JR Pass vs regional passes
Short answer: if your trip stays west of Tokyo after the first Shinkansen ride, a JR West pass almost always costs less than the ¥50,000 national pass: Osaka to Hiroshima and Miyajima for ¥17,000 (5 days), Osaka to Kanazawa for ¥19,000 (7 days), Kansai to Fukuoka for ¥26,000 (7 days). Buy the Tokyo–Kyoto ticket separately: none of these passes cover the Tokaido Shinkansen. The national pass makes sense when one week combines Tokyo, the west and long rides, or when you add Tohoku or Hokkaido.
The passes and what they cost
| Pass | Days | Adult | Child | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan Rail Pass (online) | 7 / 14 / 21 | ¥50,000 / ¥80,000 / ¥100,000 | ¥25,000 / ¥40,000 / ¥50,000 | All JR lines nationwide, except Nozomi and Mizuho trains (a NOZOMI MIZUHO Ticket is extra). Overseas agency price since 1 Oct 2026: ¥53,000 / ¥84,000 / ¥105,000. |
| Kansai Mini Pass (JR West) | 3 | ¥3,000 | ¥1,500 | JR local, rapid and special rapid trains between Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Universal City and Kansai Airport. No Shinkansen; HARUKA needs a separate limited-express ticket. |
| Kansai WIDE Area Pass (JR West) | 5 | ¥12,000 | ¥6,000 | JR West lines across Kansai incl. HARUKA, the Sanyo Shinkansen Shin-Osaka to Okayama (Nozomi and Mizuho included), Himeji, Kinosaki, Amanohashidate, Shirahama, Takamatsu. |
| Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass (JR West) | 5 | ¥17,000 | ¥8,500 | Kansai plus the Sanyo Shinkansen Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima (Nozomi and Mizuho included), HARUKA and the JR Miyajima ferry. |
| Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass (JR West) | 7 | ¥19,000 | ¥9,500 | Kansai, the Sanyo Shinkansen Shin-Osaka to Okayama, THUNDERBIRD and the Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsuruga to Joetsumyoko (Kanazawa, Toyama). |
| JR-WEST All Area Pass (JR West) | 7 | ¥26,000 | ¥13,000 | All JR West lines incl. the Sanyo Shinkansen Shin-Osaka to Hakata and the Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsuruga to Joetsumyoko, plus the Miyajima ferry. Not the Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo to Shin-Osaka). |
| JR EAST PASS (JR East) | 5 / 10 | ¥35,000 / ¥50,000 | ¥17,500 / ¥25,000 | All JR East lines (Tohoku, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen as far as Joetsumyoko), Narita Express, Tokyo Monorail and some partner lines. Not the Tokaido Shinkansen. |
| JR TOKYO Wide Pass (JR East) | 3 | ¥16,000 | ¥8,000 | JR East lines around Tokyo plus Tokyo Monorail, Fujikyu (Kawaguchiko) and Izu Kyuko; Nikko via the through limited expresses. Check JR East's map for the exact limits. |
Recent changes. JR West stopped selling the Kansai Area Pass on 30 September 2026 (passes bought before then stay valid); the cheapest Kansai option is now the 3-day Kansai Mini Pass at ¥3,000, which covers local and rapid trains only. JR East replaced its Tohoku and Nagano-Niigata passes with a single JR EAST PASS on 14 March 2026 and raised the JR TOKYO Wide Pass from ¥15,000 to ¥16,000 and the N’EX TOKYO Round Trip Ticket from ¥5,000 to ¥5,200.
