Vegetarian's Japan Guide

The Best Guide to Chūbu Japan’s Discounted Transport Deals

The Chūbu Region (中部地方), located in the center of Japan’s main island – Honshu (本州), is one of the most scenic parts of Japan. The best thing about the Chūbu Region is that many of its stunning destinations are located quite near each other. And there are multiple discounted transportation tickets and passes for you to choose from!

The Great Transportation Deals for the Chūbu Region

Shōryūdō Free Bus Pass by Meitetsu Bus

The Shōryūdō (昇龍道) Area consists of the 9 prefectures below. There is an abundance of tourist destinations in this area for you to explore!

If you know a bit of Japanese, you will realize how cool the name “Shōryūdō” is. It literally means rising dragon’s way!

The Japanese didn’t just name the area to be cool. It is actually because the Noto Peninsula (能登半島) in the north looks like a dragon’s head, and the Mie prefecture in the south looks like a dragon’s tail. So if you mark all 9 prefectures, it looks like a dragon flying toward the sky (≧▽≦).

Cape-Suzu-Noto-Peninsula-Ishikawa-Japan
Click the photo to find out more information about Noto Penisula!

The Shōryūdō Free Bus Pass (昇龍道フリーバスきっぷ) is a bus pass that allows you to travel through these nine prefectures freely for the 3 or 5 days with three routes of your choice! It may also save you a lot of money and time that you spend on transportation (^_-)-☆.

Important: Only foreign tourists are eligible to travel with this pass.

There are three different types of Shōryūdō Bus Pass:

  • 3-Day Pass: Takayama, Shirakawagō and Kanazawa Route Pass
  • 3-Day Pass: Matsumoto, Magome, and Komagane Route Pass.
  • Wide Area 5-Day Pass: That covers the entire Shōryūdō area

Depending on how many tourist attractions you plan to visit, how many days you plan to stay in the Chūbu Region, and whether the places you want to go are across the entire region or close by, the pass that suits your itinerary will differ.

Please refer to the valid routes below to determine which pass or passes suit you the most!

Tip: If you have a Klook account, pre-purchase your Shōryūdō Free Bus Pass HERE! For those prefer kkday, refer to HERE!

Takayama, Shirakawa-gō, Kanazawa Course Pass (3-day pass) – 11,000 yen

Hida-Folk-Village-Takayama-Gifu-Japan
Learn more about all the great attractions in Takayama with our article!

Wide Area Course Pass (5-Day Pass) – 15,000 yen

Matsumoto-Castle-and-Uzumi-Bridge-Matsumoto-Nagano-Japan
Learn more about all the amazing attractions in Matsumoto with our article!

Matsumoto, Magome & Komagane Route Pass (3-Day Pass) – 9,000 yen

Tip: All of the three passes above come with a free return ticket to the Chūbu Centrair International Airport (中部国際空港 セントレア) in Nagoya. So if you fly into Japan and land at Nagoya in the Chūbu Region, then you will save even more with these passes (*’▽’). Also, the great news is that from 2019, there are direct bus services from the Airport to Takayama!

How to Purchase the Shōryūdō Bus Pass

Purchasing Shoryudo Bus Pass is very simple. Before you depart for Japan, fill in the form HERE on Meitetsu Bus’s website or pre-purchase your pass HERE. When you reach Chūbu Centair International Airport, head to one of the below counters:

  • Central Japan International Airport MEITETSU Tourist Information Center
    • Business hours: 10 am to 7 pm
  • MEITETSU CHUBU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT STATION
    • Business hours: the first train of the day – the last train of the day

For more information about the Shōryūdō Bus Pass, please refer to Meitetsu’s website HERE.

Tips:
☛ With this bus pass, you can get a discount on fees at some attractions in the areas that the bus pass covers. Check out pages 8 and 9 on THIS PDF.
☛ Refer to HERE for the timetable for many of the bus services covered by the bus pass.

Mitsuboshi Kaidou Three-Star Route Ticket (三ツ星ルートきっぷ) – Currently unavailable

The Mitsuboshi Kaidou 3-Star Route Option Ticket is only 6,000 yen and is another great choice of discounted bus tickets for traveling in the Chūbu Region.

This set ticket is a one-way only bus ticket along the route of Matsumoto (松本) → Hirayu (平湯) → Hida Takayama (飛騨高山)Shirakawa-gō (白川郷)Kanazawa (金沢)/Shin-Takaoka (新高岡)/Toyama (富山) route and vice-versa.

As the ticket only costs you 6,000 yen, you don’t even need to travel to all of the above spots completely, and you will still be able to save money!

Shirakawago-Gifu-Japan
Learn more about all the great attractions in Shirakawa-gō with our article!

