Kansai Travel Guide by Osaka Day Tours

To answer the question: “Do I need a JR Pass for my trip to Japan?” I’m going to show you what a JR Pass is. I’m going to go over when it makes sense to have one and when it doesn’t make sense to have one. What an ICOCA card is and why that might be all you need. And I’m going to show you how to get each of these. By the end of this article, you’re going to know which is the best fit for your itinerary.

What is a JR Pass?

It’s a pass that allows you to ride all the JR trains across Japan. You can get a seven-day pass that starts at ¥50,000, a 14-day pass starting at ¥80,000, or a 21-day pass starting at ¥100,000. You can also choose to upgrade that to Green Class if you want to go in first class cars.

A JR Pass will take you on all the JR trains and the Shinkansen, but not the Nozomi or the Mizuho, which are the fastest ones.

When to Use a JR Pass

Having a JR Pass makes sense if you’re going to be taking a lot of long train rides. Maybe you take the Shinkansen to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, all these other places, Fukuoka and places like that. Then it makes sense to have a JR Pass.

However, it doesn’t make much sense if all you’re going to be doing is taking the train from Tokyo down to Osaka or Kyoto, and then you’re going to be taking a lot of local trains. First of all, it’s only used on the JR trains, so you’d be using it to come down on the Shinkansen and you might use it to go on some local JR trains.

However, a lot of the other train lines are not JR and it’s not going to work on those. In that case, it does not make sense to have a JR Pass.

When to Use an IC Card

The IC card used to board trains in the Kansai area is called the ICOCA card. With an ICOCA card, you can ride all the local trains. That’s the Keihan, Kintetsu, Hankyu, Hankai, Nankai, and the Metro. Also, you can use it on buses. You can even use it in vending machines.

The Verdict

JR Pass. Good if you’re going to be taking those long distance train trips and going to a lot of places in the country.

ICOCA. Much better if you’re going to be just using a lot of local trains, other train line companies, private train companies, subways, and such.

Think of the JR Pass like a Disney Pass and your ICOCA like a debit card.

How to Get a JR Pass

You go to JRPass.com. Then you select either a 7-day, 14-day, or 21-day pass. You order your voucher online. They’re going to send your voucher.

When you come to Japan, you go to the JR Pass exchange office. You’re going to need your voucher and your passport. Then, you’re going to get your pass and then you can ride all the JR trains.

How to Get an IC Card

You can get an ICOCA card from an IC card machine in a train station. Most train stations have them and you can easily buy an ICOCA card.

On the vending machine, you can push a button to switch it to English. Then, push the button to purchase an ICOCA card. Feed in ¥2,000 and you’re going to get your card. There’s a ¥500 yen deposit, which you can get back when you return your card.

Anytime you need more funds on your ICOCA card, you can charge your card with more money at any train or subway station.

How to Use the ICOCA Card

Riding trains with your ICOCA card is really easy. As you’re entering through the gates, you just touch it to go in. When you get off the train, you touch it at the gates to go out. It’s as simple as that.

ICOCA Cards Included in Tour Packages

If you’re coming with me on a walking and public transportation, countryside, or hiking tour, you’re going to have your own ICOCA card pre-loaded and ready to go (part of your all-inclusive tour).

Questions?

If you have any questions, please ask it in a comment below, or go to the Contact Us page.

What’s So Great About Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara?

When you come to Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, or Nara, most likely you’re going to land at Kansai International Airport. You’re also going to hear the word Kansai quite a bit, and sometimes even the word Kinki.

Now, what is Kansai? Where is Kansai? What does it mean? And what is the history behind it?

You’re In Kansai

When you land at Kansai airport, you’ve just entered the Kansai region. When you’re in Osaka. When you’re checking out the Dotonbori, going to Osaka Castle. When you’re climbing up through the red gates in Fushimi Inari up in Kyoto or looking at the bamboo forest. When you’re hanging out at the waterfront in Kobe or going to see the big Buddha in Nara. You’re in the Kansai region.

What Does Kansai Mean?

But what does Kansai mean? Well, the word Kansai is made up of two kanji characters. There’s kan (関), which means a checkpoint or barrier, and sai (西), which means West.

