The Hokuriku Arch Pass: Taking the Slow Route Between Tokyo and Osaka

The journey from Tokyo to Osaka and Kyoto is quick and easy on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen — but it’s also expensive, and you miss a lot along the way. An alternative is to take a slower, meandering route via Nagano, Kanazawa, and the Japan Sea coast — using the money-saving Hokuriku Arch Pass to ride the Hokuriku Shinkansen.

Update: As of March 16, 2024, you can take the Hokuriku Shinkansen as far as Fukui Prefecture. Read on to see what exactly you can do with the Hokuriku Arch Pass, including a sample itinerary.

What is the Hokuriku Arch Pass?

The Hokuriku Arch Pass is a joint rail pass from JR East and JR West, and costs ¥30,000. It covers unlimited rail travel — like the classic, country-wide Japan Rail Pass — but only on select rail lines. Fortunately, those select rail lines chart a pretty good route, one that takes you to both major destinations and less-visited, but super interesting ones. And you still get to ride the Shinkansen!

The Hokuriku Arch Pass at a glance

Note: Previously, the Hokuriku Arch Pass had two different prices — one for passes purchased in Japan and a cheaper price for passes purchased outside of Japan. Now there is just one price, regardless of where you buy the pass.

What is “Hokuriku”?

Hokuriku is the name for a region of Honshū (Japan’s main island) on the Japan Sea coast, comprising the prefectures of Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama, and (sometimes) Niigata. The region is known for traditional culture, top-tier seafood, and unspoiled nature.

What is covered by the Hokuriku Arch Pass?

The Hokuriku Arch Pass gives you unlimited travel on the following trains:

• All Hokuriku Shinkansen trains between Tokyo and Kanazawa, plus the new extension to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture
• JR Limited Express Thunderbird trains between Kanazawa and Osaka via Kaga Onsen, Fukui, and Kyoto (among other stops)
• JR Ōito Line trains between Itoigawa and Minami-Otari (for Itoigawa Geopark)
• JR Nanao Line trains between Kanazawa and Wakura Onsen on the Noto Peninsula
• Kansai area JR trains connecting Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Kōbe
• Central Tokyo JR trains such as the Yamanote (loop) line and the Chūō-Sōbu (central) line
• JR Narita Express (N’EX) limited express trains between Tokyo and Narita Airport
• JR Haruka limited express trains between Osaka/Kyoto and Kansai International Aiport (KIX)
• Tokyo Monorail trains between Tokyo and Haneda Airport

These are all the trains you need to travel between Tokyo and Osaka via Kanazawa. Plus, it also covers trains between the major cities in the Kansai region (e.g. Osaka to Kyoto), and airport connections in both Tokyo and Kansai.

What is NOT included in the Hokuriku Arch Pass?

As with all rail passes, it’s just as important to know what is not covered by the pass. Of special note, the following are not included in the Hokuriku Arch Pass:

• Travel on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen — the most direct route between Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto. The only rail pass to cover the Tōkaidō Shinkansen is the classic, national Japan Rail Pass
• Municipal transport other than on JR lines. The pass does not cover rides on the subway in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, or Kōbe (none of the JR passes do)
• Buses. The Hokuriku Arch Pass does not cover travel on any buses — JR, local, or otherwise
• Travel on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. While the Hokuriku Arch Pass covers travel to Toyama and Nagano — the two convenient access points for the route on the Hokuriku Shinkansen — it does not cover travel along the actual route

Note: The Hokuriku Arch Pass is one of many (many!) regional rail passes that are available as alternatives to the classic Japan Rail Pass — the one that covers travel around the whole country. The regional rail passes are cheaper than the national pass, so the cheapo trick here is to see if you can save a little money with a regional pass.

Where can I go with the Hokuriku Arch Pass?