What we did was from Kanazawa, we took a bus to Shirakawa-gō and then to Takayama. Lastly, from Takayama, we traveled to Matsumoto. The whole trip would have cost us 8,100 yen per person, but with the ticket, it was only 6,000 yen!

Where to Purchase the Ticket

There are quite a few locations below where you can purchase your ticket:

Important: You will need to exchange your option ticket for a valid boarding bus ticket at the bus company’s ticket counter.

Tip: If you plan to use these set tickets during peak season, you can always make a reservation through a phone call with the bus company first, and then get your Mitsuboshi Kaidou Three-Star Route Option Ticket when you arrive in Japan. When you go to the bus company’s ticket counter, you just need to tell them the reference number given to you when you made the booking.

For more details about the ticket, please visit Alpico Group’s website HERE!

4-Day Alps WIDE Free Passport

If you are frustrated that the Mitsuboshi Kaidou Three-Star Route Option Ticket above only allows a one-way journey, consider the 4-Day Alps WIDE Free Passport! Within the four days, you can travel to most destinations that the Mitsuboshi Kaidou Three-Star Route Option Ticket covers. It just doesn’t go as far as Toyama and Kanazawa.

This Passport is also great for anyone who wants to visit Kamikōchi (which is not covered by the Mitsuboshi Kaidou Three-Star Route Option Ticket) or explore the Northern Japanese Alps!

Kappa-Bridge-Kamikochi-Nagano-Japan-2
Learn more about all the great attractions in Kamikōchi with our article!
Shinhotaka-Topeway-Shirakabadaira-Station-Takayama-Gifu-Japan
Learn more about all the great attractions in Takayama and Shinhotaka Ropeway with our article!

The passport that includes a return ticket for a return ticket of Shin-Hotaka Ropeway (新穂高ロープウェイ) costs 13,000 yen for adults and 6,500 yen for children between the 14th of April to the 15th of November. In the winter months, it is 1,100 yen for adults and 5,500 yen for children.

Also, what is worthwhile to mention is that if you show the Passport at certain attractions, you can get a discount on the admission fee or charges for the experience (≧▽≦).

For more information about this amazing Passport, please refer to Alpico Group’s website HERE! On the same website, you will also find other discounted tickets that cover various areas with different validity periods (=゚ω゚)ノ.

Where to Purchase the 4-Day Alps WIDE Free Passport

You can buy this passport from the below locations:

  • Matsumoto Bus Terminal
  • Shinshimashima Bus Terminal
  • Kamikochi Bus Terminal
  • Takayama Bus Center
  • Hirayu Bus Terminal

Tip: You can order online through kkday HERE. It will be cheaper!

Alps Crossing Ticket

A similar but cheaper ticket deal to the 4-Day Alps WIDE Free Passport is the Alps Crossing Ticket. Instead of unlimited rides, the set ticket allows you to visit Takayama and Matsumoto and another picturesque spot in Shinshu! While you can’t hop on and off the bus in this part of the Chūbu Region as much as you wish, it only costs 5,000 yen for adults and 2,500 yen for children!

You can order online through kkday HERE. For more details about the ticket, refer to Alpico Group’s website HERE!

Shinshu & Hida Alps-wide Free Passport (信州・飛騨アルプスワイドフリーパスポート)

Another discounted ticket that covers a large part of the Chūbu Region is Shinshu & Hida Alps-wide Free Passport. It is another transportation pass you can consider if you want to visit the below destinations.

Matsumoto-Castle-and-Uzumi-Bridge-Matsumoto-Nagano-Japan
Learn more about all the great attractions in Matsumoto with our article!

As Shinshu & Hida Alps-wide Free Passport isn’t listed on the bus companies’ English websites, it is on their Japanese website HERE. You can translate it using Google Chrome’s translation function at the right of the address bar. But below are some important details.

  • Price from the 14th of April to the 15th of November:
    • 12,200 yen for adults
    • 6,100 yen for children
    • Add 2,300 yen (1,150 for children) for a Shin-Hotaka Ropeway return ticket.
  • Price from the 16th of November to the 13th of April:
    • 10,200 yen for adults
    • 5,100 yen for children
    • Add 2,300 yen (1,150 for children) for a Shin-Hotaka Ropeway return ticket.
  • The ticket is valid for 4 consecutive days from the date of use.
  • You can purchase the ticket from the below spots:
    • Matsumoto Bus Terminal, Shin Shimashima Bus Terminal, Kamikōchi Bus Terminal, Norikura Tourist Center, Takayama Bus Terminal, Hirayu Bus Terminal, Gero Bus Terminal

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