Can one use Rainbow card on Monorail in Osaka? Thanks.

Also, can I use Osaka Rainbow card for Kyoto bus and subway system? Thanks again.

The short answer to both is yes.

Pretty much all transit systems in Kansai are part of the Surutto KANSAI Network. Each system issues their own fare card which is good on each other's system. The fare cards have different names so don't get hung up on it unless you collect the fare cards: Rainbow Card (Osaka), Lagare Card (Hankyu), Rakuyan Card (Hanshin), Pastoral Card (Nose), Compass Card (Nankai), Blue Liner Card (Semboku), Miyako Card (Kyoto), Mono Card (Osaka Monorail), Surutto KANSAI Kobe Card (Kobe), Surutto Kansai K-Card (Keihan), among others. However they are all good on each other's system - except the JR Lines.

If you want to use a prepaid IC card, JR West issues the ICOCA Card which is good on the JR Lines and the Surutto KANSAI Network by cross agreement. Which means the Suica Card (JR East) should be ok to use too. Surutto KANSAI calls their IC card the PiTaPa. ICOCA and Suica are easy to get from the fare machines, but PiTaPa requires an application form and bank account.

Thank you, Haruna. As I know there is a deposit Y500 for ICOCA card. Can I get the balance and deposit in the ICOCA card back when I complete my trip?

You should be able to go to the JR West Ticket Office and get your balance and deposit back on the ICOCA card.

Note that with JR East and their Suica Card, they charge a handling fee of Y210 which is deducted from the balance on the card, the remaining balance then being combined with your deposit as your total refund. If you have no remaining balance, they don't charge you the Y210 and give back your Y500 deposit. I'm not sure if the ICOCA card is treated the same way, but you'd best just run the card down to zero before returning it, unless you want to keep it as a souvenir.

I could not find a users guide for ICOCA, but this is the one for the Suica, which should still be useful:
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/s_users_guide.pdf

Thanks again. I will get an ICOCA card to get around Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto using their subway, bus, and monorail systems. One more question, I know I can just scan ICOCA card thru the above systems. How do I get an JR Haruka ticket from KIX to ShinOsaka by using ICOCA card? Can I just scan it or need to get the ticket from JR ticketer or vending machine?

To be honest, you'd be better off (less hassle) just getting a ticket for the JR Haruka from the ticket counter at KIX. It's going to cost you Y2470 unreserved to go to Shin-Osaka which means you'll have to load up the ICOCA card as soon as you get it (because it costs Y2000, of which Y500 is a deposit and Y1500 remains as balance which is less than the Y2470 you need) and then use up a good portion of the balance to get the Haruka ticket. Save the ICOCA balance for the little pocket change travel on the local trains, subways, etc, where it's really convenient to use it.

One other thing is that I think the PiTaPa (and ICOCA) IC cards might not work on the Kyoto buses, whereas they do accept Surutto Kansai fare cards. Hope your head is not spinning yet at all the rules/restrictions.

Not sure how long you are in the Kansai area but here's another tourist pass to consider:
http://www.surutto.com/conts/ticket/3dayeng/

Haruna,

Thank you very much. You have been very helpful and I feel much better for my trip to Kansai area. Actually, I am going to Osaka University in November for an international conference. I will be staying in a hotel along the monorail route near Osaka Itami Airport. I will arrive at KIX on Saturday about noon and will take the Haruka train to Shin-Osaka and transfer to hotel via subway. I am planning to explore Namba and Umeda areas Saturday afternoon and night if possible. Just wonder around to soak in the environments.

I am planning to take the train to Nara on Sunday morning and explore Nara Park and deer as well as Todai-Ji Temple. Around noon, I will take train to Kyoto and hopefully can see Kiyomizu-dera Temple and city center. Just wonder around. I will attend the conference from Monday to Wednesday and come home on Thursday.

One question about Haruka train: Should I buy non-reserved ticket or reserved-seat ticket? How do I know which car to go if I have a non-reserved ticket?

Thanks.

Hi, KennyOB -

Perhaps you have a specific interest in seeing Kyoto's "city center," but for what its worth, I found the area around Kiyomizudera much more interesting. Also, you might want to check visiting hours: When I was in Kyoto, Kiyomizudera was open later than most other temples, so you might be able to see a bit more if you plan accordingly. Hope that helps!

The JR Haruka is usually not crowded so an unreserved car should be ok. There are signs on the platform indicating which cars are reserved and which are unreserved. This person's website about the KIX Haruka platform sums it up better than I can write. Note the signboard saying which cars are unreserved:
http://www.japanippon.com/shizen/kix...ojrstation.htm

A word about getting your ticket. Assuming you don't speak Japanese, if you can do so before hand, prepare a sheet which lists the following as it will make your ticket buying really smooth:
-Destination
-unreserved
-non-smoking car (draw a cigarette with the circle and stroke through it if you have to)

Sounds like you got a good plan for your days. Sunday sounds like a busy day for alot of walking. Be aware that the walk from JR Nara to Todai-ji is about 2.5-3 km one way. It's doable in the morning but you might be rushing it especially since you have Kiyomizu-dera in the afternoon. As kja says you might want to consider a walk from Kiyomizu-dera north to the Heian Shrine. Around November the leaves start turning color and the views should be beautiful. You can always wander around the city center, Gion and Poton-cho at night.

Anyway, I hope you have a great time!

Kenny,

Check this site out for answers to your transport questions. Use show access button with Osaka to Kyoto to see all the transport options.

When going from your hotel to Nara use the Kintetsu line not the JR line. If you have one of the passes it will be free and the station is much closer to K-dera temple.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html

Aloha!

Thank you very much.

More questions about Osaka subway. Esaka station is at the end of Midosuji line. I need to get to Senri-Cho, which is connected by Kita-Osaka Kyuka line at Esaka. Do I need to change tarin at Esaka or stay on the same train? Thanks.

It should be a seamless ride assuming the destination sign on the front of the train reads "Senri-Chuo". Most Midosuji trains terminate at Senri-Chuo, but the odd train "might" terminate at an earlier station. Just remember to look at the destination sign and you'll be fine.

Technically Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway runs the section north of Esaka Station but you're riding the same train which came from the Midosuji Line.

Haruna,

Thank you, again.