WEST QR Kansai Area Pass: Haruka, activation and one to four days
WEST QR Kansai Area Pass
A QR ticket for one to four consecutive days on covered JR local services and Haruka. It includes Haruka non-reserved seats and up to two designated reserved-seat bookings, but no Shinkansen travel.
Places in this guide: Osaka (大阪) · Kyoto (京都) · Kobe (神戸) · Nara (奈良) · Kansai-airport (関西空港)
Source: JR West official English product guideSource: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area Pass
Compare Haruka and local JR travel together
Choose one to four consecutive days for eligible Local, Rapid and Special Rapid trains plus Haruka non-reserved seats. Two Haruka Ordinary Car reservations in dedicated seats are included. Compare the actual mapped journeys, not simply the number of days.
Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area PassSource: JR West official English product guide
Scroll the table sideways if it does not fit your screen.
| Validity | Adult (JPY) | Child aged 6–11 (JPY) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | 2,700 | 1,350 |
| 2 consecutive days | 4,700 | 2,350 |
| 3 consecutive days | 5,500 | 2,750 |
| 4 consecutive days | 6,700 | 3,350 |
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Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area PassSource: JR West official English product guide
Eligibility, passports and children
You must hold a passport issued by a government other than Japan and enter Japan with Temporary Visitor status. Carry the passport and evidence of that status. Japanese nationals are not eligible; reading an Australian page does not establish qualification.
Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area PassSource: JR West official Korean product guide
Children are aged 6–11 on the payment date; adults are 12 or older. Up to two children aged 1–5 travel free per adult or child pass holder. A third young child, a child travelling alone or one occupying their own reserved seat needs a child pass. Babies under one travel free. The official price is JPY; the seller’s currency, options and sale price are separate.
Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area PassSource: JR West official Korean product guide
Registering a voucher is not starting travel
Buy the WEST QR voucher from an overseas agency, then open its usage-site link. Choose “Link this ticket to your account”. For a new account, enter your email, a password and region of residence, read the displayed terms, and verify the email code within five minutes. Existing users sign in, check the ticket number and account, then choose “Register”.
Source: JR West WEST QR account, activation and gate user guide (English)Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area Pass
Check the account before registering: the registration screen warns that the account cannot be changed afterwards. The guide separately provides an allocation procedure for eligible unused tickets; do not assume it can correct every registration mistake.
Source: JR West WEST QR account, activation and gate user guide (English)Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area Pass
Confirm the ticket appears under “Tickets” and bookmark the sign-in page. Registration is not activation. Do not press “Use ticket” while preparing for a later trip. There is no paper-pass exchange and the voucher itself is not the boarding QR.
Source: JR West WEST QR account, activation and gate user guide (English)Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area Pass
Activate after 04:00 on the first travel day
Press “Use ticket” after 04:00 Japan time on the day you intend to start. Validity is the selected one to four consecutive calendar days, from 04:00 on the first day until 24:00 on the last day, not rolling 24-hour periods from activation. Starting in the evening still uses that calendar day.
Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area PassSource: JR West official Korean product guide
Use an internet-connected smartphone to display the actual boarding QR. Screenshots and printouts are not accepted. Before activation, use the ticket within the voucher’s permitted period; that seller period is different from the pass’s travel duration.
Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area PassSource: JR West official Korean product guide
Haruka dedicated reservations and missed trains
Reserve up to two Haruka dedicated Ordinary Car seats on the WEST QR usage site, from 30 days before departure until three minutes before it. Station counters and machines cannot make these QR reservations. Do not activate early just to book ahead.
Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area PassSource: JR West official English product guide
If you have not pressed “Use ticket” by three minutes before the reserved departure, the reservation is automatically cancelled. If you miss the train or dedicated seats are full, use an eligible non-reserved service or another available dedicated reservation. You cannot use a reserved seat in another car without the required ticket, and the reserved/non-reserved difference is not refunded.
Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area PassSource: JR West official English product guide
Use the map for the purchased product
Other limited express trains need a separate express ticket within the covered area. Paid A-seat and other premium seating need additional charges. Shinkansen travel requires separate fare and express tickets.
Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area PassSource: JR West official coverage map — WEST QR Kansai Area Pass
The official English diagram shows the main covered sections, not every operational detail. Check this product’s own map for your departure, destination and train type; Area and Mini are not interchangeable.
Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area PassSource: JR West official coverage map — WEST QR Kansai Area Pass
Red readers, station QR codes and gate errors
At a gate with a red QR reader, scan the live boarding QR. Where there is no reader, open “Ticket details” and “Scan QR code”, then scan the station’s entry or exit QR as appropriate. At an unmanned gated entrance, complete the QR process, use the intercom and show the ticket screen to staff.
Source: JR West WEST QR account, activation and gate user guide (English)
If scanning fails, refresh the ticket QR and try again. If it still fails, show staff the Ticket No. or use the call button. For a Shinkansen connection, leave via the conventional-line gates and enter separately with the necessary Shinkansen tickets.
Source: JR West WEST QR account, activation and gate user guide (English)
Companions and unused-ticket allocation
Each traveller needs a ticket. Companions travelling together can display their tickets on one smartphone. Only one smartphone can be signed in to the same account at a time. Let companions through first, switching to the correct person’s ticket each time, and use your own ticket last.
Source: JR West WEST QR account, activation and gate user guide (English)Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area Pass
The official guide permits allocation of unused tickets to another account. Follow “Allocate” or “Allocation”, check the recipient email and the allocation details. This is not a way to split a used ticket.
Source: JR West WEST QR account, activation and gate user guide (English)Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area Pass
Activation mistakes and seller refunds
Before passing a gate, you can ask WEST QR chat support about correcting an accidental start date. You cannot edit it yourself; a change is only possible if support accepts the exception. This is separate from a refund after activation.
Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area PassSource: Product-specific refund conditions (Japanese)
Before pressing “Use ticket”, contact the selling agency within the voucher’s usability period. Its refund fees and conditions vary; JR stations do not refund the agency voucher. The product rules do not provide refunds after activation or for service suspensions or delays. Changes to passenger or ticket counts require the seller’s refund and repurchase procedure, not a station alteration.
Source: JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area PassSource: Product-specific refund conditions (Japanese)
Using your ticket
Check Temporary Visitor eligibility, travel dates and this product’s coverage map before selecting the adult or child option.
Choose the WEST QR one-, two-, three- or four-day Area option. Register its voucher link to your account; do not activate while preparing.
Book a Haruka dedicated seat on the usage site if needed, without pressing “Use ticket” before the first travel day.
After 04:00 on the first travel day, press “Use ticket” and display the live boarding QR on an internet-connected phone, not a screenshot.
Scan the live QR at the red reader, or scan the correct station entry or exit code using “Ticket details” and “Scan QR code”.
At an unmanned gated entrance, finish the QR process, call staff and show the ticket screen. Use separate tickets and gates for a Shinkansen connection.
If you activated by mistake, contact WEST QR chat before passing a gate. A support-approved exception is not a self-service change or a guaranteed refund.
Questions and answers
Can a station counter reserve my Haruka seat?
No. Reserve up to two dedicated Haruka seats on the WEST QR usage site, not at station counters or machines.
Do I exchange for a paper pass?
No. Register the voucher to your account, then activate on the first travel day to display the boarding QR.
Can I use a screenshot of the QR?
No. Display the actual ticket QR on an internet-connected smartphone. Screenshots and printouts are not accepted.
Does an evening start give me until the next evening?
No. These are calendar-day passes, not rolling 24-hour tickets. Activate after 04:00 on the first day; validity ends at 24:00 on the final day.
Is the child age based on the travel date?
The Japanese product rules use age 6–11 on the payment date. Also check the seller’s child option before purchasing.
How can a companion without a smartphone travel?
Travellers staying together can display their individual tickets on one companion’s phone. Each person needs a ticket and the correct ticket must be shown for each gate passage.
Can I undo an accidental activation?
Before passing a gate, ask WEST QR chat about a start-date correction. You cannot change it yourself; support must approve the exception. It is not a refund entitlement after activation.
Can I allocate a ticket to a companion’s account?
The official guide provides “Allocate” or “Allocation” for unused tickets. Check the recipient email and details. This does not apply to a ticket already used.
Can one account be used on two phones at once?
No. Only one phone can be signed in at a time. When showing tickets for companions on one phone, let them through first and use your own ticket last.
Official sources and coverage maps
Open the operator’s coverage map and conditions before choosing your journeys. Official maps are linked rather than republished. The coverage and exclusions are also explained above.
- JR West official coverage map — WEST QR Kansai Area Pass ↗
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- JR West official transport conditions (Japanese) — WEST QR Kansai Area Pass ↗
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- JR West WEST QR account, activation and gate user guide (English) ↗
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- JR West official English product guide ↗
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- JR West official Korean product guide ↗
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- Product-specific refund conditions (Japanese) ↗
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