So basically, Kansai means “West of the barrier”. In ancient Japan, the area was divided up into regions, and there were barriers in between. There were checkpoints, and this area was West of the checkpoint.

What Is Kansai?

Kansai is Osaka, with its lively people, its food, its neon lights, the big castle. Kansai is Kyoto, with its history, its temples, its shrines, its old streets. Kansai is Nara, with the big Buddha, the deer, and Kasuga Shrine. Kansai is Kobe, the old port town, and where the first foreigners coming to Japan came in through Kobe.

Kansai is also Shiga. It’s a large prefecture, with a lot of nature, and the huge Biwa Lake. And Kansai is down below us here, Wakayama, where you’ve got little fishing villages, and Koya Mountain.

Kansai Has a Lot of History

Kyoto and Nara are the ancient capitals. In fact, Nara is the very first permanent capital back in the 8th century. For most of the 8th century, Nara was the capital. It was the center of culture, politics, art, and Buddhism. In fact, it became the center of Buddhism and the big, huge temple you see there, Todaiji Temple, and the huge Buddha inside it.

Kyoto was the second permanent capital. It was for over a thousand years, right up until 1869, when the capital was moved up to what is now Tokyo. Kyoto is still considered the cultural capital of Japan.

Osaka also has a lot of history, over 1400 years of history. Back in the 5th century, it was the gateway for trade with China and Korea. Now, it’s gone from being a trading area to a huge commercial hub in Japan. In fact, it’s always been a merchant city, so it’s still very merchant-based. There is a special ceremony we have January 10th every year, where we go to see Lord Ebisu and pray for good business.

Prevalence of the Word “Kansai”

You’ll hear the word Kansai used in quite a few things, like Kansai people. Kansai people are more talkative, more direct, more fun than Tokyo people – especially Osaka, which has always been a merchant town, so people have been very forward, very outgoing.

Kansai food. In Osaka, it’s okonomiyaki, which is the savory pancake. Takoyaki, are the balls with octopus inside them. Kushikatsu is anything on a skewer, battered, breaded, and deep-fried. There’s also the very Kyoto foods, like yudofu, which is a simmered tofu. Or yuba, which is actually the skin that forms on top when they’re making tofu, and it’s very much a part of the Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, or shojin rori, as they call it.

There’s also Kansai dialect, or Kansai-ben in Japanese. It’s quite different from the way people speak up in Tokyo. In fact, when I’m up in Tokyo, people will know right away when I speak Japanese, that I’m from Osaka.

What’s Kinki?

And then what about that other word you’re going to hear, Kinki? Now, that again is made up of two kanjis, kin (近), which means near or close, and ki (畿), which means the capital region. Now remember, both Nara and Kyoto were the ancient capitals, so the area around here was the area close to the capitals, or the Kinki area.

So we’ve got Kansai, “West of the barrier”, and kinki, “near the capital”, but basically it’s the same region.

The Problem With Kinki

Now, of course, Kinki’s had some fun connotations in English, and I remember when we first came here in 1996, we saw this bus go by. It was a bus tour company. It was called Kinki Bus Tours, and we just had to go, “Hmm? I wonder what kind of tours those are?” because we didn’t know about the Kinki region yet. All we saw was the word Kinki.

Because of that, because of the confusion it has caused, there has been some changes, like Kinki University recently became Kindai, which is a mixture of kin and dai for daigaku, which means university. Also the famous boy band, the Kinki Kids. These guys were established back in 1997. They made a big debut, and they’ve been famous as the Kinki Kids for a long time, but again, they’ve also changed their name to Domoto, which is just a family name.

Enjoying the Kansai Region

As a traveler in the Kansai region, what’s really nice is that all the major cities you want to see are close to each other. So you can use Osaka like a base, and from there it’s one hour to Nara, one hour to Kyoto, one hour over to Kobe. Fantastic for day trips.

All right, I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about Kansai and Kinki, and what it all means, and the history behind it. Now, if you have any questions, please post them in the comments down below. It doesn’t have to be about Kansai, it could be about anything about coming to the Kansai area. I’m happy to answer those. I read all the comments, like to answer them, and if you’d like, I’ll shoot you a video answering your questions.

