Getting Around Osaka: Subway, ICOCA, and the Osaka Amazing Pass

The ICOCA is a rechargeable IC card that works on Osaka Metro, JR trains, Hankyu, Hanshin, Nankai, Kintetsu, Keihan lines, buses, convenience stores, and most vending machines. Tap in, tap out, no ticket-buying per ride. Nearly every visitor should have one regardless of what other passes they buy.

As of 2026 the pass is fully digital (QR code, no physical card) and costs ¥3,300 for one day or ¥5,500 for two. It includes unlimited subway rides plus free entry to 40+ attractions including Osaka Castle and the Dotonbori River Cruise — but it does not cover JR lines, including the JR Loop Line. It pays off once you're hitting 3+ paid attractions in a day.

The ICOCA and Amazing Pass solve different problems and most visitors should use both: ICOCA for ordinary point-to-point travel across your whole trip, and the Amazing Pass for one or two intensive sightseeing days where you're stacking paid attractions.

Central Osaka's core — Umeda, Namba, Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi — is dense enough that many stops are a 15-20 minute walk apart, sometimes faster than waiting for a train and changing lines.