When planning a short trip to Japan, the first thing that I check out is whether there is a multi-day train pass.
Japan Railways (JR), the most recognized train operator, offers a convenient regional pass for Wakayama, Kumano, Mie, and some areas of Nagoya, Osaka, and Nara Prefectures.
This pass is called the JR Regional Ise-Kumano-Wakayama Area Tourist Pass and lasts for 5 consecutive days. It covers JR train lines, some non-JR bus lines, bicycle rentals, and more.
Is the pass worth it? Justin and I think the pass is an excellent value to visit many places in 5 days. We had the chance to visit less-touristy places, such as Wakayama, Kumano Kodo, Kii Peninsula, Ise, Toba, and more.
We’ll share the details about the JR Ise-Kumano-Wakayama Area pass, such as the pros and cons of using it, what is included, and where we went. Our guide will help you decide whether you’ll need the pass in the future.
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Quick Pros/Cons of 5 Day Ise-Kumano-Wakayama Area JR Pass
Don’t have time to read the post? Here is a quick snapshot of the top reasons and things to consider about the train pass.
Pros
- Super easy and convenient to use.
- The pass includes JR train lines, Wakayama Electric Railway, Mie Kotsu buses, Kumano Gobo Nankai buses, and bicycle rentals.
- Can reserve seating up to 4 times.
Cons
- You’ll need to plan your route ahead of time.
- The local trains are slow and not as frequent in the remote areas.
- You need to use the pass for 5 consecutive days. Breaks are not allowed.
Benefits of the Pass (Pros)
The pass can save you money.
The pass costs 16,500 yen for adults and 8,250 yen for children (ages 6 to 11 years). Foreign visitors must show their passports and must have a tourist entry stamp.
TIP: Create a 5 day plan on where to go and the nearest JR station. Calculate the cost between the stations and check to see if it’s worth the price of the pass. We use the JR West Timetable and Route Finder for the train schedule and cost of the ride.
For example, we traveled from Wakayama to Kii Katsuura on a limited express train and needed to reserve a ticket. The ticket cost was 5,940 yen for one person!
After adding the local trains and bus rides, we spent 16,610 yen – only 110 yen over the original purchase price of 16,500 yen.
So, we didn’t save too much, but it was convenient. This brings us to the next point…
These are the JR Ise-Kumano-Wakayama Area Tourist Passes that we used during our trip
The pass saves you time!
If you don’t want to figure out the price of the ride or use the ticket machine, the pass solves these headaches.
Once you have the pass, place your ticket into the turnstiles to enter and depart the station. It’s very easy!
How to Get Your Pass
Step 1: Buy the pass online. You’ll receive a physical voucher sent to your home. We bought this exact pass on Klook. It was cheaper than buying directly from the JR Pass website.
Step 2: Redeem your JR voucher at a JR ticket office, such as Kansai Airport Station. Show your passport.
Step 3: Receive a light green train ticket with the start and end date and insert at the ticket machines. Do not lose the ticket.
The pass includes many transportation from trains, buses, and bicycle rentals.
As mentioned earlier, this pass covers all JR train lines in the region such as local, rapid, express, and limited express. Shinkansen (high speed bullet trains) are not included in the pass.
Some limited express trains require reserved seating, such as the Wide View Nanki, Kuroshio, and Express “Mie” train services. So you can reserve up to 4 times with the pass.
When we had the pass, it used to be 6 times, but it was recently changed. The only time we had reserved seating was from Wakayama to Kii-Katsuura Station, and the rest were local trains.
It also has a free round-trip ride along the Wakayama Electric Railway’s Kishigawa Line. There is a super popular and adorable cat train that is a must visit. The train travels between Wakayama and Kishi Station. We’ll have a blog post about our experience.
If visiting Mie Prefecture, the Mie Kotsu buses are covered for the routes – Geku-Naiku line, Ise/Futami/Toba Excursion Bus “CAN Bus,” Owase station－Washige, Owase station – Segiyama – Kumano Kodo Center, Kumanoshi station－Senmaida and Tori-toge pass entrance. We probably could have used the pass to travel by local bus in Ise, but I didn’t look into this too closely.
For those visiting Nachi Falls, you’ll have access to the Kumano Gobo Nankai Bus line from Katsuura station－Nachisan, Shingu station – Hongu Taisha-front, Shingu station－Koguchi. We used this bus line to visit Daimonzaka and Nachi Falls.
