Seishun 18 Ticket

The Seishun 18 Ticket (青春１８きっぷ), generally referred to simply as the jūhachi kippu, is a very notable and well-known JR ticket that gives you "all-you-can-ride" access anywhere you want all day with the catch being that you can only take JR regular trains (locals and rapids). It is only available in the time around spring, summer, and winter vacation, and despite the name – yes – you can use it even if you are over 18 (actually most people that utilize it are retired).

General Information

The ticket costs ¥11500 and gets you five days of usage (¥2300 per day). The five days do not have to be used consecutively. If you have a friend along, you can both use the same ticket – so if you went somewhere one day as a couple you'd still have three days left on the ticket.

At only ¥2300 per day, it is bar none the absolute cheapest way to get long distances; Tokyo, Hiroshima, Takamatsu on Shikoku, Kanazawa, Takayama, and Nagano can all be reached within one day from Mie. With some serious planning, you could go as far as Fukuoka, Niigata, or Matsuyama.

Be aware though that outside the major urban areas, there are no rapids so it is all locals and going really long distances can be very trying without a good book or video game.

Strategies

My personal recommendation to you regarding this ticket is that when utilied for getting straight between point A and B, it is cheap but rather miserable; for example, going from Mie to Tokyo. Also, be aware that the major lines (like Nagoya ~ Tokyo) are extra crowded during this season and if you aren't aggressive you'll be standing much of the way there.

However, when traveling between point A and E, with plans to see B, C, and D along the way, traveling using this ticket becomes a very enjoyable experience. The golden value of the ticket is not just it's ¥2300 per day, but that you can get on and off the train anywhere you want. It can make for especially nice and experience-rich trips if you use it over a long weekend or a whole week. It can be really fun to use the 18 ticket out to a distant destination, seeing plenty of stuff along the way, and then just returning home via bus or shinkansen. Even better, create circular-route trips from Mie, if you don't have to re-trace your steps the more you get to see and experience.

Example Trips

Here are some example itineraries of 18 ticket travel that make the most out of the ticket's unique capabilities.

Tokyo via Chuo Line (2 Days)

The Tōkaidō Main Line is the most direct way from Nagoya to Tokyo, however during Seishun season there will be so many travelers on this line that it is liable to you will have to fight for seats the whole way there (7 hours!)

If you want to get to Tokyo with the 18 Ticket, why not take the other, lesser-utilized major route between Nagoya and Tokyo: The Chūō Main Line via Matsumoto and Yamanashi Prefecture. Spending two days on the trip makes it more enjoyable, gives you the chance to see a number of things along the way, and still gets you to Tokyo for ¥4600, less than half what the bullet train would cost.

• Day 1: Nagoya to Matsumoto, hike the Magome Pass
  • Nagoya (名古屋) → Nakatsugawa (中津川) : rapid, 75 min
  • Nakatsugawa (中津川) → Magome Juku (馬籠宿) : bus, 30 min
  • Magome Juku (馬籠宿) → Tsumago Juku (妻籠宿) : hiking, 3-4 hours depending on pace and stops
  • Tsumago Juku (妻籠宿) → Nagiso (南木曽) : bus, 15 min
  • Nagiso (南木曽) → Matsumoto (松本) : local, 2 hours
• Day 2: Matsumoto to Tokyo via Yamanashi Prefecture
  • Matsumoto → Tokyo : 4 hours