Best Train Routes, Transfers & Day-Trip Tips

Osaka is a great base if you’re staying in Kansai, because from here you can do day trips to Kobe, Nara, or Kyoto. One of the questions I get asked a lot is, “How do I get from Osaka  to Kyoto for a day trip?” 

There are a couple different options. If you’re with me on an Osaka Day Tours van trip to Kyoto, we’re going to drive up on the Meishin Highway. The other really good option is the trains. Forget the buses, definitely forget the taxis. The trains will get you there quickly and easily.

The Shinkansen Option

There are two options. One is the Shinkansen, the bullet train, and yes, that’s fun. It’s a 12-minute zip through the countryside – and you’re there. It is a bit of a hassle to get from Osaka to Shin-Osaka, where you catch the bullet train.

The Train Option

My favorite way to get up to Kyoto from Osaka station is really easy. You take the JR train. You want one called the Shinkaisoku, or the Special Rapid. It’s written in both Japanese and English, and it usually leaves from Track 8. It’s going to take you 30 minutes to get to Kyoto station. It costs ¥580.

Going to Arashiyama

If you want to go to Arashiyama to see the bamboo forest and all that, you also take the same line up to Kyoto station, and then you have to switch over to another line called the Sagano line. You’ll arrive in Kyoto Station on Track 2. From there, walk to Tracks 31, 32, and 33 – the Sagano line.

Ride that out to Saga Arashiyama. When you get to Saga Arashiyama station, you need to just walk up to the main street, turn left, follow down the main street a bit, and turn right when you see a huge white sign for Tenryuji Temple. Walk over to the temple, buy a ticket to go into the temple, go through the temple garden, see the pond, and if you go to the other side of the temple gardens, that’s going to get you into the bamboo forest.

Going to Fushimi Inari Shrine

If you’re going to go to Fushimi Inari Shrine – the big shrine on the hillside with all the red gates going up the hill – you do the same thing from Osaka station to Kyoto station. Ride that Shinkaisoku (Special Rapid). You’ll arrive at Track 2, and you’re going to walk over to the Nara line.

To get to the Nara line, it’s going to leave from track 8, 9, or 10. Just check out the overhead signs on the way to those tracks. From Osaka to Inari station is about 50 minutes, and it costs you ¥840. 

Once you come out of Inari station, it’s very easy. Just cross the road and you’re going to see the huge torii gate. Start walking up to that, and you’re going to see another huge torii gate, the big orange gates, and then behind that, you’re going to see the shrine. 

Go through the shrine, and go up behind the shrine, that’s the beginning of all the red (actually orange) gates going up the mountainside. 

Going to Gion & Higashiyama

If you want to go to Gion or Higashiyama – go to the Yasaka shrine, hang around the Gion district, walk up along Ninenzaka, Sannenzaka, and over to Kiyomizu Temple – you’re going to take a different train line.

Take the Keihan train line out of Kiyobashi Station. Inside the station, you want to go up the escalators, after you’ve gone through the ticket booths, and up to track2. You don’t want to take a local train, you want to get one of the express trains called a Tokyu, because that’ll get you there in 40 minutes, and it costs¥480. The only car you cannot go in is car number 6, because that’s the premium car – unless you want to pay extra for the premium car

To get to Kyobashi Station from anywhere else in Osaka, you’re going to take the loop line, and you come to Kiyobashi Station. If you’re up in Osaka, it’s just a couple stations down. If you’re down in Tennoji, in the south part of Osaka, just come around the loop line going counter-clockwise, and come to Kiyobashi Station. Come out of the JR, and walk across to the Keihan line.

You’re going to take the Keihan line up to Gion Shijo. That’s a small station, it’s underground, so come up out of either Exit 6 or Exit 7, and that’s going to have you right in the Gion area. As you look down that street, you can see the orange shrine at the far end – that is Yasaka shrine.

Walk towards it. You can wander through the Gion area, go up through Yasaka shrine, then you’ve got Kodaiji Temple up behind there, you’ve got Ninenzaka, Sannenzaka, and it’s going to take you right up to Kiyomizu-dera, or Kiyomizu Temple. That’s the big wooden temple, which has a great view out over Kyoto. 

