Kansai Thru Pass

So I realised that I haven't done my post on Kansai Thru Pass. KTP, for short - are passes which are available for foreign visitors in the Kansai region (i.e. Osaka and Kyoto), in either 2-day or 3-day passes. We purchased our passes at JTB Ion while securing our flights and accommodation. I think the passes were a fantastic buy, as we relied on the map to navigate through the multitude of stations in Kansai and the passes provided discounts on almost all the attractions! The down-side is that the pass is valid for a consecutive period only - yeah, we wanted to use the pass on the first two days and last day of our trip - and that the pass cannot be used on Japan Railways. Ah well. There are plenty of alternative routes to go around as the routes are pretty extensive. Check out the website for more info; such as the route map, discounted attractions and suggested itineraries.

Here's a brief on how we utilised our 3-day KTP:
- Limited express from Osaka Kansai International Airport to Hotel Vista Grande Osaka (Namba station). An additional express fare is required.
- Tempozan Harbor Village / Kaiyukan Aquarium (Osakako Station), where we got a KTP discount of 100yen off on admission
- Instant Ramen Museum (Ikeda Station), where we got a free notebook with our KTP
- Osaka Castle Museum (Tanimachi 4-chome Station, which is apparently the closest station to the castle according to ZX's Google Maps), and we got a KTP discount of another 100yen off admission
- Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Center (Shinsaibashi Station)
- Rapid Express to Nara (Kintetsu Nara Station)

Not a fantastic use of the KTP, I know, but the map helped immensely when I was planning for the rest of the trip. So we decided to purchase another 2-day KTP!
- Matsui Bekkan (Karasuma Oike Station)
- Toei Kyoto Studio Park (Uzumasa-Koryuji Station), where we got 200yen off admission
- Rinku Premium Outlets (Rinku-Town). If you are heading here, remember to check out their website for promos, such as this online coupon vouchers for overseas visitors.

Again, it doesn't seem like we maxed out our passes, but only because we decided to give up our ambitious plans and skip the following attractions! These will remain on our to-do until we visit Osaka/Kyoto again :):)
- Kids Plaza Osaka (Ogimachi Station), where we would have gotten 20% off admission
- Open-Air Museum of Old Japanese Farm Houses (Ryokuchi-Koen Station)
- Kinkakuji, or Kyoto Golden Pavilion (Kitaoji Station)
- Chion-ji Temple (Sanjo Station), but ZX wanted to hike from our ryokan instead
- Kyoto Imperial Palace (Imadegawa Station)
- Osaka Takoyaki Museum (Nishikujo Station, where we would have to transfer to JR Yumesaki Line, Universal City Station)

The KTP map was a godsend albeit overwhelming at first glance. I admit I used the Ctrl + F function extensively, and my 'Where's Wally' training helped too ;) As for the actual travelling, ZX and I got a bit lost on the first day so we trudged to the train office where we were pleasantly surprised to find that they had a dedicated counter for English speaking tourists. Phew.

In retrospect, I'm quite amazed that I managed to plan our Japan itinerary while juggling work at one of my peak periods then. Now that I'm a certified bum, I must say that my Taiwan itinerary is going at a snail's speed. Workaholic? I've been unwell since my bumming started, something which always happened when I was on leave as well - which I dubbed on-leave syndrome. Hope I get well soon so I can enjoy being a certified bum :):)

Ending this post with some of our train snaps!