A lot of really great places! There’s Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, as well as Nara, and Kōbe, plus some places you might not be as familiar with. Highlights along the Hokuriku Shinkansen include:

• Karuizawa — a mountain resort with cafés, shopping, and hot springs
• Nagano — mountain vistas, Zenkōji Temple, and soba noodles
• Itoigawa — a coastal city in Niigata Prefecture, with fascinating geology
• Kurobe Gorge — stunning alpine scenery in Toyama Prefecture, reached via the cute Kurobe Gorge Railway (extra cost)
• Kanazawa — the famous Japanese garden Kenrokuen, art museums, a historic geisha district, and traditional crafts
• Noto Peninsula — terraced rice fields and salt farms (*in recovery following the January 2024 Noto earthquake)
• Kaga Onsen — hot springs at the foot of Mt. Hakusan
• Fukui — landmark Zen temple Eiheiji, plus a castle, cliffs, and must-see dinosaur museum

Scroll down for a sample itinerary, tried and tested by yours truly.

Where can I buy a Hokuriku Arch Pass?

The easiest way to get a Hokuriku Arch Pass is by buying one online. An exchange order will be delivered to your home or hotel — simply take this to the ticket office or travel center at any major JR train station, and exchange it for the actual pass.

When you do the exchange, you can indicate the date on which you’d like the pass to be activated. It can be the same day, or a future date. Once it’s activated, though, the clock starts running and your 7 days are on!

If you’re booking through a travel agent, you should be able to order the pass through them, too.

Important: Only foreign passport holders entering Japan on a temporary (e.g. “tourist”) visa are eligible for the Hokuriku Arch Pass.

Is the Hokuriku Arch Pass worth it?

Yes. If you travel to the full extent of the pass, you will save money — compared to the cost of buying individual tickets. But you need to do some planning.

Usually, the cost of traveling from Tokyo to Tsuruga Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen is ¥16,360. And the cost of traveling from Tsuruga Station to Kyoto on the JR limited express Thunderbird is ¥3,420. So that’s a total cost of ¥19,780 one way between Tokyo and Kyoto. Add on about ¥580 to get to Osaka.

So if you’re planning a round trip between Tokyo and Kyoto or Osaka, you’ll definitely see savings. But, if you’re only traveling in one direction, the value of the pass depends on the number of excursions and stops you make along the way. For example, if you travel from Tokyo to Kyoto (or Osaka), stopping off at Karuizawa, Nagano, Itoigawa, Kanazawa, and Fukui along the way, the total cost for all of those Shinkansen rides comes to over ¥30,000.

We’ve made some fare charts for you to check. You might also want to make use of our Shinkansen fare calculator.

Sample Hokuriku Shinkansen fares (one way, with reserved seats)

Note: The fastest train on the Hokuriku Shinkansen is the Kagayaki and will shave around 30 minutes off your journey compared to the slower trains when going to Kanazawa and Fukui. Note that Kagayaki does not stop at Karuizawa or Itoigawa.

Sample Limited Express Thunderbird fares

Hokuriku Arch Pass vs. Japan Rail Pass

Before commiting to the Hokuriku Arch Pass, perhaps you’d like to know how it compares to other rail passes? The classic, nationwide rail pass costs ¥50,000 for 7 days of unlimited travel on all JR lines around the country. This means you can ride the Tōkaidō Shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka, as well as all the trains covered by the Hokuriku Arch Pass (and then some). But it’s quite a jump in price.

There are other regional passes to consider, too. For example, the 5-day Nagano & Niigata Area Pass from JR East (¥27,000) covers travel on the Hokuriku Shinkansen as far as Jōetsu Myōkō Station, as well as trains that can take you on worthwhile excursions from Tokyo.

The 7-day Kansai–Hokuriku Area Pass from JR West (¥19,000) covers the route between Kansai and Kanazawa, travel onwards to Kinosaki Onsen, the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Kanazawa and Jōetsu Myōkō Station, and also Kansai area trains. You could even consider stacking the passes, but that would only allow for travel in one direction.

Sample journey with the Hokuriku Arch Pass

Jade, tectonic plates, gorge-ous little trains, gold leaf, gardens, and a wild bird sanctuary

To give you an idea of where you can go and what you can do with the Hokuriku Arch Pass, here are notes from my own travels with the pass in April, 2019.

Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture

A favorite summer getaway for Tokyoites, Karuizawa is worth a visit if you’re interested in hot springs, overpriced artisanal lunches, high-end shopping, and cool mountain forests — including ones stuffed full of wild birds (and giant flying squirrels that may or may not swoop after dark).

