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Travel Tips for Backpackers or Budget Travelers! To Cut Down Transportation Expenses

Backpackers or budget international travelers!  Do you know the BEST way to cut down your travel expenses in exploring Japan?  Use Seishun 18 Kippu!!

You should take advantage of this Seasonal/Promotional Pass called Seishun 18 Kippu (Seishun 18 Tickets; 青春１８切符) of Japan Railway Company.  This Pass is only available for limited times of the year, but you can travel almost all over Japan.  Even Japanese do not know about it much!  You can brag about being an expert of Japan!!

Tune In Nagoya provides basic information on Seishun 18 Kippu here, and suggested travel plans with this Pass in our later post.  

Only limited duration of time in Spring, Summer, and Winter

•  For Spring, March 1 to April 10
•  Summer, July 20 to September 10
•  Winter December 10 to January 10

How much?  And how it works?

This is a rectangular pass, which resembles a coupon, (sorry no image yet) and costs 11,850 yen for 5 rides.  It means  that you have to pay 11,850 yen upfront for 5 rides.  With the Pass, you can travel as far as you want to go AS LONG AS you start and end your journey on the same day.  This means you could technically travel from Tokyo to Hiroshima for 2370 yen.  In comparison, around 18,000 by Shinkansen (Bullet Train).   (Because it is a 15-hour ride, we would not recommend this long ride, but it is really worth trying a shorter trip such as from Tokyo to Atami in Izu Peninsula, or Nagoya to Kyoto).  With this, you can easily travel from Tokyo to Shizuoka to view Mt. Fuji.  

 These 5 rides can be done by:

• 5 individual rides (5 different dates) of the ticket holder within the limited duration (see above) 
• 5 consecutive days of the ticket holder   
• a group of 5 people at once
• a group of 2 people at once and a group of 3 people later (any combination added up to 5) 

Here are some conditions/limitations for the Seishun 18 Kippu

• You have to start and end your journey on the same day (as you read above)
• You, the Pass holder, have to travel with your travel companions during your WHOLE journey.   
• You have to show the Pass to train staff at the Wicket and get a stamp (for one-time use) or stamps (for the group, say 3 stamps for 3 travelers).  You can not go through automatic ticket gates because the Pass is a paper ticket to be stamped.  (Unbelievable in a high-tech country Japan, but it is worthwhile!)
• Most important, this is for limited rides on local and rapid (excluding all-seat-reserved) trains of all Japan Railway Company lines.  It takes longer time than rapid express trains or Shinkansen (Bullet train in English).  With heavy luggage, you might feel uncomfortable for a long journey accompanied with a lot of train changes.  One-day trip or short excursion would do.   

Where to buy the Pass?

Go to the ticket center/booth of JR lines.  If you exchange your Exchange Order for Japan Rail Pass at a sales office, you can purchase the Seishun 18 Kippu there.   

More details about Seishun 18 Kippu are available.  

More importatntly, if you are lucky, you may be able to buy the used Pass at a Ticket Shop, which deals with discount train and bus tickets.  For example, IF you need only one ticket (values the one 2370-yen ride for your extra day trip or your company, please check out the Ticket Shop (see the picture below).   You do not have to buy the whole Pass at a sales JR office.  Of course, when you don't use up your Pass (only 2 or 3 tickets are used), you can go to the Shop and sell it.  Someone may be looking for the Pass, right?

A Ticket Office

In our next posts, some potential travel plans with this Seishun 18 Kippu are provided for Tokyo, Nagoya,and Osaka.