JR West All Area Pass

The JR West All Area Pass is a rail pass for exclusive use by foreign tourists, providing seven consecutive days of unlimited travel on designated JR train and bus lines (including shinkansen and limited express trains) in the entire service area of JR West which includes the Kansai, Chugoku and Hokuriku regions.

Purchase the JR West All Area Pass

Validity

1. Unlimited use of local, rapid and limited express JR trains in the coverage area shown on the map above, including trains along the Chizukyu Express Line between Kamigori and Chizu, a non-JR line that provides the fastest train access to Tottori.
2. Unlimited use of the Sanyo Shinkansen (including Nozomi and Mizuho) between Shin-Osaka and Fukuoka's Hakata Station and of the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Tsuruga and Joetsu-Myoko Station. However, the Tokaido Shinkansen between Kyoto and Osaka is not covered.
3. Seat reservations can be made at no additional cost at ticket offices. The first six reservations can alternatively be made at ticket machines (or online if you buy your pass via the official website), but subsequent reservations can be made only at ticket offices.
4. Unlimited use of the IR Ishikawa Railway between Kanazawa and Tsubata to access the JR Nanao Line, on the Ainokaze Toyama Railway between Toyama and Takaoka to access the JR Himi and Johana lines, and on the Hapi Line Fukui between Fukui and Echizen-Hanando to access the JR Kuzuryu Line; however, it is not allowed to get on and off at any stations in between. The liner surcharge for Ainokaze Liner trains is not covered.
5. Unlimited use of the Kyoto Tango Railway, which provides access to Amanohashidate.
6. Unlimited use of JR ferry to Miyajima.
7. Unlimited use of local JR buses around Kyoto, Kanazawa, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi, including buses between Kyoto Station, Takao and Shuzan, and between Yamaguchi, Hagi and Akiyoshidai.
8. Free use of rental bicycles at designated Ekirin Kun outlets within the covered area.
9. The pass is valid on seven consecutive calendar days (midnight to midnight).
10. Only foreign visitors to Japan (with temporary visitor status) can use the pass. It cannot be used by residents of Japan.
11. 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.

Points of sale

The JR West All Area Pass can be purchased online through various websites and at selected travel agents outside of Japan.

Note that the pass is also sold at the official JR West website. An advantage of purchasing the pass through the official website is that you can make seat reservations online, while others can make seat reservations only at ticket machines and ticket offices.

If purchasing the pass through the official website, a start date within a 1-month period needs to be specified at the time of purchase. If purchasing through other channels, 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 JR West All Area Pass

Assessment

The JR West All Area Pass can be a very good value for those visiting all three regions covered, namely the Kansai, Chugoku and Hokuriku regions.