Introducing the Osaka Amazing Pass discount ticket and a recommended sightseeing route

The Osaka Amazing Pass is a rail pass that also offers free admission or discounted entry at some of the city’s most popular attractions. It allows you to use nine lines of the Osaka Metro (not JR services) and most of the Osaka City Bus lines, as well as the Hankyu Railway, the Hanshin Electric Railway, the Keihan Railway, the Kintetsu Railway, and the Nankai Electric Railway.

Osaka Metro

It’s designed with a barcode that you simply scan at the entrance to sightseeing attractions or the automatic ticket gates of the railway and subway stations. If the facilities don’t have automatic ticket gates, you can present your Osaka Amazing Pass at the counter.

When you purchase the pass, you’ll also receive a coupon book offering discounts at more than 25 tourist facilities and eateries, including the Hard Rock Cafe and traditional okonomiyaki restaurants. It’s essential to be aware that the daily passes are valid from the first train/bus service of the day to the last one, rather than offering free travel for 24 hours.

The Osaka Amazing Pass can be purchased at Osaka Metro sales offices where travel passes are sold, as well as the tourist information centers and hotels around the city. In addition to the pass, you’ll also receive a guidebook or can download the Osaka Amazing Pass App to learn more about the included attractions and using the pass.

>>You can buy tickets in advance at Voyajin.

Voyajin

If you arrive in the city by Shinkansen, the Travel Service Center Shin-Osaka on the 3rd floor of JR Shin-Osaka Station is an excellent spot to buy an Osaka Amazing Pass and is easy to find. Those arriving at Kansai International Airport can purchase an Osaka Amazing Pass at the Kansai Tourist Information Center within the airport terminal.

Kansai International Airport

Remember, the pass begins when you first scan it at the ticket gate. So if you want to spend a full day’s sightseeing and are arriving in the afternoon, you may want to wait until the following morning to activate it.

The standard, one-day Osaka Amazing Pass costs 2,700 yen, but there are also two-day passes available for 3,600 yen. No children’s prices are available as they already enjoy heavily discounted or free entrance to many of the city’s sights and on Osaka’s public transport services.

In addition to the standard Osaka Amazing Pass, there are expanded area editions that cover other regions, although these are not handled by the Osaka Metro. So before you purchase a pass, determine which one is best for you and suits your travel plans.

If you’re traveling from Kansai International Airport and planning on visiting the UNESCO World Heritage-listed mounded tombs of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, then the Nankai-Kansai Airport Edition (3,400 yen) is a good option. The Hankyu Expansion Edition (3,100 yen) is ideal for those wanting to visit Minō and the Meiji no Mori Minō Quasi-National Park, as well as the shrines and springs of Kobe.

The Hanshin Expansion Edition (3,100 yen) also covers Kobe and the famous baseball park, Koshien Stadium, while the Expo'70 Commemorative Park Edition (3,200 yen) offers unlimited rides on the Osaka Monorail, which provides access to the Expo'70 Commemorative Park.

Official Web: Osaka CastleOsaka Amazing Pass

Even if you’re only visiting a few of the places covered by the Osaka Amazing Pass, it’s a cost-effective option for sightseeing in the city. For example, if you use the Osaka Metro twice to visit the Osaka Castle (600 yen), enjoy a ride on the Tombori River Cruise (900 yen) and soak up the views from the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel (800 yen), the pass will have already paid for itself.

So imagine how much you could save with a full day’s sightseeing on the one-day Osaka Amazing Pass! To help you plan, we’ll outline a suggested route to make the most of your pass. It’s important to know that the Osaka Metro is the main means of getting around the city as there is no JR system, so the Osaka Amazing Pass is also useful for those planning on purchasing a JR Pass.

• Begin your visit at the Osaka Castle, which opens at 9:00 am. Take in the views from the Main Tower and step inside the reconstructed Golden Tea Room, then photograph the castle from the scenic Nishinomaru Garden.
The Osaka Castle usually costs 600 yen to enter, and the Nishinoamru Garden costs 200 yen, with both free with the Osaka Amazing Pass.

Osaka Castle

• Once you’ve built up an appetite, head to the popular okonomiyaki restaurant Botejyu where you’ll receive a 10% discount on their delicious pancakes, then enjoy a cruise on the Dotombori Canal to explore Osaka from the water.
The cruise usually cost 900 yen but is free with the Osaka Amazing Pass, while an average saving on lunch at Botejyu is around 80 yen.

Dotombori Canal to explore

• After your cruise, get ready to be entertained by one of Osaka’s comedy live shows that are included in the Osaka Amazing Pass. Dotonbori ZAZA POCKET’S holds performances throughout the day, and you don’t have to make reservations, so it’s a great option if you just want to show up.
Tickets for ZAZA Comedy Live usually cost 1,800 yen but are free with the Osaka Amazing Pass.

• Ride the Osaka Metro to the bayside area and board the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel, whose glass gondolas offer spectacular views across the city. It’s a short stroll from the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, where you can get up close to marine species from around the globe, including whale sharks.
The Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel usually costs 800 yen and is free with the Osaka Amazing Pass, while pass holders will receive a 100 yen discount for entry into the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

• End your day watching an unforgettable sunset across Osaka from the Umeda Sky Building’s Floating Garden Observatory. It offers Osaka Amazing Pass holders free entry until 6:00 pm, with entrance usually costing 1,500 yen.

Umeda sky building

The price of visiting these attractions without the Osaka Amazing Pass is 5,980, while transportation between them costs around 900 yen, making a total of 6,800 yen. When you consider the Osaka Amazing Pass only costs 2,700 yen, this is a saving of 4,180 yen.

Read more: The Ultimate Osaka Guide 2020; What to Do and What to Eat

By using the Japan Travel by NAVITIME Train & Route Finder, and selecting ‘Osaka Amazing Pass’ in the ‘Several Pass / Tickets selected’ menu, you can search exclusively for routes that are free to use for Osaka Amazing Pass holders.

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