Easy Travel With an IC Card

It’s really easy to get around anywhere in Kansai by train, and if you’re going to be using (5:36) the trains, I highly recommend you get yourself the Icoca card. You can get it from one of the ticket machines, you load it up with a little bit of money, you tap in, you tap out, and you can go anywhere in Kansai area – or actually anywhere in Japan, and not just trains, you can use this on buses too.

A question I get asked a lot is, “When’s a good time to come to Japan?” Or basically, in this case, “When’s a good time to come to Kansai?” because that’s the area I can tell you about. Kansai is Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, and down in Wakayama. Why is it called Kansai? Well, that’s for another video.

January/February

First of all, January, February. That’s our winter here in Japan. That’s the coldest two months. But, I’m here at the end of January and it’s a nice day. If you dress nicely for it, this is a perfect time to come.

You know why? Because there’s very few people around. I’ve just been hiking on the Yamanobe no Michi and I’ve barely met anybody. In the summer or during spring, you’re going to meet a lot of people here. I highly recommend January/February as a time to come to Osaka or in the Kansai area. 

March/April

And then there’s March and April. Now, that is a time that people do like to come here because they’re hoping to see cherry blossoms. Unfortunately, that is a hit and miss opportunity. You never know. We ourselves don’t know if the cherry blossoms are going to be middle of March, early April, or middle of April.

And, the problem with coming at that time of year? Yes, the weather is nice. However, there are so many people. So if you want to go to the touristy areas in Kyoto or Osaka, you’re going to be battling a lot of crowds. So that’s why I prefer January/February myself.

May

And then there’s May. If you like warm weather, that’s a great time to come. It’s not hot like summer yet. It’s getting nice and warm. It’s just basically perfect.

You do have to be careful though that first week of May. The week that includes the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of May – the whole week becomes what’s called Golden Week. Why? Because the 3rd, 4th and 5th are all national holidays. So most people take the whole week off. A lot of people are out on the road going back to their hometown. And then, at the end, is what we call the U-turn traffic when they’re all coming back again. It’s a bad time to be on the road. So if you think of going somewhere on the road, definitely avoid that week. 

But the rest of May, that could be nice.

June/July

And then there’s June and July. The problem with June and July is that somewhere in there, we’re going to have Rainy Season. That’s for about two, three weeks. Lately, it’s been a little shorter, but still, it’s a nasty time. The humidity has ramped up so high, you feel greasy all over. When it does rain, that’s a total relief. But the problem is the rain stops and all that humidity evaporates up again. And the cycle repeats, over and over all day long. It can sap you.

August/September

That brings us to August and September. Now, these definitely are our hotter months, especially in August. The heat goes up quite a few degrees. However, the humidity goes down. So it’s still a bit humid, but not nasty like it is during rainy season.

It’s always about one or two degrees cooler in Osaka than it is up in Kyoto for some reason. Kyoto has that bowl, the mountains around it, which holds in the heat. We get a bit of a breeze down in Osaka. It is a good time to come if you want to avoid crowds, because not as many people are coming here.

October

And then what about October? Well, in October, the temperature starts to go down. However, it is the time when we get typhoons. It’s our typhoon season. We can get a lot more typhoons in October. We can get typhoons basically any time of year, just stray ones, but in October there’ll be one after another coming by. Now, a lot of them don’t hit us. They go right on by. This last year, they were all going out in the Pacific Ocean. 

The typhoons do bring rain. So when the typhoon is coming, there’s going to be a lot of rain. You’ll need an umbrella, but sometimes you’ll find that your umbrella is just getting turned inside out by the wind. So a raincoat or something would be a good idea during that time. 

November

November, that’s another perfect month, because the weather is really nice in November. And the big thing is we have what’s called Shichi Go San – Seven Five Three. This is when parents bring their three-year-old, their five-year-old, their seven-year-old, back to the shrine, dressed in kimono. You want photo opportunities? Well, that’s the time of year. A lot of my clients on my tours have gotten fantastic photos. They take a picture with these cute little kids and these cute little kimonos. It’s a fantastic time.

Lately, there are a few more people coming in November, but I don’t find it as crowded as cherry blossom time. 

