Rail pass help for Kansai region

Hi I am traveling to Kansai next week and need help on best rail passes.
my itinerary is below:

day 1 Kansai intl airport to Osaka - (Nagahoribashi St., Shinsaibashi)
day 2 Osaka to Kyoto (staying near Kyoto Station, Shichijo)
day 3 kyoto
day 4 kyoto
day 5 kyoto
day 6 kyoto
day 7 Kyoto to Koyasan
day 8 Koyasan to Osaka - (Nagahoribashi St., Shinsaibashi)
day 9 osaka
day 10 osaka to Nara day trip (back to osaka)
day 11 osaka to Kansai intl airport

I was thinking of the Haruka Icocca pass but seems the transfer is not good to Shinsaibashi (from KIX).
So I am now considering: i) two Kansai Thru Passes (for days 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 11), OR ii) one Kansai thru pass (for days 1, 2, 11) and one Koyasan heritage pass (for days 7,8).

Any help or suggestions would be most welcome!
thanks in advance

Bill

hi.
Although i don't understand English, it answers in the range to understand.
I am sorry for poor English.

Icoca pass can use anywhere in japan sine 2013.
So, don't worry about it.

icoca pass worth 2000yen.
If you use all, you can carge money into the pass anytime at any station.

The information from mi127 is about an ICOCA Card, which is an IC transportation card.

An ICOCA (not "Icocca") Card can be used in Kansai Region on almost all railroad lines (including all Osaka Municipal Subway lines and all Kyoto City Subway lines).
In Kyoto City, IC transportation cards are not accepted on Kyoto City Bus lines, Kyoto Bus lines or Eizan Electric Railway lines.

An IC transportation card does not bring you a discount in particular, but it can save your time and trouble on purchasing and handling paper tickets for short-distance rides.
You can check "Basic Use" in this article.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html

my itinerary is below:

When in Day 1 is your flight to KIX scheduled?
What would you visit in Kyoto City, in Nara City and in Osaka City?
When in Day 11 is your flight from KIX scheduled?

[Options of accommodations]

I wonder why you plan to stay first not in Kyoto City but in Osaka City even though you would visit Kyoto City first. (Maybe in order to see your Osaka hotel in preparation for later nights?)
I wonder also why you plan to head to Mount Koya not from Osaka City but from Kyoto City even though Osaka City is much closer. (Starting from Kyoto City, you travel via Osaka Prefecture or Nara Prefecture to Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture.)

If you can modify your hotel bookings, it sounds better
to travel first straight to Kyoto Station unless you might clear your immigration procedure too late for you to catch the last JR "Haruka" train
and also to make a roundtrip from Osaka City to Mount Koya.
(Even if you cannot find nice accommodation near subway Shinsaibashi or Nagahoribashi Station, if you find one in Osaka City near a station on subway Midosuji or Sakaisuji Line, you can make a Mount Koya trip in much shorter time than from the hotel in Kyoto City.)

[Options of transportations]

A Kansai Thru Pass is a non-JR pass. And, it does not cover an additional charge on a certain train service such as Limited Express of Nankai.

I am now considering: i) two Kansai Thru Passes (for days 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 11), OR ii) one Kansai thru pass (for days 1, 2, 11) and one Koyasan heritage pass (for days 7,8).

Aside from trips inside Kyoto City, your 2-day Mount Koya trip from Kyoto City and 1-day Nara trip from Osaka City is the only combination concerning which a Kansai Thru Pass can pay off in your current itinerary.
(If you make a Mount Koya roundtrip from the hotel in Osaka City, a Kansai Thru Pass is not likely to pay off.)

A transportation cost in these two trips is estimated
at 5940 yen (= 4020 yen + 1920 yen) if you use JR before Nankai, or
at 5200 yen if you avoid JR and travel only with a 3-day Kansai Thru Pass.

From Kyoto,
if you use JR, you can make one transfer inside JR gates in Osaka and one transfer via gates to Nankai in Shin-Imamiya;
if you avoid JR, you can make one transfer via gates from Kintetsu to Keihan in Tambabashi, one transfer via gates to Subway in Kitahama and one transfer via gates to Nankai in Tengachaya.
The transfers in these two options are short and simple.

I was thinking of the Haruka Icocca pass but seems the transfer is not good to Shinsaibashi (from KIX).

You seem to be not aware of a short transfer in Tennoji between a JR line and Osaka Municipal Subway Midosuji Line.

