What is Kyoto Subway Pass?

Kyoto is such a famous tourist destination that many people think of it first when they think of places to visit in Japan. Even Japanese people often travel to Kyoto. It is famous for its famous temples and historical architecture, and its streets have a relaxed atmosphere, making it a great place to experience Japanese culture.

Although Kyoto is such a great place to visit, each sightseeing spot is located a little far from the other, so you may need to take a train to get there. This article introduces the Kyoto Subway Pass, a train pass that is a great value transportation pass.

Please refer to it if you are planning to visit Kyoto.

What is the Kyoto Subway Pass?

The Kyoto Subway Pass is a one-day subway pass sold by the Kyoto City Transportation Bureau.
This pass allows unlimited rides on the Kyoto subway for one day.
Here we will introduce how to purchase the Kyoto Subway Pass and its plans.

What is the Kyoto Subway Pass plan? How much does it cost?

The Kyoto Subway Pass is available in two plans. The table below lists the prices and the range of use for each plan. Please consider using the plan that best suits your purpose.

	Kyoto City Subway 1-day Pass	Subway and Bus 1-day Pass
Price	Adult：800 yen Children：400 yen	Adult：1,100 yen Children：550 yen
Expiration Date	Can be used throughout the day from the day of commencement of use	Can be used throughout the day from the day of commencement of use
Valid Routes	You can ride the Kyoto subway lines as many times as you like.	All Kyoto subway lines and all Kyoto city bus lines are accessible.
Purchasing Eligibility	Anyone can purchase	Anyone can purchase
Discounts and Preferential Treatment	Discounts and preferential rates are available at 12 locations.	Special offers are available at approximately 60 locations in Kyoto, including temples and shrines.

The difference is simply the availability of buses. The subway and bus one-day passes offer more discounts than the subway and bus one-day passes, so if you want to visit many sightseeing spots in one day, the subway and bus one-day passes are recommended.

Which sections of the Kyoto Subway Pass can I use?

As shown in the table, you can ride all Kyoto subway lines and buses for one day. Subway routes include the Karasuma and Tozai lines.
Buses include all Kyoto City Bus routes, Kyoto Bus routes Ohara, Iwakura Muramatsu, Iwakura Jissoin, Ichihara, Daikakuji, Kiyotaki, and Kokeji, Keihan Bus routes in Yamashina and Daigo areas and central Kyoto, and West Japan JR Bus Takao Keihoku Route.

Buses are not eligible for seasonal routes, routes operating on expressways, Keihan sightseeing buses, express buses, and airport connecting buses. It is advisable to check the routes you plan to use in advance.

Where to buy Kyoto Bus and Subway Pass

Below are the locations where you can purchase the Kyoto Subway Pass and a one-day subway/bus pass.
If you are buying from a ticket vending machine, you can change the language to English.
If you still don’t understand, ask a station attendant.

We recommend the Kyoto City Bus and Subway Information Center, as both are available for purchase and staff can assist you.
Kyoto City Bus and Subway Information Stations are located at Kyoto Station and other locations. Click here for details.

Be careful with the Kyoto Subway Pass

Are there any other discount tickets besides the Kyoto Subway Pass?

There are other transportation passes in Kyoto besides the Kyoto Subway Pass.
The range varies and the price varies, so purchase the one that fits your length of stay and itinerary.

Kyoto Subway Pass vs. other passes

In this article, we compare the Kyoto Subway Pass with two other transportation passes.
There are many aspects that are completely different from the Kyoto Subway Pass, so you can decide which transportation pass is better or worse for you.

