Hokuriku Arch Pass: Best Alternative to the Japan Rail Pass, Connecting Tokyo to Kyoto & Osaka
In the heart of Japan lies a region of natural beauty, where rugged coastlines meet lush green landscapes, and ancient traditions blend seamlessly with modern life. Welcome to Hokuriku, a hidden paradise along Japan’s western coast. If you’ve ever dreamed of discovering this enchanting region while still having access to the iconic cities of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, the Hokuriku Arch Pass is your golden ticket.
Welcome to our Guide to the Hokuriku Arch Pass, introducing The New Golden Route. This regional pass is one of the best alternatives to the Whole Japan Rail Pass.
The Hokuriku Arch Pass offers a unique opportunity to see a side of Japan that is less traveled. It gives you access to some of the most beautiful landscapes and less visited cities.
About the Hokuriku Arch Pass
The Hokuriku Arch Pass is one of the many regional passes offered by JR. It allows 7 days of unlimited rides on transportation within the Hokuriku region. It connects Tokyo to Kyoto and Osaka via Nagano and Kanazawa. The scenic route follows an arch shape, hence the name.
Why a Regional Pass?
With the recent increase of 70% for the whole Japan Rail Pass, visitors are looking for ways to save money while still having access to the major areas they plan to visit during their trip to Japan. The Hokuriku Arch pass fills this gap by being cheaper than the whole JR Pass while still providing access to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka as well as a host of much less explored regions and cities such as Kanazawa and the Kurobe Gorge. More on both of these later.
Who can use the Hokuriku Arch Pass?
This pass can be used by foreigners visiting Japan as temporary visitors.
Exactly What is Included with the Hokuriku Arch Pass?
While the Whole Japan Rail Pass allows use of most JR trains throughout Japan, the Hokuriku Arch Pass sticks to a specific route using a regional rail pass. If you veer off the designated route, you will need to pay separately for transportation.
Currently, the Hokuriku Arch is served partially by the Hokuriku Shinkansen line, which stretches from Tokyo as far as Kanazawa.
The remainder of the arch is served by the Limited Express Thunderbird.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen is being extended from Kanazawa to Tsuruga Station, with a scheduled opening date of March 16, 2024. This will cut the time it takes to get from Tokyo to Fukui by 30 minutes and to Tsuruga by nearly an hour. This means you will also get to Kyoto and Osaka faster, as well.
The names of the Shinkansen bullet trains that run on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line are: KAGAYAKI, HAKUTAKA, ASAMA, and TSURUGI.
The Hokuriku Arch Pass allows for unlimited rides in either non-reserved or reserved ordinary cars of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, as well as JR Express Trains, Rapid Services, and local trains on the designated route.
Within the Tokyo Metropolitan area, the pass includes the Tokyo ward area shown in this map. This includes the Yamanote loop line plus some additional branches.
It also includes trains within the Kansai area, covering Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Kobe.
The best way to check which trains are included is to install the Japan Travel by Navitime app on your phone and set it to filter for the Hokuriku Arch Pass.
Some of the covered trains are reserved only, including the Kagayaki Shinkansen, as well as the Limited Express trains: Kinosaki, Hashidate, Narita Express, and others. For these trains, be sure to make seat reservations before proceeding to the platform.
Example Itinerary Using the Hokuriku Arch Pass, Tokyo to Osaka
Here’s an example of how you could use the Hokuriku Arch Pass.
Fly into Tokyo.
If you land at Narita airport, take the Narita Express to Tokyo Station. This is included in the pass.
If you land at Haneda airport, take the Tokyo Monorail to Hamamatsucho Station > JR Keihintohoku Line > Tokyo Station. This is also included in the pass.
Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kanazawa.
Take the Limited Express Thunderbird from Kanazawa to Kyoto.
You can continue on from Kyoto to Osaka with the Limited Express Thunderbird.
If you want, you technically could arch back to Tokyo. However, this pass is best used one direction because currently it takes nearly 5 hours to travel from Tokyo Station to Kyoto Station on the arch. Once the extension of the Shinkansen is in operation in March 2024 it will shave nearly an hour off the total time. But you will still need to change from the shinkansen to the Thunderbird at Tsuruga station.
We recommend flying out of Osaka (Kansai airport).
You can take the Haruka Express to Kansai Airport which is included with the pass.
Alternatively, you could do the arch the other direction, flying into Osaka and out of Tokyo.