I spent just one night there, at the reasonable Hotel Grandvert Kyukaruizawa. It’s warm, spacious, and about 3 minutes’ walk from Karuizawa Station. Karuizawa is pretty spread out, so you might consider renting a car. Otherwise, your next best bet is using a combination of buses (which are easy to navigate, in English) and rental bicycles.

I took a bus from the station to Hoshino Onsen, a popular little spot about 25 minutes away. It’s all trees, wooden walkways, craft coffees, and curries. Plus a hot spring, interesting bits of history and architecture (stone churches and whatnot), and the aforementioned wild bird forest, which also features the flying squirrels. Both types of critters can be seen on a guided walk, which, to my knowledge, can be booked on the spot.

There is also a forest pond (called Kera Ike) that freezes into an ice-skating rink in winter, and a neat little coffee shop on the water’s edge. I would aim to spend at least two nights in Karuizawa to give yourself enough time to explore the region, including Hoshino Onsen and the town itself. And don’t forget to pack comfortable walking shoes!

Read more about Karuizawa.

Time from Tokyo to Karuizawa: 65 to 75 minutes on the Hokuriku Shinkansen
Cost without a rail pass: ¥6,020 one way

Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture

A place that isn’t well known, even among Japanese travelers, Itoigawa is a lovely little city right on the Sea of Japan. Its beaches are said to hide bits of jade (hisui in Japanese), small reminders of the jadeite trade that once flourished in the area. But that was several thousand years back. We recommend asking a local resident to talk you through Itoigawa’s fascinating history.

Another thing Itoigawa is known for is a fault line. Specifically, the one that splits Japan into west and east (giving a whole new meaning to that decades-old, finger-contorting feud). Itoigawa is basically one giant geopark, with Fossa Magna, the big ol’ crack, one of the key features.

You can go and actually see the Itoigawa-Shizuoka Tectonic Line with your own eyes: a small section has been exposed for this purpose. So you can stand with one foot on the Eurasian continental plate and one on the North American plate. Like that thing people do in Berlin, except with more intense stretching.

The rock on the east side of the fault line is apparently a youthful 16 million years old. Meanwhile, the rock on the west side is a more mature 400 million years old.

To access Fossa Magna, you take a train on the JR Oito Line from Itoigawa to Nechi Station (it’s about 10–15 minutes). Then walk about 10–15 minutes into the geopark, following the signs to Fossa Magna.

It’s a nice stroll, and you can continue on the path to see a pillow lava rock formation, as well as a garden near the parking lot on the other end. You’ll see the start to a hiking course called the Salt Trail, which we’ll come back to sometime.

Fun fact: You can visit Itoigawa’s sister geopark in Hong Kong.

On the road back to the station, you’ll pass the Watanabe Sake Brewery — look out for it on signs around Fossa Magna. This is a local sake brewery that uses rice grown right across the road, and water from the west side of the fault line; the eastern water is apparently too hard to drink.

A couple of things to note: Trains are irregular (think a couple of hours in between each one), and the best way to get around Itoigawa is actually by car. There are heaps of hot springs hidden in the mountains, which driving opens up. Also, the area, including Fossa Magna, is not exactly replete with vending machines and convenience stores, so come prepared. Finally, be sure to check out the diorama inside Itoigawa Station — a must for train fans.

Time from Karuizawa to Itoigawa: 70 minutes on the Hokuriku Shinkansen
Cost without a rail pass: ¥6,910 one way

Kurobe Gorge, Toyama Prefecture

If you feel like taking a day trip from Itoigawa, I cannot recommend this one enough. It is a profoundly beautiful rail experience.

Kurobe Gorge is a V-shaped gorge that you can experience from a tiny, open-sided orange train called the Kurobe Torokko Densha. The train was originally intended to (and still does, in fact) serve the Kurobe Hydropower Plant Dam and surrounds. But, it also happily takes tourists into the mountains.

How far you can go depends on the time of year: When I visited in late April, it was still running the winter route, meaning I was restricted to an 80-minute round trip, with a 5-minute break in the middle. In the warmer months, you can travel much further on the line and explore trails, hot springs, and stuff like that. The fare depends on the route. Don’t bother with upgrades.

