These are Osaka's three best digital rail passes for travelers
One of the biggest Japan travel sphere bummers in recent years is the price hike for the Japan Rail Pass, which used to be the go-to choice for visitors looking to travel all across the country at an amazing discount. However, Japan still has plenty of awesome and affordable local rail passes, and today we're looking at three for Osaka.
All of these are digital rail passes, meaning that you can purchase them online and use them via your phone, with no need to pick paper passes up at a service counter or dig through your wallet to pull them out every time you're going through a ticket gate.
First up is the Surutto Kansai Osaka Amazing Pass, and yeah, it totally deserves that grandiose name. This is the pass for you if you want to see as much of the cool stuff that Osaka has to offer as possible. Available in 1-day (3,500 yen [US$24]) or 2-day (5,000 yen) versions, this pass gives you unlimited rides on the Osaka Metro subway network, and also unlimited of the vast majority of Osaka City Bus and Hankyu, Hanshin, Keihan, Kintetsu, and Nankai train lines within Osaka City. How this pass really earns the 'awesome' part of its name, though, is by giving you free admission to nearly 40 sightseeing attractions in Osaka, including some of the city's most iconic spots and activities including the Umeda Sky Building observatory (one of Japan's best 'travel experiences in the sky'), Dotonbori river cruises, Tsutentaku Tower, and Osaka Castle.
If you've got a more focused itinerary, there's also the Osaka Metro 26-hour Ticket (1,100 yen for adults, 550 yen for kids) and its more expansive sibling the Osaka Metro 48-hour Ticket (1,800/900 yen). These give you unlimited subway network rides for their periods, and as a nice perk the clock doesn't start running until you activate your ticket for your first ride, so if you're getting an afternoon start to your sightseeing you'll be able to use your pass the next morning too. Being lower-priced, these passes don't get you into places for free like the Surutto Kansai Osaka Amazing Pass does, but they still get you admission discounts of around 10 percent at a number of attractions and museums, including the main keep of Osaka Castle and the Umeda Sky Building observatory.
Rounding out our trio of Osaka ticket passes is the Osaka Smart Access Pass (1,200 yen), which combines unlimited use of the Osaka Metro network and free rides on nearby portions of JR West lines, which aren't covered by either by the other two passes. The JR area includes the Osaka Loop Line, Yumesaki Line, and access to Shin-Osaka and JR Namba Stations, meaning it can be used for traveling to/from Universal Studios Japan (and its Super Nintendo World area), which is on the Yumesaki Line.
Full purchase details for each pass can be found on the Osaka Metro website here.
Source: Osaka Metro
Top image ©SoraNews24
Insert image: Osaka Amazing Pass official website, SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
26-07-2025
- Japan Today
These are Osaka's three best digital rail passes for travelers
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 One of the biggest Japan travel sphere bummers in recent years is the price hike for the Japan Rail Pass, which used to be the go-to choice for visitors looking to travel all across the country at an amazing discount. However, Japan still has plenty of awesome and affordable local rail passes, and today we're looking at three for Osaka. All of these are digital rail passes, meaning that you can purchase them online and use them via your phone, with no need to pick paper passes up at a service counter or dig through your wallet to pull them out every time you're going through a ticket gate. First up is the Surutto Kansai Osaka Amazing Pass, and yeah, it totally deserves that grandiose name. This is the pass for you if you want to see as much of the cool stuff that Osaka has to offer as possible. Available in 1-day (3,500 yen) or 2-day (5,000 yen) versions, this pass gives you unlimited rides on the Osaka Metro subway network, and also unlimited of the vast majority of Osaka City Bus and Hankyu, Hanshin, Keihan, Kintetsu, and Nankai train lines within Osaka City. How this pass really earns the 'awesome' part of its name, though, is by giving you free admission to nearly 40 sightseeing attractions in Osaka, including some of the city's most iconic spots and activities including the Umeda Sky Building observatory (one of Japan's best 'travel experiences in the sky'), Dotonbori river cruises, Tsutentaku Tower, and Osaka Castle. Image: Osaka Amazing Pass official website If you've got a more focused itinerary, there's also the Osaka Metro 26-hour Ticket (1,100 yen for adults, 550 yen for kids) and its more expansive sibling the Osaka Metro 48-hour Ticket (1,800/900 yen). These give you unlimited subway network rides for their periods, and as a nice perk the clock doesn't start running until you activate your ticket for your first ride, so if you're getting an afternoon start to your sightseeing you'll be able to use your pass the next morning too. Being lower-priced, these passes don't get you into places for free like the Surutto Kansai Osaka Amazing Pass does, but they still get you admission discounts of around 10 percent at a number of attractions and museums, including the main keep of Osaka Castle and the Umeda Sky Building observatory. Image: SoraNews24 Rounding out our trio of Osaka ticket passes is the Osaka Smart Access Pass (1,200 yen), which combines unlimited use of the Osaka Metro network and free rides on nearby portions of JR West lines, which aren't covered by either by the other two passes. The JR area includes the Osaka Loop Line, Yumesaki Line, and access to Shin-Osaka and JR Namba Stations, meaning it can be used for traveling to/from Universal Studios Japan (and its Super Nintendo World area), which is on the Yumesaki Line. Image: SoraNews24 Full purchase details for each pass can be found on the Osaka Metro website here. Source: Osaka Metro Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Changes to Japan rail pass make it fall out of favour with travellers -- Japan's top 10 travel experiences in the sky【Survey】 -- One of Japan's most awesome rail passes, the Seishun 18 Ticket, just got a lot less awesome External Link © SoraNews24
SoraNews24
21-07-2025
- SoraNews24
These are Osaka's three best digital rail passes for travelers
