Alpine-Takayama-Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass

The Alpine-Takayama-Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass is a rail pass for exclusive use by foreign tourists. It provides pass holders with five consecutive days of unlimited use of JR trains between Nagoya and Toyama, JR trains between Nagoya and Shinano-Omachi and transportation along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. The pass is available from mid March to early November, but it is unavailable during the winter. It does not allow holders to use the online reservation system for the Alpine Route, which is a big disadvantage on busy days.

Purchase the Alpine-Takayama-Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass

Validity

The map below shows the lines covered by the pass:

1. Unlimited use of local and limited express trains between Nagoya and Toyama (along the JR Tokaido and Takayama Line via Gifu) and between Nagoya and Shinano-Omachi (via the JR Chuo, Shinanoi and Oito Line via Matsumoto).
2. Unlimited travel along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. Note that pass holders need to pick up a "boarding pass" at the ticket counter each time before using a mode of transport along the Alpine Route.
3. Pass holders can make up to four seat reservations on limited express trains for free.
4. Pass holders cannot use the reservation system for the cablecar from Tateyama and the electric bus from Ogizawa along the Alpine Route.
5. The pass is valid on five consecutive days. The validity of the passes is based on calendar days (midnight to midnight) as opposed to 24-hour periods.
6. Only foreign visitors to Japan (with temporary visitor status) can use the pass. It cannot be used by residents of Japan.
7. The pass can be used only by a single person. It cannot be transferred between multiple persons. The pass holder has to carry his/her passport at all times.
8. The pass can be used from April 15 to November 10 and is on sale from March 15 to November 6.

Points of sale

Purchase of the pass is possible from March 15 to November 6.

The Alpine-Takayama-Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass can be purchased online, at selected travel agents outside of Japan and at major railway stations in the area covered, including Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka and Takayama stations, as well as Nagoya's Central Japan Airport. It is also sold through the official JR West website.

If purchasing the pass through the official JR West website, a start date within a 1-month period needs to be specified at the time of purchase, and the pass can then be picked up at selected ticket offices in Japan. If purchasing through other websites or travel agents outside of Japan, you will receive a voucher, which needs to be exchanged to the actual pass in Japan within a 3-month period. At the time of the exchange, you then select the start date for the pass, which can be any date within a 1-month period.

Purchase the Alpine-Takayama-Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass

Assessment

The Alpine-Takayama-Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass pays off relatively easily for trips within its coverage area. Besides the savings, an advantage of the pass over regular tickets is that you can travel freely along the Alpine Route, including backtracking. A considerable disadvantage of the pass, however, is that pass holders cannot use the reservation system for the cablecar from Tateyama and electric bus from Ogizawa along the Alpine Route, which - on busy days - can result in long waiting times or even the inability to travel along the Alpine Route.