Kansai area pass for Shinkansen?

[Fallenhero]

Hi all,

 

just to be sure: I can use the "Kansai Area Pass" to travel from Kyoto to Himeji with the Shinkansen, right?

In the foot notes here https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai/ it says "* not valid on the Shinkansen or Limited Express trains other than the Kansai-Airport Express 'Haruka'."

But that is just for the Shinkansen from the airport, correct?

 

As I understand it I can use the Shinkansen, except for the "Nozomi".

 

And the 1-day ticket is enough/valid, right? Because this nice calculator https://www.japanstation.com/japan-rail-pass-value-calculator/ only suggests the 2-day ticket

 

thanks in advance

 

[Japan Station]

"Kansai Area Pass" you are referring to is only valid for:

- Non-reserved seats on Kansai-airport Express HARUKA
- Special Rapid Services, Rapid Services, and Local trains on JR-WEST Conventional lines

It is NOT valid for any Shinkansen or Limited Express trains.
You can take a Special Raid train from Kyoto to Himeji with this pass, it takes 92 minutes one way. https://www.kyotostation.com/jr-kyoto-line-for-osaka-sannomiya-himeji/

The nationwide "Japan Rail Pass" is valid for all trains, including Shinkansen (except Nozomi). https://www.japanstation.com/japan-rail-pass-discounted-travel-on-japan-railways/

If you plan to visit other places in Japan then nationwide Japan Rail Pass may be a good deal for you. If you only plan to visit Kyoto and Himeji by shinkansen a single ticket may be a better deal.

This article explains the difference between shinkansen, limited express and rapid trains: https://www.japanstation.com/guide-to-rail-travel-in-japan/

[Fallenhero]

Okay, thank you. 

 

But then I do not understand why the a.m. calculator suggest the "JR-West Kansai Area (2D)*" ticket after I chose "Kyoto -> Himeji (Shinkansen 55 mins) return" . And says:

"Days used: 1
Covers all trips
Covers ~¥10.500
Total cost ~¥4.300"

But now I see the tooltip (after hovering) that it does not include the Shinkansen

[Japan Station]

The calculator suggests the cheapest option to cover the distance compared to the full cost of shinkansen trip.

There is some room for improvement there. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.