December

All right, we’re going through the year and now we’re in December. December can be really good. Up until this last year, for me, it’s been a short-sleeve season. It’s just this nice weather and there’s less people out. This year, for some reason, it got cold early, so we did have a bit of a colder December where it actually dropped down to zero a couple times.

However, it can be a very good time of year to come. There’s a lot of fun things to do in December. You get to see Colonel Sanders dressed up like Santa Claus. And if you stick around for New Year’s, there’s New Year’s Day. I took some people on the second day of January down to the big shrine where we have something called Hatsumode. Hatsumode is the first shrine visit of the year. Absolute fun, total mayhem. We rode down on the tram, because there’s no way you could park down there, and we had a great time. They really enjoyed it. So, hey, December, think about that.

When is the Best Time?

So then, what is the best time of year to come to Japan? Well, in my opinion, if you don’t like crowds, December, January, February, are fantastic – just make sure you bring a winter coat. 

On the other hand, if you want to see festivals, then there’s the summer festivals in August. That’s a fantastic time to see festivals. There’ll be a lot of them. End of July, right after rainy season, and early August, a lot of summer festivals going on everywhere. That can be a lot of fun to get involved in. 

So, what’s the best time to come? Anytime. Come to Japan. Come to Kansai especially. Forget Tokyo. Come down to Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, and even down to Wakayama Prefecture.

It’s a fantastic place. It’s a lot of fun. You’ll have a good time here.

Welcome to Kansai Travel Guide by Osaka Day Tours. If you’re going to be traveling to Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, or Nara, this blog is for you. In this quick blog post, I’m just going to show you a little bit about why I’ve created this and how it’s going to help you enjoy your trip to the Kansai area. 

I’ve been living in the Kansai area since 1996. I first came here to build houses after the Kobe earthquake and, well, this place just became home. I’ve wandered all the little streets in Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara. I’ve gotten to know all kinds of little places. I’ve seen things change. I’ve seen businesses come and go, and I found all the little places that you don’t see in the guidebooks. 

I’ve been a tour guide in the Kansai area since 2019, taking people to Osaka with its lively people and food and neon lights, Kyoto with its old temples and old streets and shrines, Nara with the big Todaiji temple and the deer and the big Buddha, and Kobe with this Chinatown and the old port area. And one thing I’ve noticed, people come here excited to see Japan but also a little overwhelmed.

Japan is a great place to visit. It also can be a little bit confusing, and for first-time visitors there’s all these kind of questions like: Where should I be going? What should I be seeing? What am I going to miss? How do I divide my time between Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara? What kind of mistakes can I be making? What kind of etiquette do I have to be careful about? Well, these are all the kind of things that I’m going to cover in upcoming videos and posts. 

One of the mistakes I see people making is trying to cram too much into one day and, really, taking the enjoyment out of your time here. Also going to all the famous places but you’re missing out on some of the local flavor.

I’m starting Kansai Travel Guide by Osaka Day Tours because I want to be able to give you practical advice from someone who’s been living here for many years and guiding people in the Kansai area. And most importantly, helping you make the most of your time here without feeling rushed or stressed.

So what can you expect to find in upcoming blog posts and videos? A lot about the cities here in the Kansai region. How are they different? What’s going to fit you? I’ll talk about ideas for itineraries. One-day itineraries, two-day, three-day itineraries in Osaka, in Kyoto, in Kobe, and Nara. Or how to combine things like a tour that takes you from Nara to Kyoto – all in one day (that can be done). I’ll be covering practical travel tips like the use of IC cards, getting on and off trains, using Osaka as a base, what to do when it rains. 

I’ll be doing spotlight videos on areas and themes of temples and shrines with interesting stories, foods, and quirky things, which in Osaka we can find quite a few of those. The kind of stories and histories I share on my tours, things that you don’t find in the guidebooks. 

If this sounds helpful to you and you think this can help you have a good time in Kansai, well, please be sure to come back to the blog, Kansai Travel Guide by Osaka Day Tours, and tell your friends. You can help them too. 

If you have any questions about coming to Kansai, please ask them in the comments down below. I read those, and not only will I answer you, but also I may be shooting a video just especially for you to answer all your questions.

I hope that this is going to help you have a great time here in Kansai, in my Osaka area. Maybe one day I’ll actually meet you here. That’d be fantastic.