	Kyoto Subway Pass	Hankyu Hanshin One-Day Pass	KANSAI RAILWAY PASS
Plan	one-day pass	one-day pass	2-Day and 3-Day Passes
Price	Adult：800 yen Children：400 yen	Adult：1,600 yen	2 Day Plan Adult：5,600 yen Child：2,800 yen 3 Day Plan Adult：7,000 yen Child：3,500 yen
Where to buy	・Kyoto City Bus Subway Information Center ・Commuter pass sales booth ・Subway station ticket booths ・Subway station ticket vending machines (same-day tickets only)	・Hankyu Tourist Center Osaka Umeda ・Hankyu Electric Railway Stations ・Hanshin Electric Railway Stations ・Kobe Kosoku Line Stations	・online ・Kansai International Airport ・Kyoto Station Bus Information Center ・Kansai Tourist Information Center Kyoto
Valid Routes	You can ride the Kyoto subway lines as many times as you like.	All Hankyu lines, all Hanshin lines, all Kobe Kosoku lines	All subways and private railways in Kansai, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe/Himeji (Hyogo), Nara, Wakayama, Shiga
Purchasing Eligibility	Anyone can purchase	Anyone can purchase	One of the following conditions must be met ・Foreign tourists visiting Japan with short-term visitor status ・Japanese citizens residing outside of Japan. ・Accompanied by a person who falls under any of the above categories as a guide

How was it? There are a variety of transportation passes available in Kyoto.
If you can visit your desired sightseeing spots only by subway, we recommend the Kyoto Subway Pass because it is inexpensive and economical.
If you want to visit Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe in one day, the Hankyu Hanshin 1-Day Pass is a more economical way to get around.
If you are planning to visit Kansai in two or three days, the KANSAI RAILWAY PASS is more expensive, but you can save money if you can make good use of the KANSAI RAILWAY PASS.

What are the Kyoto subway fares?

Kyoto’s subway fare is 220 yen for adults and 110 yen for children per section, and 360 yen for sections longer than 15 km.
Compared to subway fares in other areas, Kyoto subway fares are standard. They are not much different from subway fares in Tokyo or Osaka.

If you ride the subway 4 or more times, you can certainly save on a subway-only plan; 5 or more times will save you more than a subway and bus plan.
Even less than that, depending on the distance you travel, you may be able to get a good deal.
Also, each of these plans offers discounts and preferential rates, so even if you ride less often than the above, you can still make good use of the discounted amount.

What subway card to use in Kyoto?

About 10 types of IC cards, including Suica, PASMO, and ICOCA, are accepted on the Kyoto subway.
There is also an IC card-type ticket with special benefits called “KANSAI ONE PASS” available only for foreign tourists.

KANSAI ONE PASS is a special card for foreign visitors to Japan, allowing you to use major public transportation companies in the Kansai region without the need to buy new tickets with a single card.
By accessing KANSAI ONE PASS on your smartphone, you can receive special offers at approximately 150 sightseeing spots upon presentation of the card.
The card has a cute Astro Boy design.

Can I use WiFi on the Kyoto subway?

You may want to do some research while traveling on the subway. Subways are generally difficult to get a signal. Some Tokyo subway lines and locations offer free WiFi, but what about Kyoto’s subways?
In addition to free WiFi, we also recommend renting pocket WiFi. We will introduce them here as well.

Is free WiFi available on the Fukuoka subway?

Free WiFi is available on Kyoto subways. KYOTO Wi-Fi is a business operator in cooperation with Kyoto City.
WiFi service is provided by an operator in cooperation with the city of Kyoto. It is free and easy for anyone to use.
The service is available at all subway stations and city bus stops.

However, when using the public wireless LAN, there is a risk that someone with malicious intent may steal the contents of your communications, so please do not enter any personal information such as IDs, passwords or credit card numbers.

When using the system at city bus stops, subways, and public facilities, an “authorization procedure” is required every 30 minutes.
In addition, at city bus stops, the system is not available between 1:00 am and 5:00 am.

WiFi rental services available in Kyoto

Free WiFi is available on the Kyoto subway, but it is not secure in terms of security or connectivity.
To use it, you need to go through an authentication procedure every 30 minutes, which is a hassle.

In such cases, we recommend Ninja WiFi’s pocket WiFi rental service. Please consider Ninja WiFi introduced below.
We also introduce locations in Kyoto where you can pick up and return your pocket WiFi.

Ninja WiFi

Features of Ninja WiFi

Where you can pick up and return Ninja WiFi in Kyoto

Summary：What is Kyoto Subway Pass?

This is a summary of how to purchase the Kyoto Subway Pass. The summary of this article is as follows