Cheapest way to travel Japan by train

Today, I’m gonna tell you the cheapest way to move around Japan!
there are many ways to move from Tokyo to Osaka in Japan like airplane, train, shinkansen,,,,

That is the ticket I used for ohenro!
It is called Seishun 18 kippu. It means youth 18 ticket in English.
I’m gonna write about it in detail below!

What is Seishun 18 kippu?

The Seishun 18 kippu means youth 18 ticket in English. It sounds like this ticket has age-limit though, People of all ages can use it.
This is seasonal ticket that allows unlimited travel on all JR lines (only local trains and rapid trains) for five times or for five people with one ticket.

e.g.　With one ticket,,,

• You can use it 5 days in a row or 5 times for separated trips
• A group of 5 people can use it for a day trip
• A group pf 2 people can use it for 2days and remaining one time use for a solo trip

＊In case of group use, all the group members must use same itinerary.

When can I buy and use it?

This ticket is sold 3 times in a year and timing and duration of use of this ticket are as blow
This ticket’s price is 12050yen (85USD) and one time is about 2410yen(16USD)

How can I buy it?

You can buy it from ticket machine of JR line or JR’s ticket office (Midori-no-Madoguchi)

If you wanna buy it from ticket office, Ask people who work at ticket office.
If you wanna buy it from ticket machine, the process of purchasing tickets is as follows.

Image ①:https://www.itmedia.co.jp/business/articles/2205/04/news007.html
Image➁：https://www.jreast.co.jp/mv-guide/demo/

Select “Special Ticket” from the top screen of the ticket machine.
Select “Buy Special Ticket”.
Select “Unlimited Ride Type
Select “Seishun 18 Ticket” from the menu displayed.
Select the number of tickets to be used.
If you want to purchase one ticket, select “1 person”.
Confirm that the desired number of tickets is selected and click the “Confirm” button.
Make payment (cash, IC cards such as Suica and PASMO, and credit cards are supported)

How to use it?

This ticket is not allowed to use automatic gate so you have to use gate with gate (manned gate should be at the end of gate).

①Get a stamp at the gate when you get on the train at the beginning of the day

②Show your ticket at the gate when you arrived your destination

*If you wanna get on the train the same day again, show your ticket to station staff at the gate

If the station is unmanned…

If you wanna take the train from unmanned station, you can go platform.
If you have stamp for the day, you can get on the train normally but if you don’t, you have to get boarding pass at the train when you get on the train. When you get off the train, you have to show your ticket and boarding pass to train driver and get a stamp.

Tips

If you wanna go from Honshu to Hokkaido

If you wanna go from Honshu to Hokkaido, you should buy “Seishun 18 kippu Hokkaido shinkansen ticket” when you buy Seishun 18 ticket because there is no train between Honshu and Hokkaido.
This ticket’s price is 2490yen(17USD).
This line is between Okustugaruimabetu station(Honshu) and Kikonai station(Hokkaido)

You can buy and sell it at ticket reseller

The “Seishun 18 Ticket” consists of five tickets, but many people might find it difficult to use the ticket five times. In such cases, you can buy used ticket which was used several times at a ticket store.
The price per ticket tends to increase as the number of remaining tickets decreases. Therefore, it is more economical to purchase several tickets at once.

On the other hand, you can use the ticket only a few times and sell it at a ticket store with no more than five stamps remaining on it.

Who is recommended?

The Seishun 18 ticket is a special ticket for people of all ages and is allowed to freely get on and off the local train and rapid train in all the JR line. If you can buy this ticket, you can’t take Shinkansen. So this ticket is recommended for those who wanna travel around Japan slowly and willy-nilly while saving money.
For example, it is possible to move from Tokyo to Osaka in a day for 2410yen.

Although the sales period is limited, it is a great way to save money and have a fruitful trip.
How about enjoying slow and peaceful trip in Japan?