai Airport, the Thunderbird and the airport line are covered too. The pass is not valid on the Tokaido Shinkansen between Nagoya and Kyoto, so do not plan the loop the other way round with that leg in it.

Tips for the route.

Shirakawa-go is a village, not a town. Two to three hours is enough for most children, and it keeps the bus day short.
Snow. From December to March the mountain lines and the Shirakawa-go buses can be delayed or cancelled. The pass gives no refund or extra days for that, so leave slack in a winter plan.
Luggage. Large suitcases are awkward on a bus day with a stop in the village. Where you can, send them ahead to your next hotel with a luggage delivery service and carry a day bag.

ONO

Yes, I recommend Takayama, Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa, even with small children.

How to Buy, Collect and Reserve Seats

You can buy the pass in three ways, and every way ends with the pass holder showing a passport at a JR counter in Japan.

Online, on JR-WEST Online Train Reservation. Bookings open one month before the first day, at 10:00 Japan time. Pick up the pass in person with your passport, the credit card you paid with and the booking number, no later than the start date.
Overseas travel agents, who issue an exchange voucher to swap for the pass in Japan.
At the station in Japan, for a start date within one month. The holder must be there in person.

You can collect an online booking at JR ticket offices in Tokyo, Shinagawa, Nagoya, Takayama, Kanazawa, Toyama, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Osaka and Kansai Airport, among others. Buying on the spot is not possible at Kanazawa or Toyama, so buy in advance if your loop starts there. Check the official list for opening hours.

Seat reservations. Book your six free reservations at the ticket counter or a reserved-seat machine. Use them on the longest rides, such as the Hida from Nagoya, the Shinkansen and the Thunderbird.

With children, reserve every limited express so the family sits together. Our guide to the Midori no Madoguchi ticket office explains the counters.

Refunds. An unused pass can be refunded for a handling fee. There are no refunds or extensions for delays or cancelled trains, and a lost pass is not reissued.

Hands holding a stack of Japanese train tickets — Keep the pass and every seat ticket together. You need both at the gate

Planning the Rest of Your Japan Trip

Most families who use this pass are also spending several days in Tokyo. If you are deciding how to split the trip, our Japan travel tips for first-timers cover the order of cities and the tickets, and our Shinkansen guide explains the trains you will take to reach the Alps.

For your Tokyo days, we plan private days around children's pace. Our Tokyo private tour with kids is six hours on foot and by train with a local guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass?: It costs ¥19,800 for adults and ¥9,900 for children aged 6 to 11, for 5 consecutive days. The price is the same online, through overseas agents and at stations in Japan.
Does the Takayama-Hokuriku pass cover the Shinkansen?: It covers the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Toyama and Tsuruga, which includes Kanazawa. It does not cover the Tokaido Shinkansen, or the Hokuriku Shinkansen east of Toyama towards Tokyo.
Does the pass cover the bus to Shirakawa-go?: Yes. Buses from Takayama, Kanazawa, Toyama and Shin-Takaoka to Shirakawa-go are covered. Most of them need a reservation, which opens one month before the travel date.
Can I use the pass from Tokyo?: Not directly. Take a separate Shinkansen to Nagoya, Toyama or Kanazawa and start the pass there. You can buy or collect it at the JR Central ticket offices at Tokyo Station before you go.
Can foreign residents of Japan use the pass?: No. You need a passport issued outside Japan and Temporary Visitor status, shown by the stamp or sticker you receive at immigration.
Is the Takayama-Hokuriku pass worth it?: Yes, if you ride at least three long legs in five days, such as Nagoya to Takayama, Takayama to Kanazawa via Shirakawa-go, and on to Kyoto. For one return trip, single tickets are cheaper.

Sources

https://touristpass.jp/en/takayama_hokuriku/
https://touristpass.jp/assets/pdf/points/injapan/takayama_en.pdf
https://touristpass.jp/assets/pdf/points/online/takayama_en.pdf
https://touristpass.jp/assets/pdf/locations/takayama_en.pdf
https://touristpass.jp/assets/pdf/points/takayama_hokuriku_en.pdf
https://touristpass.jp/en/reserved_seat_ticket/
https://www.jreast.co.jp/en/multi/pass/hokurikuarch.html
https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/tickets/type/adults_children.html

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