Sanyo-San’in Pass Shinkansen Combination

Hi,

I will be spending a few days on the West Side of Japan (spanning from Kyoto to Hiroshima) and will be getting the Sanyo-San'in Area Pass, which allows for shinkansen usage between Hiroshima and Shin-Osaka, but not Kyoto.

On one of the days, I am departing Kyoto to head to Hiroshima and intend to catch the Hikari 495 Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka departing 8:39am. Under this pass, I will need to purchase a separate ticket from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka.

To have it connect nicely, I intend to take the same Hikari 495 train from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka. Would I be able to do so without getting down the train at Shin-Osaka and re-entering it with the ticket from pass? I intend to get the same seats for both tickets at the JR office.

Thanks!

Sure, no problem, as long as you have a valid ticket during all your trip, you're good. Use your ticket to enter at Kyoto and your pass to exit at Hiroshima.

Shinkansen track until ShinOsaka is NOT JR-West rail Pass not covered
So pay 1420Y/unreserved or 2810Y/reserved possible.

If need save money take dep 7:58 JR Special Rapid Service.
If weekday dep 7:45 LTD. EXP THUNDERBIRD 2(as unreserved enough) for escape morning rush.
Pass covered both trains.

Under this pass, I will need to purchase a separate ticket from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka.

That is not necessary when you travel on Kyoto -- Shin-Osaka of JR Kyoto Line, which is operated by JR-West.

With a JR-West Sanyo-San'in Area Pass or Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass, you can travel
from / to Kyoto to / from Shin-Osaka by JR Kyoto Line
and from / to Shin-Osaka to / from Hiroshima by Sanyo Shinkansen,
getting through any automated ticket gate on the way and the way back.
(Unlike a nationwide Japan Rail Pass, a JR-West pass can be processed by a gate machine.)

A Special Rapid train brings you from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka in about 30 minutes.
Alternatively you can take a Limited Express train.
From the current timetables:
{Weekday}
Kyoto: Track 6 (07:58) --[JR Kyoto Line: Special Rapid]-- (08:23) Track 17: Shin-Osaka.
{Saturday, Sunday or holiday}
Kyoto: Track 6 (07:59) --[JR Kyoto Line: Special Rapid]-- (08:23) Track 16: Shin-Osaka.
{Everyday}
Kyoto: Track 6 (07:53) --[JR Kyoto Line: Ltd. Exp. Thunderbird 2]-- (08:17) Track 18: Shin-Osaka.

I intend to take the same Hikari 495 train from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka.
Would I be able to do so without getting down the train at Shin-Osaka and re-entering it with the ticket from pass?
I intend to get the same seats for both tickets at the JR office.

In that way, you should pay 2610 to 3010 yen (depending on boarding dates) just to get from Kyoto Station to Shin-Osaka Station; the amount becomes 1420 yen when you don't reserve your seat.
And, your JR-West pass may be rejected by a gate machine in Hiroshima Station because it lacks a record of entrance.

Tokaido Shinkansen is operated by JR-Central, so a JR-West pass cannot be valid on the Shinkansen section Kyoto -- Shin-Osaka.

I intend to catch the Hikari 495 Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka departing 8:39am.

You can take Nozomi 3 instead.
(Unlike a nationwide Japan Rail Pass, a JR-West pass which is valid on Sanyo Shinkansen allows the holder to take Nozomi trains.)
: Shin-Osaka: Track 22 (08:39) --[Shinkansen: Hikari 495] -- (10:44) Track 11: Hiroshima.
: Shin-Osaka: Track 21 (08:45) --[Shinkansen: Nozomi 3] -- (10:06) Track 12: Hiroshima.

Shinkansen Hikari 495 starts from Nagoya and runs as far as to Hiroshima.
Shinkansen Nozomi 3 starts from Tokyo and runs further to Hakata.

On a busy day, Hikari 495 might be less crowded than Nozomi 3 from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima.
When you choose Nozomi 3, you can embark a little later and get to Hiroshima much earlier compared to Hikari 495, though you should immediately disembark because the train soon departs after a brief stop at Hiroshima.

These two Shinkansen trains are composed of cars in the same series, so there is no major difference concerning amenity and stability.

I will be spending a few days on the West Side of Japan
(spanning from Kyoto to Hiroshima)
and will be getting the Sanyo-San'in Area Pass

When will you travel?
Why do you plan to use a JR-West 7-day Sanyo-San'in Area Pass in a few-day trip?
It seems you can choose a JR-West 5-day Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass.
http://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/travel-information/pass/sanyo_sanin/
http://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/travel-information/pass/kansai_hiros...

A JR-West Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass covers a Shinkansen or Limited Express surcharge only when you never use a seat which requires reservation.
Except during busy days, Shinkansen train cars for passengers without seat reservations are not likely to get overcrowded easily between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima.

In Shin-Osaka Station and Hiroshima Station, a transfer gate is set on the boundary between the area for conventional lines and the area for Shinkansen.
http://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/travel-information/routemap/pdf/stat...
https://www.jr-odekake.net/eki/img/premises/0800613.pdf
When you head to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, in Hiroshima Station
you go down from the Shinkansen platform to the concourse,
get through the nearby transfer gate,
walk on the bridge over the conventional line tracks,
go down to the platform for Track 1
and exit through the nearby south exiting gate.

Enjoy your trips!

Thanks for your through suggestion!

It's a little tricky as I have the full Japan Rail Pass (since I'll be going to Tokyo as well) but two of my other friends are likely getting the Sanyo-San'in Pass. This means that I won't have access to the Nozomi lines but they won't have the Shinkansen covered from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka.

Our plan is to arrive at Hiroshima station around 10:45am, hence Hikari 495 seemed like the best option. We will be departing from Kyoto station that morning with quite a few large luggages so we're trying to make the travel a little more convenient for ourselves - getting reserved seats on the Shinkansen (last row close to the luggage space area). It would also be great if we're able to connect with Hikari 495 from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka, so that we don't have to lug our big bags around.

Our ryokan is in the Pontocho area so we'll have to get to Kyoto Station sometime earlier in the morning to catch our ride to Shin-Osaka. The Kansai-Hiroshima Area pass definitely sounds like an attractive option, curious to hear more thoughts. Thanks so much!

JR West issues many types of train passes. Some of these passes allows free seat reservations, others do not. The Kansai Hiroshima Pass does not permit seat reservations. When deciding on which type of pass to purchase, always check the area of coverage carefully. I made a costly error when I make hotel reservations at Shirahama when the pass I purchased did not cover this area.