Setouchi Tourism Authority has partnered with West Japan Railway (JR West) to promote the JR West regional rail pass.
The JR West pass services the Kansai, Sanyo and Hokuriku regions with major destinations including Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima. The line also connects Honshu with Kyushu, the southern island, arriving into Hakata in the Fukuoka Prefecture.
The rail pass is exclusively available to overseas visitors and aims to support travel around Japan and aid access to previously unexplored regions. The rail pass works across five of the seven prefectures in the Setouchi region ? Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Kagawa.
It works on various local train lines including some of the shinkansen routes. For the Kawaii enthusiasts, this pass will even work on selected Hello Kitty Shinkansen. Tickets can be bought in the station or online, prior to travel, and come in a variety of date ranges from one to seven days.
The Sanyo Shinkansen running from Shin-Osaka to Hakata operates 100 services a day.
Home to four UNESCO World Heritage sites, Setouchi is also known for its quality produce, such as Kobe beef, Hiroshima oysters, traditionally-made udon noodles in Kagawa, and 275 Sake breweries.
For more information, go to www.setouchitrip.com