ICOCA & Haruka (issued by JR-West) is not a rail pass.
A roundtrip ICOCA & Haruka package is composed of
a one-way ticket to travel by JR from Kansai-airport Station to a station in Kyoto City, Osaka City or Kobe City
+ a one-way ticket to travel by JR from a station in Kyoto City, Osaka City or Kobe City to Kansai-airport Station
+ one ICOCA Card.
: When you purchase this package (at 4060 yen), you pay 1030 yen for each of the two tickets and 2000 yen for an ICOCA Card (= 500 yen as a deposit + 1500 yen to be stored as e-money).
: You can have a ride of a JR Limited Express "Haruka" train, if you don�ft reserve a seat, only with the ticket in this package. (I guess non-Reserved cars of JR "Haruka" trains will not get severely packed in the next week.)
: The two tickets can be valid for 14 calendar days.
: The two tickets are not rail passes. (Any of the two tickets should be collected when you first pass through an exit gate.)
: E-money stored on an ICOCA Card can be valid for 10 years after you use the card last.

[Costs on transportations]

From/to Kansai-airport Station to/from Shinsaibashi or Nagahoribashi Station
: 1160 yen per way by Nankai to/from Tengachaya (920 yen) + Subway (240 yen).
: 1370 yen per way by Nankai to/from Tengachaya (on a Ltd. Express, reserving a seat) + Subway (240 yen),
with a Kanku Tokuwari Rapi:t Ticket (1130 yen) for the Nankai part.
: 1270 yen per way by JR to/from Tennoji (on a Ltd. Express "Haruka", not reserving a seat) + Subway (240 yen),
with a ticket (1030 yen) in an ICOCA & Haruka package for the JR part.

From Shinsaibashi or Nagahoribashi Station to Kyoto Station
: 800 yen by Subway to Umeda (240 yen) + JR (on a Special Rapid) from Osaka (560 yen).
(Subway Umeda Station and JR Osaka Station are located nearby.)

From Kyoto Station to Mount Koya then to Shinsaibashi or Nagahoribashi Station
: 4020 yen by JR via Osaka to Shin-Imamiya (920 yen) + Nankai & Nankai Rinkai Bus + Subway from Tengachaya (240 yen),
with a Koyasan World Heritage Ticket (2860 yen, regular version) for the Nankai & Nankai Rinkai Bus part.
: 3950 yen (#1) by Kintetsu to Kintetsu-Tambabashi (210 yen) + Keihan from Tambabashi to Kitahama (400 yen) + Subway to Tengachaya (240 yen) + Nankai & Nankai Rinkai Bus + Subway from Tengachaya (240 yen),
with a Koyasan World Heritage Ticket (2860 yen, regular version) for the Nankai & Nankai Rinkai Bus part.

From Shinsaibashi or Nagahoribashi Station to around Nara Park and back
: 1920 yen per roundtrip by Subway to/from Tennoji (240 yen per way) + JR (on a Yamatoji Rapid) to/from Nara (470 yen per way) + Nara Kotsu (on buses),
with a Nara Park - Nishinokyo 1-day Pass (500 yen) for the Nara Kotsu part.
: 1980 yen per roundtrip (#2) by Subway to/from Nippombashi (180 yen per way) + Kintetsu from/to Kintetsu-Nippombashi to/from Kintetsu-Nara (560 yen per way) + Nara Kotsu (on buses),
with a Nara Park - Nishinokyo 1-day Pass (500 yen) for the Nara Kotsu part.
(This Nara Kotsu 1-day bus pass pays off in three or more rides.)

#1, #2: A 3-day Kansai Thru Pass (5200 yen) can work for these trips.

Thank you for the very informative and very helpful response!

Unfortunately the hotels/itinerary is all booked can cannot be changed. I agree in retrospect that traveling to Koyasan from Osaka would have been better. We arrive to KIX around 4pm and leave 10 am. We are just doing general sightseeing in all areas.

I like the idea of KIX thru Tengachaya since then we can then get a direct subway to Nagahoribashi (closest to our hotel). But since we have lots of luggage, I wonder if you also recommend taking the BUS to OCAT and then taxi from there? I know it may be more expensive but might be more convenient?

ok so 3-day Kansai thru pass could be economical if used on one way Kyoto to koyasan, one way Koyasan to Osaka, and round trip Osaka to Nara. So would you recommend getting this pass or getting the Koyasan World Heritage pass instead if we had to choose just one? (i realize Kansai Thru pass includes subway/bus in various cities, and World Heritage pass includes buses in Koyasan and cable car).

Many thanks for your help!

Hi, because of your original comments we have now managed to change part of the itinerary. As you suggested, instead of spending day 1 in Osaka, we are now going directly to Kyoto. Our hotel is near Kyoto Station. (We could not change the Kyoto to Koyasan part)

So with this in mind, we will most probably now get the round-trip Haruka- Icoca card (for travel from KIX to Kyoto station on day 1 and Osaka (Tennoji) to KIX on day 11). Then use the Icoca portion for trips to Nara and the Kyoto to Koyasan trip. And we will get the Koyasan world heritage ticket for the Nankai part of this trip, assuming we can use it as a return ticket over 2 days).

Any other thoughts about this is most welcome. Again, thank you for you help!