What is the best JR west rail pass for me?

Hello,
I am Wong from Malaysia. I will be visiting kansai area from 11th to 19th Dec, with Kyoto 3 nights, miyajima 1 night, naoshima 1 night, and Osaka 3 nights. Planning to use kansai Hiroshima JR pass for 5 days followed by Kansai wide area pass. Price of ticket tolalled up is 21500yen (1300+8500).
I wonder whether this is the best combination of JR pass for me looking at the most economic points of view? The crucial issue is that when I leave naoshima, it's the 6th day of my travel, hence the kansai Hiroshima pass would end, and I want another JR pass to travel back to Osaka for the rest of the 4 days, visiting Osaka, himeji, Kobe, Nara.
Thank you.

I can't see any fault in your logic. It's a bit iffy on getting your money's worth for the Wide Pass, but you're at least close and with the convenience of using it, overall it doesn't look like a bad arrangement.

I am not sure about your entry and exit airport/s. I just have this notion that you will be coming from somewhere else before Kansai region hence Kyoto as the first destination. The same for the departure hence Osaka as last destination.

Should your entry and exit airport is only KIX, what will be your time of arrival at KIX? I would like to assume that you are coming from KL via Air Asia in which the arrival at KIX will either be at 9:20 or 15:25. If either is your flight, why not start from the furthest which is Miyajima?

Say your arrival in KIX is morning, why not have Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass activated there, bring your luggage all the way to Osaka, tour Osaka or better yet travel all the way to Miyajima then tour there ? You will have Dec 11 in Miyajima (Base: Miyajima), Dec 12: Naoshima (Base: Naoshima), Dec 13: Osaka (Base: Osaka), Dec 14: Himeji-Kobe (Base: Osaka) and Dec: 15 Nara (Base: Osaka). Take note that if only Himeji Castle and Kokoen Garden are the only areas of interest in Himeji, the tour can last within 3 hours or less. You can have Nara from either Osaka or Kyoto.

You can even dedicate Dec 16 to 19 at Kyoto. If you are not staying near Osaka station then you just have to spend JPY 180/220 or whatever or just purchase IC card. From Osaka to Kyoto stations, you can take special rapid service trains for JPY 560 within 30 minutes. The special rapid service is a bit slower compared to Thunderbird by 2 to 3 minutes but is more expensive and infrequent so take advantage of the cheaper fare. The platforms 8 to 10 in Osaka with lines going to Nagahama, Yasu, Omishiotsu, Maibara and the like are dedicated for special rapid service trains.

Remember that JR regional pass is almost useless in Kyoto unless you are going to Saga-Arashiyama, Northern Kyoto, Nara or Shiga. You can even purchase Kansai Area Pass that will include Haruka from Kyoto to KIX in which the cheapest is JPY 2,300 for 2 days. You can also check Kansai Thru Pass to see what is more applicable in your travel.

However, if you have already settled your travel most especially your accommodations then my suggestion invalidates any cheaper or more cost-effective directions.

I want to assure you that when you get a JR Pass, the heavens do not open up, beaming a great light upon you, and you dot not hear a host of angels singing.

The Hiroshima Kansai pass will be useful to you, but I think the JR Wide area pass is not. Here is a link to the Kansai Thru Pass Map:

http://www.surutto.com/images/ticket/kansai_thru_pass/english/en_map.p...

If you look at the bottom of the map, you will see all of the private transportation line that the pass covers, and NONE of these are covered by any of the almighty JR Passes. There is also a list of all of the things that are still not covered, and it is a lot.

I would recommend that you have an IC card to cover some of these costs of transportation:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html

For the fist day, I would suggest that you get the ICOCA and Haruka package and get to Kyoto.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_icoca_haruka.html

While in Kyoto, you will probably use the bus system to visit places, and NOT A JR PASS. Here is a linkto the Kyoto "Getting there and around" page:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html

You will find that many of the attractions are not near a rail line. Use one of the bus passes suggested in this link. You will either get the Kyoto Sightseeing Card, or the Kyoto One Day Bus Card. The sightseeing card is more expensive, but covers bus and subway.

When you are ready to leave Kyoto, Activate the Hiroshima Kansai Pass, visit all of the long distance places, and then return to Osaka. Local passes will get you around Osaka, and then you can take a bus or private train back to the airport. Here are some links to places to help you find some local passes:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357.html
http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/plan/practical_information/travel_passes/
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/transportation/discount/rail-bus.htm...

None of these are complete, but they may help.

Hi,
Thank you very much for the various respondents. Yes, all the comments were useful for me as I am doing self tour for the first time (in Japan) though I visited Japan few times already.
I appreciate the reminder that many of the Places would not require JR services, and many trains are not covered by JR pass too. The extensive transportation system in Japan can only be well appreciated and understood when ones is there rather than just looking at the routes map on internet. That's why I decided to post this question despite studying it for weeks.
As I have booked accommodation, I probably won't change the itineraries. Would certainly examine the usefulness of ICOCA together with the kansai Hiroshima pass starting on the day I travel from Osaka to Hiroshima.
Thanks 👍🏻

Have you considered the Sanyo-San'in Area Pass for 7 days at 19,000yen? I don't know if that'll be better for you.

I will be using such a pass from KIX to Hiroshima and then onto Matsue via Shin-Yamaguchi and then onto Tottori before flying back to Haneda from Conan airport.

Just as I thought. You have already settled your accommodations.

Why not purchase:

- ICOCA + Haruka one way discounted ticket for JPY 3,600 (JPY 2000 ICOCA + JPY 1600 Haruka non-reserved seat) from KIX to Kyoto;
-purchase any local pass in Kyoto especially for the other days if you are going to other locations in Kyoto; or
-use ICOCA and load it more even if only 1 or 2 bus stops will be your destination/s from Kyoto station or if going to Nara via JR line (Tofukuji, Inari and Uji stations if they are your area of interests aside from Nara town proper); and
-At KIX, have Kansai-Hiroshima pass activated on December 14 that will last until December 18.

By December 18, you are already settled at Osaka. If you are staying near Namba or Shin-Imamiya station, you can even purchase Kanku Webtoku (online) or Kanku Tokuwari (at window) ticket by Nankai for JPY 1130 (regular reserved seat) and catch up the Rap:t train (which I deemed fastest) all the way to KIX.

If you are coming from Osaka station, then time yourself to dragging JR airport rapid service train for a little over an hour at JPY 60 yen more expensive.

If you are travelling alone, I suggest to take a look on this months ahead before your travel. It gets everything iffy, as subtly pointed out by earlier forumers in this post, if you pattern your travel with regards to certain pass.

Ooops, you never even mentioned your entry and exit airport so in connection with my earlier posts, I just assume that KIX is your only entry and exit airport.

Yes, review the use of ICOCA and its valid areas http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html. Take not you cannot use it in long distance or shinkansen gates.