Unlimited subway rides, free admission to some of the city's best sightseeing spots, and no paper ticket you need to pick up at a service counter. One of the biggest Japan travel sphere bummers in recent years is the price hike for the Japan Rail Pass, which used to be the go-to choice for visitors looking to travel all across the country at an amazing discount. However, Japan still has plenty of awesome and affordable local rail passes, and today we're looking at three for Osaka. All of these are digital rail passes, meaning that you can purchase them online and use them via your phone, with no need to pick paper passes up at a service counter or dig through your wallet to pull them out every time you're going through a ticket gate. First up is the Surutto Kansai Osaka Amazing Pass, and yeah, it totally deserves that grandiose name. This is the pass for you if you want to see as much of the cool stuff that Osaka has to offer as possible. Available in 1-day (3,500 yen [US$24]) or 2-day (5,000 yen) versions, this pass gives you unlimited rides on the Osaka Metro subway network, and also unlimited of the vast majority of Osaka City Bus and Hankyu, Hanshin, Keihan, Kintetsu, and Nankai train lines within Osaka City. How this pass really earns the 'awesome' part of its name, though, is by giving you free admission to nearly 40 sightseeing attractions in Osaka, including some of the city's most iconic spots and activities including the Umeda Sky Building observatory (one of Japan's best 'travel experiences in the sky'), Dotonbori river cruises, Tsutentaku Tower, and Osaka Castle. If you've got a more focused itinerary, there's also the Osaka Metro 26-hour Ticket (1,100 yen for adults, 550 yen for kids) and its more expansive sibling the Osaka Metro 48-hour Ticket (1,800/900 yen). These give you unlimited subway network rides for their periods, and as a nice perk the clock doesn't start running until you activate your ticket for your first ride, so if you're getting an afternoon start to your sightseeing you'll be able to use your pass the next morning too. Being lower-priced, these passes don't get you into places for free like the Surutto Kansai Osaka Amazing Pass does, but they still get you admission discounts of around 10 percent at a number of attractions and museums, including the main keep of Osaka Castle and the Umeda Sky Building observatory. Rounding out our trio of Osaka ticket passes is the Osaka Smart Access Pass (1,200 yen), which combines unlimited use of the Osaka Metro network and free rides on nearby portions of JR West lines, which aren't covered by either by the other two passes. The JR area includes the Osaka Loop Line, Yumesaki Line, and access to Shin-Osaka and JR Namba Stations, meaning it can be used for traveling to/from Universal Studios Japan (and its Super Nintendo World area), which is on the Yumesaki Line. Full purchase details for each pass can be found on the Osaka Metro website here. Source: Osaka Metro Top image ©SoraNews24 Insert image: Osaka Amazing Pass official website, SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
SoraNews24
10-07-2025
- SoraNews24
Japan Airlines is giving away free domestic flights to international tourists
Find out how you can take advantage of this special offer. If you've been to Tokyo recently, you'll know how overly crowded it is, with record-breaking numbers of international visitors flying into Japan and making the city their first tourist destination. Meanwhile, in the Japanese countryside, however, peaceful, quiet communities with dwindling populations are crying out for tourists, and Japan Airlines (JAL) plans to get them there, by giving away free domestic plane tickets to overseas visitors. It's a win-win for international tourists, who get to snag a free plane ticket to any of JAL's 64 domestic destinations, and cities outside of Tokyo that might otherwise be overlooked or deemed too difficult to get to. Far-flung destinations like Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido, for instance, or Naha on the southern islands of Okinawa, are now more easily accessible, putting them on the radar for visitors who may have never thought to travel there before. ▼ Okinawa's tropical climate and white-sand beaches now look even more enticing. In order to take advantage of the offer, travellers must book their international flight to Japan with JAL and make the booking for the free domestic leg with the same reservation. The deal is currently available to visitors from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, China, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Travellers are encouraged to head straight from the international airport to the domestic one, with a stopover fee of US$100 for arrivals from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and a fee of CNY 300 for China arrivals, if their stay in the initial arrival city exceeds 24 hours. Other countries get an even better deal as they are exempt from this fee so they can head to their domestic destination whenever they like during their stay, free of charge. The complementary flight covers one segment of the domestic journey, which means you can arrive in Tokyo, hop on a plane to Osaka and then leisurely explore the area and surrounding sites like Kyoto by train before travelling back to Tokyo by Shinkansen for your flight home. This would ultimately save you around 13,870 yen (US$94.62), which is the approximate cost of travelling one-way from Tokyo to Osaka by Shinkansen. More intrepid explorers might want to follow the same mode of travel, only to more off-the-beaten path destinations like Kagoshima, where you can visit a convenience store at an active volcano. ▼ The beauty of Kagoshima awaits. If the free trip has you preferring to fly back to Tokyo domestically, you can do that at a special discount by taking advantage of these little-known special offers from JAL and ANA, which are also exclusively available to overseas residents. These offers open up a whole new way of travelling for visitors who previously only thought to solely use the train after arriving in Japan. With the Japan Rail Pass not as good a deal as it was before the massive price hike, travelling by plane is now an option that's definitely worth considering, and with no end-date announced for the free flight offer, there's never been a better time to start dreaming of those unexplored rural places you've always had on your bucket list and start making them a reality. Source: Japan Airlines Top image: Pakutaso Insert images ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
