Hokuriku Area Pass北陸エリアパス

Included

• ✓Hokuriku ShinkansenTsuruga, Echizen-Takefu, Fukui, Awara-Onsen, Kaga-Onsen, Komatsu, Kanazawa, Shin-Takaoka, Toyama and Kurobe-Unazukionsen. Unreserved cars only; a reserved seat means buying the full fare and express charge for that leg, so sit in cars 1–4 of the Tsurugi and Hakutaka. Kagayaki trains are all-reserved and off limits.
• ✓JR branch linesNanao Line Tsubata–Nanao–Wakura Onsen, Himi Line Takaoka–Himi, Jōhana Line Takaoka–Jōhana, Takayama Line Toyama–Inotani, Kuzuryū Line Fukui–Kuzuryūko (reopened 5 October 2026) and the Obama Line Tsuruga–Obama. Limited express unreserved cars included where they run.
• ✓Third-sector connectorsIR Ishikawa Kanazawa–Tsubata, Ainokaze Toyama Toyama–Takaoka and Hapi-Line Fukui Fukui–Echizen-Hanandō, each ridden end to end only. They exist to join you to the Nanao, Himi, Jōhana and Kuzuryū lines; get off at an intermediate station and you pay.
• ✓Private linesEchizen Railway Fukui–Katsuyama (dinosaur museum, 54 min, normally ¥820) and Fukui–Mikuni-Minato (Tōjinbō, 47 min, normally ¥780), with Eiheiji-guchi on the way; Toyama Chihō Railway trams in Toyama city including the line to Iwasehama (normally ¥220 a ride); Manyō Line Takaoka–Koshinokata through Shinminato; Noto Railway between Nanao and Wakura Onsen.
• ✓West JR BusLocal routes inside the area, which in practice means the Kanazawa city routes. Not expressway buses.

Not included

• ×Getting to HokurikuTokyo–Kanazawa ¥14,600, Tokyo–Toyama ¥13,180, Osaka–Kanazawa ¥9,410, Kyoto–Kanazawa ¥7,720. Arrive on a single ticket and start the pass the next morning.
• ×Thunderbird and ShirasagiBoth run west of Tsuruga, outside the area. For a Kansai base use the Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass.
• ×Itoigawa and eastKurobe-Unazukionsen is the last station. Toyama–Itoigawa is ¥3,740 reserved on a normal ticket.
• ×Shirakawa-go, Takayama, Alpine Route, Kurobe Gorge RailwayBus and private-railway fares apply: Kanazawa–Shirakawa-go bus ¥2,800, Kurobe Gorge Railway ¥2,480 to Keyakidaira, Alpine Route ¥14,360 across. The Toyama Chihō Railway main line to Unazuki Onsen and Tateyama is not on the pass either, only the city trams.
• ×Reserved seats and Green carsNot available with the pass at any price. On the Tsurugi this costs nothing, because unreserved cars rarely fill between Tsuruga and Toyama outside Golden Week and Obon.