Kintetsu Rail Pass/Kintetsu Rail Pass WIDEThe Kintetsu Rail Pass is a good deal for those traveling within a wide area around Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, and Nagoya over five days or so.
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Getting Around Osaka
Subways and trains are the best way to get around Osaka.
A prepaid Icoca card is the BEST way to pay for transport (but a Suica or Pasmo card from Tokyo will also work just fine).
If you're sightseeing in Osaka for a day or 2, get the OSAKA AMAZING PASS. If you're staying in Osaka or Kyoto and visiting other Kansai cities over NON-CONSECUTIVE days, get a KANSAI THRU PASS. If you're staying in Osaka or Kyoto and visiting other Kansai cities over CONSECUTIVE days, get a JR WEST KANSAI RAIL PASS.
Prepaid cards (aka smart/chip cards) are the best way to pay for transport and many other things in Osaka and the rest of Japan. The Osaka version is called Icoca and it works across Japan. Suica and Pasmo cards also work in Osaka.
The JR pass is only worth it if you travel through different cities, if you are just travelling to Tokyo to Kyoto for example, I would just pay on the Suica. You can do the online calculator or just use google to calculate which trip is easier - paying individually on Suica or getting a JR Pass.
Smart cards like Icoca, Suica and Pasmo are generally valid across Japan, so don't worry about which one you buy. You can use Icoca/Pasmo/Suica for all trains, subways and buses in Osaka. You can also use Icoca/Pasmo/Suica at many shops, especially convenience stores.
With a one-day ticket, you can ride the Osaka Metro and Osaka City Bus (excluding some routes), as well as the Hankyu, Hanshin, Keihan, Kintetsu, and Nankai train lines running within Osaka City. Two-day tickets are limited to the use of the Metro and City Bus (all lines).
It's known for having some of the best food in Japan and it offers plenty to do for first-time visitors. If it's your first trip and you don't have a lot of time, then I'd say that 3 days in Osaka is ideal. It'll give you enough time to see the city's top attractions without feeling rushed.
Kansai Airport Taxi CostMany taxi companies do also offer a fixed rate fare to popular destinations, which you would need to arrange prior to your transfer. The average cost of a Kansai airport taxi shuttle to the city of Osaka will be about €120 (JPY 16,000).
For a limited time only, you can buy a Japan Rail Pass from certain train stations and airports in Japan. Travelers should be aware it is more expensive to buy a JR Pass in Japan than to purchase the pass online.
Unless you plan to ride a LOT of JR trains during your trip, you'll almost certainly save money by buying individual train tickets instead a Japan Rail Pass. You can buy shinkansen tickets online (before or after arrival) on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines (between Tokyo,Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Hakata).
The JAPAN RAIL PASS is not valid for any seats, reserved or non-reserved, on “NOZOMI” and “MIZUHO” trains on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen lines. (The pass holders must take “HIKARI,” “SAKURA,” “KODAMA,” or “TSUBAME” trains.)
The JR Nara line takes 45 minutes by express train or 70 minutes if you catch a local train from Kyoto Station. It's covered by the JR Pass but the price is 690 yen if you don't have one. This is the best way to get from Kyoto to Nara if you have the Japan Rail Pass.
Osaka Castle is easily accessible from the JR Osakajokoen Station. Use your Japan Rail Pass to access the station. For example, you can travel from Namba to Osakajokoen Station on the JR West Osaka Loop Line. Exit the station to the west and cross into the Osaka Castle Park.