Kansai Wide Area Pass exchange & activation?

Hi all,

I will be travelling to Japan in November and need help with the Jr Passes. My itinery will revolve around the seto inland sea, Kii-Hanto, Osaka and maybe, if time permits a trip to Kyoto and thought to get a Kansai wide area Pass, allthough 5 days is short, but it would save me a bit of kost, when travelling from Takamatsu to Kii-Hanto, and makes travelling a bit easier I reckon (i.e. not needing to buy ticktes seperately for the trains). What I do not understand is: When I exchange my voucher for the ticket, does this mean its activated then, so the 5 days start? Or can I decide, on which date I use it the first time? Cause it seems i cannot exchange it in Takamatsu, so it would be of no use for me? Thanks for your answer.

There is no activation step for this pass.

You decide the first day for your pass to be valid,
and you can purchase the pass
up to one month in advance of that day.
The pass is issued with its validity period designated,
like: valid for the 5 days from November 11.

So, there is no step to activate this pass.
Your pass
which is purchased before its validity period
becomes valid when the date changes to be the first day.

not needing to buy ticktes seperately for the trains

Unless you use a seat which is to be reserved.

For your train ride with your seat reserved,
this pass does not cover
the Shinkansen or Limited Express surcharge,
so you should pay
the full amount of the regular surcharge,
not just the difference compared to when you go without seat reservation.