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 utilized 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 Seishun 18 ticket travel that make the most out of the ticket's unique capabilities.

Tokyo via Chuo Line

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, under-utilized major route between Nagoya and Tokyo: The Chūō Main Line via Matsumoto and Yamanashi Prefecture, which parallels the old Nakasendō. 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: Mie to Matsumoto with a hike over the Magome Pass

1. Mie → Nagoya (名古屋)

   Get to Nagoya Station via either Kintetsu or JR ("free" if you take JR).

2. Nagoya (名古屋) → Nakatsugawa (中津川)

   Rapid, 75 min.

3. Nakatsugawa (中津川) → Magome Juku (馬籠宿)

   Bus, 30 min.

4. Magome Juku (馬籠宿) → Tsumago Juku (妻籠宿)

   Hiking, 3-4 hours depending on pace and stops. There are a lot of places to get lunch or just grab a snack and cup of tea in both Magome and Tsumago. If you have big bags, you can send them ahead of you. See Magome Pass for more details.

5. Tsumago Juku (妻籠宿) → Nagiso (南木曽)

   Bus, 15 min.

6. Nagiso (南木曽) → Matsumoto (松本)

   Local, 2 hours. Arrive in time for a tasty dinner. See food and drink in Matsumoto.

Day 2: Matsumoto to Tokyo with a stop at Lake Kawaguchi

1. Around Matsumoto

   Grab breakfast and take a stroll through the beautiful city to Matsumoto Castle.

2. Matsumoto (松本) → Ōtsuki (大月)

   Local, 3 hours. Change at Ōtsuki to head for the lakes via Fuji Express.

3. Ōtsuki (大月) → Kawaguchi-ko (河口湖) : non-JR, ¥1100

   Local, 1 hour. Take a stroll on the path around Lake Kawaguchi, catch beautiful glimpses of Fuji, check out Fuji-Kyu Highlands which is known as Japan's most full-featured amusement park. If you want plenty of time here, make sure to leave Matsumoto as early as possible. Alternatively, if don't want to come all the way to the Fuji Five Lakes, you can check out Lake Suwa, right along the Chūō Line just an hour south of Matsumoto at Kami-Suwa (上諏訪) Station, which is a great place to cycle with plenty of onsen.

4. Kawaguchi-ko (河口湖) → Ōtsuki (大月) : non-JR, ¥1100

   Local, 1 hour. Head back to the Chūō Line at Ōtsuki.

5. Ōtsuki (大月) → Takao (高尾)

   Local, 45 min.

6. Takao (高尾) → Tokyo (東京)

   Rapid, 1 hour (45 min to Shinjuku). Late but certainly not too late for some tasty Tokyo eats. Enjoy a few days in the big city after spending the previous two riding through the mountains. If you're ready for a more direct trip home, hop the bullet train or a bus to Nagoya.

Great Chūbu Circle

This route takes you from Mie, up into the mountains, through the central highlands, up to the Sea of Japan, down its coast, skirts the northern edge of Lake Biwa, and finally brings you back home.

Day 1: Mie to Matsumoto with a hike over the Magome Pass

1. Mie → Nagoya (名古屋)

   Get to Nagoya Station via either Kintetsu or JR ("free" if you take JR).

2. Nagoya (名古屋) → Nakatsugawa (中津川)

   Rapid, 75 min.

3. Nakatsugawa (中津川) → Magome Juku (馬籠宿)

   Bus, 30 min.

4. Magome Juku (馬籠宿) → Tsumago Juku (妻籠宿)

   Hiking, 3-4 hours depending on pace and stops. There are a lot of places to get lunch or just grab a snack and cup of tea in both Magome and Tsumago. If you have big bags, you can send them ahead of you. See Magome Pass for more details.

5. Tsumago Juku (妻籠宿) → Nagiso (南木曽)

   Bus, 15 min.

6. Nagiso (南木曽) → Matsumoto (松本)

   Local, 2 hours. Arrive in time for a tasty dinner. See food and drink in Matsumoto.

Day 2: Matsumoto to Kanazawa via Toyama, the long way around the Kita Alps

Alternatively, you can cut straight through the Kita Alps using the Alpine Route, however it will take just as long to reach Toyama with all the interesting stuff to see along the way – plus it is not covered by the 18 ticket and will run you a full ¥10000.

1. Around Matsumoto

   Grab breakfast and take a stroll through the beautiful city to Matsumoto Castle.

2. Matsumoto (松本) → Shinano-Ōmachi (信濃大町)

   Local, 1 hour.