Kansai and Hiroshima in 6 days
Arrive at Kansai Airport, stay in Kyoto, day trips to Nara and Himeji, then two nights in Hiroshima with Miyajima, back to Shin-Osaka and the airport.
| Day | Journey (one way) | Tickets | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansai Airport – Kyoto | ¥3,590 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
| 2 | Kyoto – Nara | ¥720 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 2 | Kyoto – Nara | ¥720 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 3 | Kyoto – Himeji | ¥5,270 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
| 3 | Kyoto – Himeji | ¥5,270 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
| 4 | Kyoto – Hiroshima | ¥11,300 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
| 5 | Miyajimaguchi – Miyajima (JR ferry) | ¥200 | JR West Miyajima Ferry |
| 5 | Miyajimaguchi – Miyajima (JR ferry) | ¥200 | JR West Miyajima Ferry |
| 5 | Shin-Osaka – Hiroshima | ¥10,420 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
| 6 | Kansai Airport – Shin-Osaka | ¥3,070 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
Prices for 1 adult, reserved seats, Shinkansen: Hikari, Sakura or Kodama. Regular-season fares.
| Option | Pass valid on days | Total | vs tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass | 1–5 | ¥20,070 | −¥20,690 |
| JR-WEST All Area Pass | 1–7 | ¥26,000 | −¥14,760 |
| Kansai WIDE Area Pass | 1–5 | ¥37,190 | −¥3,570 |
| Kansai Mini Pass | 1–3 | ¥40,460 | −¥300 |
| Individual tickets | – | ¥40,760 | – |
| 7-day Japan Rail Pass | 1–7 | ¥50,000 | +¥9,240 |
Verdict: Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass. ¥20,070 against ¥40,760 in tickets and ¥50,000 for the national pass. The Kyoto–Himeji and Kyoto–Hiroshima rides are covered if you take the JR Kyoto Line from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka (or straight to Himeji) instead of the Tokaido Shinkansen, which belongs to JR Central and is outside the pass. The pass includes Nozomi and Mizuho on the Sanyo Shinkansen and the Miyajima ferry.
Kansai and Kanazawa in a week
| Day | Journey (one way) | Tickets | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansai Airport – Kyoto | ¥3,590 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
| 2 | Kyoto – Nara | ¥720 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 2 | Kyoto – Nara | ¥720 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 3 | Kyoto – Kanazawa | ¥7,720 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 5 | Osaka – Kanazawa | ¥9,410 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 6 | Shin-Osaka – Himeji | ¥3,750 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
| 6 | Shin-Osaka – Himeji | ¥3,750 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
| 7 | Kansai Airport – Osaka | ¥2,910 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
Prices for 1 adult, reserved seats, Shinkansen: Hikari, Sakura or Kodama. Regular-season fares.
| Option | Pass valid on days | Total | vs tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass | 1–7 | ¥19,000 | −¥13,570 |
| JR-WEST All Area Pass | 1–7 | ¥26,000 | −¥6,570 |
| Kansai Mini Pass | 1–3 | ¥32,270 | −¥300 |
| Individual tickets | – | ¥32,570 | – |
| 7-day Japan Rail Pass | 1–7 | ¥50,000 | +¥17,430 |
Verdict: Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass. ¥19,000 for THUNDERBIRD and the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa, HARUKA from the airport and local trains, against ¥32,570 in tickets. It does not reach Tokyo: from Kanazawa to Tokyo you pay ¥14,600 for a reserved seat, because the pass ends at Joetsumyoko.
Tokyo, Nagano, Karuizawa and Matsumoto
| Day | Journey (one way) | Tickets | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Narita Airport – Tokyo (Narita Express) (half of an N’EX TOKYO Round Trip Ticket) | ¥2,600 | JR East |
| 2 | Tokyo – Nagano | ¥8,450 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 3 | Tokyo – Nagano | ¥8,450 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 4 | Tokyo – Karuizawa | ¥6,130 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 4 | Tokyo – Karuizawa | ¥6,130 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 5 | Shinjuku – Matsumoto | ¥6,730 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 5 | Shinjuku – Matsumoto | ¥6,730 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 6 | Narita Airport – Tokyo (Narita Express) (half of an N’EX TOKYO Round Trip Ticket) | ¥2,600 | JR East |
Prices for 1 adult, reserved seats, Shinkansen: Hikari, Sakura or Kodama. Regular-season fares.
