Oct–NovSeven days across Kansai and up the Sea of Japan coast as far as Jōetsu-Myōkō. The pass for a Kyoto or Osaka base with Kanazawa and Toyama added.
Buy it if you fly in and out of Kansai and want Kanazawa in the middle. One Osaka–Kanazawa return costs ¥18,820, within ¥180 of the pass. Every ride after that is free, including Toyama, Fukui, Himeji and the airport train.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tsuruga to Jōetsu-Myōkō, the Thunderbird and Haruka, and the JR West network around Kyoto and Osaka. The map is a schematic: it does not show every covered line, including the Obama and Maizuru lines and the Ōito Line to Minami-Otari.
Add the rides you plan. Reservations are unlimited, so only the fares count.
| Trip | Tickets | With the pass | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osaka ⇄ Kanazawa return | ¥18,820 | ¥19,000 | Level |
| Return plus a Kanazawa ⇄ Toyama day | ¥25,600 | ¥19,000 | Pass wins by ¥6,600 |
| Kyoto ⇄ Kanazawa return | ¥15,440 | ¥19,000 | Tickets win unless you add two side trips |
| Return plus Toyama, Fukui and Himeji days | well over ¥35,000 | ¥19,000 | Pass wins easily |
Osaka–Kanazawa ¥9,410, Kyoto–Kanazawa ¥7,720, Kanazawa–Toyama ¥3,390, each way, reserved. Checked 7 October 2026.
Three bases, no backtracking until the last day.
Thunderbird and Shinkansen, 1h 44m–1h 57m. Stop where most people ride through: Eiheiji, the dinosaur museum or the Tōjinbō cliffs. Fukui guide.
Fukui → Kanazawa about 25 min. Three nights, with one day out to Shirakawa-go by bus (not on the pass). Kanazawa guide.
Kanazawa → Toyama 18–23 min. Toyama for sushi, then the Shinkansen to Kurobe-Unazukionsen for the Kurobe Gorge Railway or a night at Unazuki Onsen.
About 3h, with one change at Tsuruga. The Haruka to the airport is on the pass too.
It is all-reserved and fills on Fridays, Sundays and holidays.
¥16,000 cheaper, same 7 days, same Hokuriku stops. You only need the Arch Pass if you continue to Tokyo.
A Kyoto–Kanazawa return is ¥15,440.
¥19,000 from an overseas agent, on the JR West online reservation site or at a JR West ticket office in Japan. You need a foreign passport with a temporary-visitor stamp, so residents cannot buy it.
You want Shirakawa-go and Takayama. Its buses are included, for ¥800 more and two fewer days. Without it the buses cost ¥2,800 and ¥4,200 from Kanazawa.
See the pass →Your trip starts or ends in Tokyo. It costs ¥16,000 more than this pass for the same 7 days and Hokuriku stops, so buy it only if you continue to Tokyo.
See the pass →Kyoto-based and only visiting Kanazawa. An Osaka ⇄ Kanazawa return is ¥18,820, within ¥180 of the pass.
Buying tickets →¥19,000 from an overseas agent, on the JR West online reservation site or at a JR West ticket office in Japan. You need a foreign passport with a temporary-visitor stamp, so residents cannot buy it.
Japan eSIM: data from arrival, for seat bookings and bus reservations on the move.
Japan eSIM on Klook ↗¥19,000 for adults, half for children 6 to 11, valid for 7 consecutive days.
Yes. It covers the Thunderbird from Osaka and Kyoto to Tsuruga and the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tsuruga through Fukui, Kanazawa and Toyama to Jōetsu-Myōkō, reserved seats included.
Yes, without limit. The Thunderbird has no unreserved cars, so book a seat at a ticket machine or office before each ride. Seats on the Haruka, Kuroshio and both Shinkansen sections are included the same way.
From a Kansai base, the Kansai-Hokuriku pass at ¥19,000. The Arch Pass at ¥35,000 is for trips that also run to or from Tokyo.
No. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen is excluded. Use the JR Kyoto Line special rapid, under 30 minutes.
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