Regional Passes
Regional passes
Since the nationwide pass price increase, a regional pass is often the right answer for a trip of around two weeks. If the area and dates line up, it costs a fraction of the price.
Comparison
The main regional passes
Coverage areas and validity are stable, but prices do get revised. Check the latest prices before you budget.
| Pass | Coverage | Days | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| JR East Tohoku Area | Tokyo up to Sendai, Aomori, and Akita | 5 of 14 days | A Tohoku loop from Tokyo |
| JR East Nagano-Niigata Area | Tokyo, the Japanese Alps, Nagano, Niigata | 5 of 14 days | Snow monkeys, Hakuba, Nozawa |
| JR East-South Hokkaido | Eastern Japan plus Hakodate and Sapporo | 6 of 14 days | Overland from Tokyo to Hokkaido |
| Hokuriku Arch Pass | Tokyo to Kanazawa to Kyoto/Osaka | 7 consecutive | In via Tokyo, out via Osaka, through Kanazawa |
| JR West Kansai Area | Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Himeji | 1–4 consecutive | A Kansai-only trip |
| JR West Kansai & Hiroshima | Kansai plus Okayama, Hiroshima, Miyajima | 5 consecutive | Adding Hiroshima to Kansai |
| Sanyo-San’in Area Pass | Osaka to Hakata plus Tottori, Matsue, Izumo | 7 consecutive | The San’in coast almost nobody visits |
| Takayama-Hokuriku Area Pass | Nagoya, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kanazawa | 5 consecutive | The Alps and gassho-zukuri villages |
| JR Kyushu All Kyushu | All of Kyushu (shinkansen included) | 3, 5, or 7 days | A Kyushu circuit from Fukuoka |
| JR Hokkaido Pass | JR lines within Hokkaido | 5, 7, or 10 days | Hokkaido in summer or winter |
| All Shikoku Pass | All of Shikoku (private railways included) | 3–7 days | The least crowded region in Japan |
Buy Online
The 4 passes you can buy online
These are the passes we stock. Others can be arranged on request.
- AREA PASS 6 DAYS Adult (East Japan + South Hokkaido) JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass 6Days CA$325 Buy now
- AREA PASS 7 DAYS Adult (Tokyo–Hokuriku–Osaka) Hokuriku Arch Pass 7Days CA$280 Buy now
- AREA PASS 7 DAYS Adult (Osaka–Hiroshima–San’in) Sanyo-San'in Area Pass 7Days CA$215 Buy now
- AREA PASS 5 DAYS Adult (Nagoya–Takayama–Kanazawa) Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass 5Days CA$195 Buy now
Clicking “Select” takes you into the same checkout flow as the JR Pass page.