Traveling on a Budget in the Kansai region

By carole goldsmith | Monday, Mar 23, 2009

By Carole Goldsmith Copyright 2009 ã All Rights Reserved

Most tourists to Japan, whom I meet when I am traveling Japan, have a two or three week Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) that they use to speed around the country on the Shinkansen, or bullet train as it is widely known. The traditional JR Pass, that enables you to travel across Japan on all JR lines (except on the Nozomi Shinkansen) is really handy and economical if you are travelling from say Osaka to Tokyo and then up north to Hokkaido. A day or so there and you are off again on the Shinkansen, to travel back to Osaka, Kyoto and then down to Kyushu. It is really great value if you are travelling long distances every day, as the JR Pass covers consecutive days of travel.

But do tourists really need to start their JR Pass when they fly into Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Osaka and plan to spend a few days in the Kansai region, including Kyoto?

I usually fly into KIX when traveling to Japan and explore the Kansai region for a few days before scooting off to the West or East of Kansai. The real secret of traveling on a budget in Kansai is to use the Kansai Thru Pass, a special ticket for tourists visiting Japan.

From the Thru Pass website

This Pass excludes JR lines. Check out the map on

carole goldsmith's Profile

Hello, I am an international journalist and trainer, teaching journalism, cross culture / business culture, customer service and leadership. I live near the beach in Melbourne, Australia and I travel around Japan for around 4 - 6 weeks each year. Also I have been visiting Japan for over 20 years and I write articles about Australian and Japanese business plus other Asian businesses for Australian, New Zealand Jpaanese and other Asian media. I do editing and proofreading of Japanese company's and individual's written English too. I teach adults in Australia how to travel Japan on a budget and also teach them how to do business with Japanese and other cultures, plus worklife balance, recreation activities, how to lose weight and keep fit and healthy. My website is www.goldsmith-international.com and email is goldor8@iprimus.com.au Have fun, take time for you,work hard but do not be a workaholic and let work consume you. Enjoy every day and laugh every day. cheers Carole Goldsmith

Interests: Yoga, pottery, learning Japanese, swimming, ikebana, movies, traveling Japan, walking with my friends along the beach.

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