| Option | Pass valid on days | Total | vs tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| JR EAST PASS | 1–5 | ¥37,600 | −¥10,220 |
| Individual tickets | – | ¥47,820 | – |
| 7-day Japan Rail Pass | 1–7 | ¥50,000 | +¥2,180 |
Verdict: JR EAST PASS, if you ride most days. The 5-day pass (¥35,000) costs ¥37,600 with the last Narita ride outside it, against ¥47,820 in tickets. Drop the Karuizawa day trip and tickets win (Tokyo–Nagano and back twice plus Matsumoto is about the price of the pass). JR East's own example is Narita to Tokyo, Sendai and Shin-Aomori: ¥52,000 in reserved-seat fares against the ¥35,000 pass. We could not verify the separate Tokyo–Sendai fare, so it is not in the calculator.
Tokyo, Nagano and western Japan in 11 days
| Day | Journey (one way) | Tickets | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Narita Airport – Tokyo (Narita Express) | ¥3,140 | JR East |
| 3 | Tokyo – Nagano | ¥8,450 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 4 | Tokyo – Nagano | ¥8,450 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 5 | Tokyo – Kyoto | ¥13,850 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
| 6 | Kyoto – Nara | ¥720 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 6 | Kyoto – Nara | ¥720 | JR Central search, 30 Oct 2026 |
| 8 | Kyoto – Hiroshima | ¥11,300 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
| 9 | Miyajimaguchi – Miyajima (JR ferry) | ¥200 | JR West Miyajima Ferry |
| 9 | Miyajimaguchi – Miyajima (JR ferry) | ¥200 | JR West Miyajima Ferry |
| 10 | Shin-Osaka – Hiroshima | ¥10,420 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
| 11 | Kansai Airport – Shin-Osaka | ¥3,070 | JR Central search, 10 Nov 2026 |
Prices for 1 adult, reserved seats, Shinkansen: Hikari, Sakura or Kodama. Regular-season fares.
| Option | Pass valid on days | Total | vs tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass | 7–11 | ¥52,330 | −¥8,190 |
| JR-WEST All Area Pass | 5–11 | ¥59,890 | −¥630 |
| Individual tickets | – | ¥60,520 | – |
| 7-day Japan Rail Pass | 4–10 | ¥64,660 | +¥4,140 |
Verdict: tickets in the east, a JR West pass in the west. The cheapest plan, ¥52,330, is Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass on days 7–11. The 7-day national pass, placed on its best days, comes to ¥64,660. The calculator also tried pairing JR EAST PASS with each JR West pass; on this trip the pair is not cheaper because the Nagano trip and the airport ride do not fill a 5-day JR EAST PASS.
How to choose
- Price your trip with tickets first (the calculator does this for 33 journeys).
- Find the region where you spend the most on trains in 5 to 7 days in a row. If it is Kansai plus Hiroshima, Okayama, Kanazawa or Fukuoka, start with the JR West pass for that area.
- Price the Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka) separately: only the national pass covers it.
- Compare with the 7 or 14-day Japan Rail Pass bought online. If your big rides are spread over more than a week, tickets plus one regional pass usually win.
Sources
Every price and rule above was checked against these official pages on 2026-10-27. If something has changed, the operator's page is right and we are wrong. Please tell us.
- JR West: JR-WEST RAIL PASS overview
- JR West: Kansai Area Pass (sales ended 30 Sep 2026)
- JR West: Kansai Mini Pass
- JR West: Kansai WIDE Area Pass
- JR West: Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass
- JR West: Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass
- JR West: JR-WEST All Area Pass
- JR East: JR EAST PASS
- JR East: JR TOKYO Wide Pass
- JR East: N’EX TOKYO Round Trip Ticket (with ordinary round-trip fares)
- JR East: New Rail Passes for Inbound Visitors (28 Jan 2026, PDF via JNTO)
- JAPAN RAIL PASS official site: Types and prices (online and overseas-agency prices)
- JAPAN RAIL PASS: Scope of validity
- JR Central: Access search (official route and fare search; fares for travel on 10 Nov and 30 Oct 2026, Japanese)