Advice on Type of Train Ticket in Osaka Area

My family (4 of us) will be visiting Osaka (free & easy) in mid-December this year. Appreciate if any experts could advise on the most economy mode of transportation/fares or type of train ticket to purchase. We will be staying at Hotel near Shin Osaka Station. Our proposed itinerary is:-
Day 1 - from Kansai International airport to Shin Osaka Station.
Day 2 - Day trip from Shin Osaka Station to Koba and return.
Day 3 - Day trip from Shin Osaka Station to Kyoto & return.
Day 4 - Day trip from Shin Osaka Station to Nara & return.
Day 5 - Day trip from Shin Osaka Station to Universal Studio Osaka
Day 6 & Day 7 - going around within Osaka area.
Day 8 - Shin Osaka Station to Kansai International Airport.
Any other suggestion on the itinerary is very much appreciated.
Thanking you in advance on your kind advice.

Use Icoca card, travel on JR or private railways.

You may find other 1 day passes to be useful depending on your itinerary. Without knowing your itinerary, eg just saying Kyoto, isn't enough to give a precise answer.

Hi hakata14,

Thank you very much for your kind advice. To be honest, at this moment, we still do not have any details itinerary at each place/location (as per eg: Kyoto). However, we would like to move around (by public transport) to visit the place of interests at each place/location.

May I know is it more economical (cost savings) if we buy the say, 3 or 4 days JR Kansai Area Pass?
Thanks and Regards

Suggestions:

- move Osaka travel to Days 2 and 3 and avail 2-day Osaka Amazing Pass or any other Osaka deal if the travel is within Osaka only. See here http://www.osaka-info.jp/osp/en/kukan/kukan_2day_map.pdf. It does not include JR and private lines so you may shell out for any other line or purchase ICOCA as suggested.

- move USJ to Day 4 if only USJ is the destination which is only JPY 440 round trip from Shin-Osaka as per hyperdia.

- move Kyoto, Kobe, Nara and return to KIX via Haruka on Days 5 to 8 to fully utilize 4-day Kansai Area Pass.

Albeit all the suggestions, it will depend upon your final itinerary.

Hi stikiting,

Thank you very much for your kind suggestion.