There are also free bicycle rentals (“Ekirin-kun”) from Wakayama, Kii Tanabe, and Shirahama Station. We didn’t get a chance to do this as it rained most of the day on our Wakayama trip.
Things to Consider About the Pass (Cons)
You’ll need to calculate if the pass is worth the price.
So, planning is required. We mentioned in the section on creating an itinerary as you’ll need to figure out which JR stations you’ll visit and calculate the cost between stations.
If you’re the go-with-the-flow type of traveler, then it’s better to buy individual train tickets and use an IC card such as Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA, etc.
Due to the remote area, the local trains are slow and less frequent.
You’ll need to consider the transportation and wait time during your planning. Many smaller, unmanned stations have a local train that comes only once an hour!
Each day, we used Google Maps to check the train schedule and planned our day from there.
The pass does not cover Shinkansens (high speed bullet trains).
If you want to use any Shinkansens, you’ll need to pay out of pocket.
For example, if traveling between Nagoya and Osaka, the pass only allows local train usage. There isn’t a direct route, so you’ll take at least 3 hours 11 minutes and a few transfers versus 1 hour on a Shinkansen. While the long travel isn’t ideal, it’s the only way to save money and use the pass.
Cost
16,500 yen for Adults and 8,250 yen for Children (ages 6 to 11)
Where to Buy the Pass
Buy the pass directly from the JR ticket website or an approved third-party vendor, such as Klook.
We bought the pass from Klook. We use Klook to buy theme park tickets, attractions, and train passes for our numerous Japan trips. They’re a reputable company and we’ve never had any issues with them. Klook may also give special free items with your order, such as an eSIM.
Read more about our JR Northern Kyushu Pass Experience here.
Since we needed to exchange a physical voucher for the pass at a JR Ticket Office, Klook delivered the voucher to our apartment in Vietnam. It arrived in a few days.
Where We Traveled With the Pass
We went to the following places in 5 days. It was a fast trip! We will write about each place that we visited and will update this section with links to blog posts.
Note: Your itinerary may look different depending on your starting and ending location.
Day 1 – Activated the pass. Went from Kansai Airport to Wakayama. Explored Wakayama for the day.
Visit Wakayama Castle in Wakayama when using the JR Regional Pass
Stayed overnight in Wakayama. We stayed at Wakayama’s Dormy Inn, located near the Wakayama Station.
Check availability for Dormy Inn on Booking.com here.
Click here to find availability for Dormy Inn on Agoda.
Day 2 – Traveled to Kii Katsuura. We hiked Kumano Kodo from Daimonzaka and visited Nachi Falls.
Stayed overnight in Kii Katsuura at Why Kumano, located across from the Katsuura train station.
Click here to check availability for Why Kumano on Booking.
Find availability for Why Kumano on Agoda here.
Day 3 – Went to Shingu and the National Natural Monument Onigajo Cliff.
Before visiting Onigajo Cliffside, you’re welcomed by two demon statues at the entrance
Stayed overnight in Matsusaka at Just Inn, a 5 minute walk from Matsusaka Station.
Click here to read reviews on Just Inn and find availability on Booking.com.
Check availability for Just Inn on Agoda here.
Day 4 – Traveled to Futamiokitama Shrine, Toba, and Ise. Stayed overnight in Matsusaka.
Day 5 – Left Matsusaka via local trains to Osaka.
Stayed overnight in Osaka. We stayed overnight at Osaka Marriott Miyako, located across from Tennoji Station. We used a certificate for a free night, so we didn’t need to pay for the room.
Click this link to find availability at Osaka Marriott Miyako on Booking.
Find availability for Osaka Marriott on Agoda.
Final Thoughts
We enjoyed our time in Wakayama, Kumano, and Mie Prefecture. After visiting Osaka and Tokyo many times, it was a nice change to explore a more relaxed and less touristy remote area.
Thank you to the JR Regional Ise-Kumano-Wakayama Area Tourist Pass for encouraging us to visit here for 5 days!
While we broke even with the pass, it was super convenient and worth it for the various transportation options.
Will you be using this pass in the future? Let us know in the comment section if you have any questions.
Check out our other tourist train passes that we’ve written about:
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