Osaka Amazing Pass: is it worth it? Sightseeing sums, rules and what it covers

The Short Version: The Osaka Amazing Pass (3,500 yen for 1 day, 5,000 yen for 2 days) pays for itself on a day that takes in Osaka Castle’s keep (1,200 yen), the Umeda Sky Building observatory before 15:00 (2,000 yen) and the Tsutenkaku observatory (1,500 yen). Those three admissions come to 4,700 yen, 1,200 yen more than the pass, before you count a single train or subway ride. Skip it on a Universal Studios Japan day, a Kyoto or Nara day trip, or if you reach Umeda Sky after 15:00, when free entry becomes a 10 percent discount. Prices are in yen.

Individual attraction costs vs the pass

Osaka Castle’s keep above the Gokurakubashi bridge and moat. Photo: Sakai Yayoi, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Or buy the pass online

Purchase the Osaka Amazing Passad{rel=“sponsored nofollow noopener”} online to get digital entry to over 40 Osaka attractions alongside unlimited subway and bus travel.

How the pass works

The pass is digital. You buy it through the Surutto QRtto app or website and show the QR code at the ticket gate, when you leave a bus and at each attraction.

• Passes and prices: 1 day 3,500 yen, 2 days 5,000 yen, the same for adults and children. Activate it by 31 March 2027.
• Where the day starts: A pass day runs from 03:00 to 02:59 the next day, and transport is valid from the first to the last train. Start the pass after 03:00 on the day you use it.
• What it covers: The Osaka Metro on all routes, the New Tram, city buses (some routes excluded) and the Hankyu, Hanshin, Keihan, Kintetsu and Nankai railways mainly within Osaka City. Reserved-seat limited express trains cost extra.
• How many spots: About 40, including Shitennoji, the Gozabune boat on Osaka Castle’s moat and the LEGOLAND Discovery Center, which you have to reserve in advance.

Airport versions

• Kansai Airport 28-hour ticket (5,300 yen, sold from 1 October 2026): Runs for 28 hours from first use and includes one-way travel from Kansai Airport Station to Namba on Nankai, but not the return. Limousine buses are not covered. Our airport to city guide compares the train options.
• Itami Airport version (3,800 yen for 1 day, 5,400 yen for 2 days): Adds the Osaka Monorail, Expo ‘70 Commemorative Park and the Osaka Wheel. It cannot be used at Kansai Airport.

1. When the pass saves money

A classic highlights day with the pass in the app:

Morning: Osaka Castle

• Ride the Osaka Metro Chuo Line to Tanimachi 4-chome Station.
• Walk through the castle grounds and show the pass for the main keep (1,200 yen on its own, open from 09:00).
• The pass also covers the Gozabune boat on the moat, which runs from 10:00 to 16:30.

Afternoon: Kita and Umeda

• Take the Tanimachi Line to Higashi-Umeda.
• Walk to the twin towers of the Umeda Sky Building and enter the Kuchu Teien Floating Garden Observatory before 15:00 (2,000 yen on its own). The open-air circular walkway gives 360-degree views over Osaka.

Evening: Shinsekai

• Ride the Midosuji Line south to Dobutsuen-mae.
• Show the pass at Tsutenkaku Tower (1,500 yen on its own, open 09:00 to 21:45, last entry 21:15) after booking a time slot.

2. When to skip the pass

• Universal Studios Japan days: USJ is not on the list, and the JR Yumesaki Line to Universal-City Station is not covered.
• Kaiyukan focus: Kaiyukan is not on the list of free attractions, so an aquarium day gains little from the pass.
• Day trips outside the city: If your day goes to Nara, Kyoto, Kobe or Himeji (day trips from Osaka), the pass covers little of the journey.
• Sunset at Umeda Sky Building: Free entry ends at 15:00, so a sunset visit costs 10 percent off the 2,000 yen ticket, not nothing.
• Slow days: If you spend the day in Shinsekai’s food alleys and Nakazakicho’s cafes, single fares on an IC card come to less than the pass.

For accommodation ideas close to major transit stations, explore where to stay in Osaka and hotels near Osaka Station and Umeda.