Sites to See in Cities in the Hokuriku Region
Nagano is famous for hosting the 1998 Winter Olympics and also for snow monkeys bathing in hot springs. It’s an outdoor paradise. There is beautiful hiking in the summer. You can take side trips to places like Matsumoto. More on that in a moment.
Toyama is a coastal city that is a popular stop for tourists headed to Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.
Kanazawa is a seaside city on the west coast of Japan that has a rich cultural heritage. We highly recommend a stroll through Kenrokuen, which is considered one of Japan’s 3 most beautiful gardens. The garden is located right next to the Kanazawa castle grounds. Kanazawa is also known for its samurai history. You can visit Nagamachi Samurai District which will send you back in time. There is also no shortage of museums.
Kanazawa is a good launching point to other places such Gifu, Shirakawa-go or Kurobe Gorge.
Fukui is a picturesque prefecture further south from Kanazawa.
Eiheiji is one of Japan’s two main temples of the Soto school of Zen Buddhism that’s hidden in the forest. Visitors can explore the temple complex, meditate, and observe the austere lifestyle of Buddhist monks. We highly recommend visiting. We did pay separately for the bus ride there.
Fukui Prefecture is famous for dinosaur fossils. The Fukui Dinosaur Museum is Japan’s leading dinosaur museum, featuring a wide range of exhibits and interactive displays. It just reopened after renovation right after our visit to Fukui.
Tsuruga is a port area known for its seafood.
It will become a major stop for travelers along the HS as this will be the final stop of the Shinkansen as of March 16, 2024. From here change to the Thunderbird Express which will take 53 minutes from Tsuruga to Kyoto and 1:18 to reach Osaka.
How to Use the Hokuriku Arch Pass
The Hokuriku Arch Pass is the size and shape of a train ticket and can be inserted into automatic ticket gates. You can also use it at ticket machines to reserve seats.
How much does the Hokuriku Arch Pass Cost?
The current price of the Hokuriku Arch Pass is 25,500 Yen (USD $170) per adult and 12,750 Yen (USD $85) per child.
The price of the Hokuriku Arch Pass is expected to increase once the extension of the shinkansen line is open in March 2024. We do not know what this amount is yet but based on other increases to regional passes expect the increase in price to be at least 1500 yen for an adult ticket, possibly more, since this includes a new section of the shinkansen.
You can pre-order your pass on Klook within 90 days of redeeming it in Japan. We appreciate the commissions we earn when you purchase through our Klook affiliate link.
What is excluded from the pass?
Please note that the Hokuriku Arch Pass does NOT include the Tokaido Shinkansen, which connects Tokyo directly to Kyoto and Osaka.
There are some gorgeous places in Hokuriku that are not located directly on the Hokuriku Arch. You may want to take side trips to these destinations, paying separately for the transportation.
Matsumoto
We took a side trip from Nagano to visit Matsumoto, paying separately for the Express train to Matsumoto.
The black and white Matsumoto Castle is one of our favorite castles in Japan. It is beautiful from the outside, and you can also climb the narrow stairway inside the castle for a view of the grounds and city.
Although a bit difficult to reach, the Gofukuji Buddhist Temple is my favorite in all of Japan. I love the wooden structures and serene setting.
You can also visit Naraijuku post town, which is located on the Nakasendo Trail.
Or enjoy hiking or skiing in Kamikochi.
And there is also a Yayoi Kusama Museum in the city of Matsumoto.
Kurobe Gorge
We also took a side trip from Kanazawa to visit the breathtaking Kurobe Gorge. It was completely unexpected and just a wonderful day trip. We will make a separate video explaining how to get to Kurobe Gorge. It’s worth a visit!
Shirakawa-go and Ainokura
Another possible side trip from Kanazawa is to visit the world heritage villages of Shirakawa-go and Ainokura. Shirakawa-go can be reached by tourist bus, while Ainokura is better reached by renting a car in Kanazawa. We visited both of these sites on a separate trip and we rented a car which made it very easy and accessible. Both of these villages are highly recommended.
Summary
While the Hokuriku Arch Pass will get you from Tokyo to Kyoto/Osaka ( the new golden route ), it’s really about soaking in the journey. You can easily spend the entire 7 days exploring sites along the way. We will make separate episodes on how to get to the Kurobe Gorge and things to see and do in the Matsumoto area.