To get to the starting point of the Kurobe Gorge Railway, you need to first hop on the Hokuriku Shinkansen for Kurobe-Unazukionsen Station (15 minutes). Then walk across the road to Shin-Kurobe Station and pick up a Toyama Chihō Railway Main Line train for Unazukionsen Station. This ride, which takes 25–30 minutes, is not covered by the Hokuriku Arch Pass, so you’ll have to pay the ¥1,500 round-trip fare.

When you arrive at the station, you’ll see signs directing you to the ticket office of the Kurobe Gorge Railway — it’s about 200 meters away. Look out for a hot spring fountain downstairs (the steam is a surprise), and take some time to explore Unazuki Onsen itself, too.

There are vegan burgers to be had (pop into the glass-blowing studio across from Unazuki Onsen Station for these), peppery black sodas, free foot baths, and a waffle from a place called Cafe Selene that I swear is an exact replica of the gorge itself.

Kurobe Gorge may honestly be the best day trip I have ever done — go see why, for yourself.

Time from Itoigawa: 15 minutes to Kurobe-Unazukionsen Station
Cost without a rail pass: ¥3,120 round-trip fare between Itoigawa and Kurobe-Unazukionsen

Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture

Everyone raves about Kyoto, but, while it certainly is historical and charming and all that, it’s also terribly crowded and kind of … not always the best place to visit in Japan. Kanazawa, a couple of hours away in Ishikawa Prefecture, offers all of the awesomeness of Kyoto, minus the hordes and horrifying prices.

It’s a truly delightful place: Friendly, full of English (and therefore easy to navigate) and places to charge your phone, with gardens, museums, samurai and geisha districts, and some of the freshest seafood in Japan.

We’ve covered most of the things to do in Kanazawa, so I won’t rehash them here, except to suggest you check out Kenrokuen Garden, Oyama Shrine, the Kanazawa Castle area, the Omicho Market, all the museums, and … just do it all, actually.

It’s not difficult to find affordable accommodation in Kanazawa, but if you are looking around, consider booking Vacational Rental Sunny Heights. It’s about 20 minutes from Kanazawa Station by bus, and is just down the road from Kenrokuen Garden and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. I found it to be spacious for the price, and it comes with an equipped kitchen, which is handy for self-catering.

Time from Itoigawa: 50 minutes on the Hokuriku Shinkansen
Cost without a rail pass: ¥5,480 one way

Osaka Prefecture

You’ll find heaps to do in Osaka — most of which will involve delicious food. I’ve rambled on for long enough, so allow me to refer you to our dedicated Osaka area guide, as well as our Osaka accommodation guide to plot out where to go and where to stay. If you’re keen on some screams at Universal Studios Japan, you’ll probably want to take a quick look at our money-saving guide to Osaka’s most popular theme park, too.

Time from Kanazawa: 2 hours 40 minutes
Cost without a rail pass: ¥9,410 one way

Frequently asked questions

We answer some of the most common questions travelers have about the Hokuriku Arch Pass.

Is the Hokuriku Arch Pass worth it?

Like most rail passes, the Hokuriku Arch Pass is worth it if you work it. For example, if your trip will last 7 days and includes a round trip from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka, then it’s worth it. But if it’s just a one-way trip, it may not be.

What’s the difference between the JR Pass and the Hokuriku Arch Pass?

The main difference is that the nationwide JR Pass covers ALL Shinkansen and JR lines in Japan, while the Hokuriku Arch Pass only covers JR Shinkansen and lines within a certain area.

Does the Hokuriku Arch Pass cover the Shinkansen?

Yes, but the Hokuriku Arch Pass only covers the Hokuriku Shinkansen, not any other Shinkansen lines.

Is the Hokuriku Arch Pass the same as the Hokuriku Area Pass?

No. While the names are similar, they are two different rail passes with different validity periods and coverage areas. Read up on the different regional rail passes in Japan.

While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change. All prices and times are intended as estimates only. Post first published in May 2019. Last updated in March, 2024 by Carey Finn and Maria Danuco.