Sanyo-San'in Northern Kyushu Pass
JR trains from Kansai across Chugoku and San'in to northern Kyushu, including the Sanyo Shinkansen and the Kyushu Shinkansen to Kumamoto, for 7 days
JR West
Adults from¥26,000Price checked 2026/11/12
Provider prices may differ from the price above. Booking through our links earns us a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Fares
| Ticket | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| 7 consecutive days | ¥26,000¥3,714 a day | ¥13,000¥1,857 a day |
Child fares are for ages 6 to 11. From age 12, the adult fare applies. Each pass holder can bring up to two children aged 1 to 5 for free; a third needs a child pass, as does a young child who takes a reserved seat or travels alone. Babies under 1 ride free. Age is counted on the date the exchange order is issued or the pass is bought.
Prices depend on the date you buy the pass, not the date you use it.
Is the Sanyo-San'in Northern Kyushu Pass worth it?
- You ride the shinkansen from Osaka to Fukuoka and back within the week: that alone costs ¥32,040.
- You add side trips from the Sanyo Shinkansen, such as Nagasaki, Yufuin or Izumo, on top of the Osaka to Fukuoka run.
- You start at Kansai Airport and end in Kyushu, so the Haruka and the shinkansen both count.
- You go one way only from Osaka to Hiroshima, which costs ¥10,950 without the pass.
- Your trip is mostly Tokyo to Kyoto or Kagoshima: the Tokaido Shinkansen and the Kyushu Shinkansen south of Kumamoto are not covered.
- You stay in one or two cities and ride mostly subways and buses.
Fares are regular-season reserved-seat fares; seat charges run about ¥200 lower off season and up to ¥400 higher at peak times.
What's covered
- The Sanyo Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Hakata, including the Nozomi and Mizuho
- The Kyushu Shinkansen between Hakata and Kumamoto, and the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen between Takeo-Onsen and Nagasaki
- Limited expresses such as the Haruka, Yakumo, Super Hakuto and Yufuin no Mori
- JR West and JR Kyushu local and rapid trains in the area: Kansai, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi and San'in, and in Kyushu to Nagasaki, Sasebo, Huis Ten Bosch, Kumamoto, Aso, Oita, Beppu and Yufuin
- The Chizu Express, the Kyoto Tango Railway to Amanohashidate, and the JR West Miyajima Ferry
- Buses: West Japan JR Bus route buses, JR Bus Chugoku route buses and the Super Hagi bus, and the JR Kyushu Bus Hitahikosan Line BRT
- Reserved seats in ordinary cars, as many as you like; from the 7th booking, reserve at a ticket office
- The Tokaido Shinkansen, and the Kyushu Shinkansen south of Kumamoto
- The Twilight Express Mizukaze, the Seven Stars in Kyushu and the Aru Ressha
- The Fukuoka City Subway between Hakata and Fukuoka Airport
- B&S Miyazaki buses and Kyoto City buses
- Green Cars and sleeper cars, and paid seats such as the A-seat on Kansai trains
- Ferries other than the JR West Miyajima Ferry, and the Miyajima visitor tax
How to use it
The pass runs for 7 consecutive days, from 0:00 on the first day to 24:00 on the last. If it runs out while you are on a train, you can finish that trip as long as you don't leave the station.
Reserve seats before you board, at a ticket machine or ticket office, or online if you bought the pass through JR-WEST ONLINE TRAIN RESERVATION. Some trains have reserved seats only, including JR Kyushu's Yufuin no Mori, Aso Boy!, A-Train, Kawasemi Yamasemi and Two Stars 4047. On the Sanyo Shinkansen, luggage over 160 cm in total needs a seat with an oversized baggage area.
On the Miyajima Ferry, you pay the island's ¥100 visitor tax when you board. If you arrive at Yonago Airport with an exchange order or e-ticket, exchange it at Yonago Station. Carry your passport with the pass, as staff may ask to see it.
Before you buy
The pass is for holders of a foreign passport who enter Japan as a Temporary Visitor. Japanese nationals can't use it, even with permanent residence abroad. You can hold only one of the same pass for the same dates.
There are three ways to buy it. Travel agencies outside Japan sell an MCO exchange order, which you exchange for the pass in Japan within 3 months, showing your passport. JR-WEST ONLINE TRAIN RESERVATION takes bookings from 10:00 (Japan time) one month before your first day; you pay by credit card and collect the pass at a station ticket machine, if your passport has an IC chip, or at a ticket office. JR ticket offices and travel agencies in Japan sell it up to one month ahead.
Refunds: an unused pass can be refunded for 10% of the price, at least ¥220. An exchange order goes back to the overseas agency that sold it; a pass already issued can only be refunded at an exchange office in Japan. There are no refunds once the pass is in use.
Questions
Does the Sanyo-San'in Northern Kyushu Pass cover the shinkansen to Kumamoto and Nagasaki?
Yes. It covers the Sanyo Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Hakata, the Kyushu Shinkansen from Hakata to Kumamoto, and the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen from Takeo-Onsen to Nagasaki.
Can I go to Kagoshima with it?
No. The Kyushu Shinkansen south of Kumamoto is not covered.
Does it cover the Yufuin no Mori?
Yes, in reserved seats. The Yufuin no Mori has reserved seats only, so book before you board.
Does it cover the subway from Hakata to Fukuoka Airport?
No. The Fukuoka City Subway is not covered.
Are seat reservations free?
Yes, as many as you like. From the 7th booking, reserve at a JR ticket office.
Do children need their own pass?
Children aged 6 to 11 need a child pass, ¥13,000. Up to two children aged 1 to 5 ride free with each pass holder.
You might also like
Kaikai Yokai Festival
Uzumasa Kyoto Village (Toei Kyoto Studio Park) fills with yokai every autumn: two evening parades, dance shows, daily yokai greetings and limited yokai food.
12 Sep – 29 Nov 2026Kyoto
Bungu Joshi Haku in Osaka
One of Japan's largest stationery fairs, held in Osaka, where makers and shops sell pens, notebooks, planners and decorative stationery.
5–8 Mar 2027Exact date not confirmed yetOsaka
teamLab: Digitized Fukuoka Castle Ruins 2026-2027
A night-time art exhibition by teamLab among the stone walls of Fukuoka Castle Ruins, where the works change with wind, rain and the people walking through.
30 Oct 2026 – 11 Jan 2027Fukuoka
Uzumasa Kyoto Village
A theme park on the open-air period-drama sets of the Toei Kyoto Studio in Uzumasa, laid out as the streets of Edo-period Kyoto and still used for filming.
Kyoto
Universal Studios Japan
A movie and entertainment theme park in Osaka, opened in 2001, with areas built on Super Mario, Harry Potter, the Minions and Jurassic Park.
Osaka
Future Train Kyoto Diner & Cafe
Future Train on Kyoto's Umekoji viaduct is Japan's first restaurant on a disused railway, featuring a repurposed Limited Express Thunderbird train car.
Kyoto