Itinerary Check and need for "Temp Visitor Visa" for Northern Kyushu/Sanyo Sanin Regional Pass

Hello:

We are US citizens and will be travelling on the following itinerary:

Land at Kansai 11/18
Osaka, 11/18 to 11/20
Fukuoka, 11/20 to 11/22
Hiroshima/Miyajima 11/22 to 11/24
Kyoto, 11/24 to 11/26
Osaka, 11/26 to 11/27

We plan to order JR Regional Passes for Northern Kyushu/Sanyo Sanin. It would appear this will cover all of our train needs except for the Shinkansen between Osaka and Kyoto. Is this correct that when we go from Hiroshima Station to Kyoto, we will need to exit the Shinkansen at Shin-Osaka and then transfer to a conventional train to go the rest of the way to Kyoto? And then from Kyoto to get back to Osaka, we could only take the conventional train again? Please confirm if there is a better way to handle this. Also, there was a statement that said you can only purchase this Regional Pass if you are visiting Japan on a "temp visitor visa". As US citizens, we don't require a visa to travel to Japan. Can we still purchase this Regional Pass?

Thank you,

Wandjoy