Japan's Railroads, How to Enjoy "Seishun 18 Ticket".
- Home.
- Japan's Railroads.
- "Seishun 18 Ticket", Japan's Cheapest Ticket for Excursion.
- How to Enjoy "Seishun 18 Ticket."
Qualifications.
Open to Everyone. But you can purchase only in Japan.
Sales/Valid Periods.
You can not always buy "Seishun 18 Ticket"; three sales/valid periods are set up in a year.
- Spring period
- Sold from Feb. 20 to Mar. 31, and valid from Mar. 1 to Apr. 10.
- Summer period
- Sold from July 1 to Aug. 31, and valid from July 20 to Sep. 10.
- Winter Period
- Sold from Dec. 1 to Jan. 10 of the next year, and valid from Dec. 20 to Jan. 20 of the next year.
Available Trains.
"Seishun 18 Ticket" is exclusive for economy class of local/rapid trains of all JR Lines.
You can not take any shinkansens (superexpress trains), limited express trains, express trains, reserved seats of "green cars" (first class cars), or sleeping cars; when you take one of these trains, you will have to pay fare as well as superexpress, limited express or express charge, "green charge" (first class charge --- when you take a first class in JR Lines, you must pay fare and first class charge, not first class fare.) or berth charge.
You need seat resevation charge besides "Seishun 18 Ticket" when you reserve a seat of economy class of local/rapid trains.
- Also, you can enjoy non-reserved seats of "green cars" (first class cars) with "green charge" since Spring, 2005.
Means of Transportation You can Enjoy with "Seishun 18 Tickets" Other than JR Local/Rapid Trains.
- Bus Lines
- All of six JR railway companies have bus subsidiaries. But you can not take these busses with "Seishun 18 Ticket"; you need to pay fare.
- Ferry Lines
- West JR has Miyajima Ferry Line, and you can enjoy it with "Seishun 18 Ticket", because JR companies think that a ferry line is as substitute for railroad line.
- JR Kyushu also has a ferry line between Hakata and Pusan, Korea, but you can not enjoy it with "Seishun 18 Ticket", because an international ferry line is not substitute for railroad line.
You can not take any trains other than ones running JR Lines. Even if you take JRs' train, you must pay fare when it runs other railroad company's line than all members of JR Group. Follwing trains are the examples:
- Trains of Shin-etsu Line, JR East, departing from Nagano bound for Ueda, Komoro or Karuizawa, run through Shinano Railway Line from Shinonoi.
- "Mie Rapid" of JR Central, departing form Nagoya for Ise-shi, and Toba, runs via Ise Line of Ise Railway.
- Trains of Shimanto Green Line (Yodo Line), JR Shikoku, departing Kubokawa for Uwajima, run via Nakamura Line, Tosa Kuroshio Railways between Kubokawa and Wakai.
No subsidiaries of any member company of JR Group are available with "Seishun 18 Ticket".
Subsidiaries of each member conpany of JR Group are as follows.
- Subsidiaries of JR East.
- Saitama Shin-toshi Kotsu (New Shuttle) and Tokyo Monorail.
- A subsidiary of JR Central.
- Tokai Kotsu Jigyo (Jyohoku Line).
- A subsidiary of West JR.
- Sagano Scenic Railway.
Exceptional Sections Where You can Enjoy Limited Express Trains.
There are following exceptional sections in Hakkaido and Kyushu, where you can take Limited express train with only "Seishun 18 Ticket".
- A section between Shintoku and ShinYubari of Sekisho Line, JR Hokkaido.
- A section between Kanita and Kikonai of Kaikyo Line, JR Hokkaido.
- A section between Miyazaki and Miyazaki Airport of Miyazaki Airport Line, JR Kyushu.
Warnings.
- Remember to take/get-off a limited express train within the excptinal section, or you will have to pay fare and charge for whole section you take, the exceptinal section as well as extra section.
- You can take only non-reserved seat of economy class. If you take reserved seat or "Green Car", you will have to pay fare and charge for whole section you take.
- Hakata Minami Line (between Hakata and Hakata Minami) and "Gala Yuzawa Line" (between Echigo Yuzawa and Gala Yuzawa) are not exceptional sections though no local trains operated.
The Term of Validity of your Coupon.
A piece of "Seishun 18 Ticket" has five coupons. One coupon is good for one person and for one day, from midnight to next midnight. But when it is midnight in running train you take, your coupon will be valid until the train makes a brief stop.
And in Tokyo Exception Area or in Osaka Excption Area, your coupon is valid until the final train of the day of depart.
- If fare of the section between your starting station and the first station your train stops after midnight is cheaper than 2,300 yen, you should buy extra normal ticket for the section, and you should use your coupon for the next day, because one coupon is worth 2,300 yen.
How to Use in the Scene.
If your first station of your use day is manned, ask a person in charge of the station to entry the use date in your "Seishun 18 Ticket".
In case of your first station of your use day is unattended, ask a conductor of train you take first to entry the use date in your ticket.
After you get your use date, you can only show persons in charge of stations or conductors of trains your ticket, when you are asked to show them your ticket.
Use by Plural Persons.
"Seishun 18 Ticket" has plural coupons, so you can enjoy it by plural persons. But each coupon can not be detached, so all of you have to make the same jurney with "Seishun 18 Ticket"; each of you must buy normal fare ticket from your starting station to the meeting station where everyone meets, and also do from breakup station to your home station.
How to Purchase "Seishun 18 Ticket".
You can purchase "Seishun 18 Ticket" at "Midori no Madoguchi" (Reservatrion and Ticketing Office) in Stations of JR Lines, or at travel agancies in Japan where you can purchase JR Lines' tickets whenever in the sales period of "Seishun 18 Ticket".
"Seishun 18 Ticket" is an open ticket, so you need not designate sections you want to take with it when you purchase it; you have only to say "I wanna buy one piece of 'Seishun 18 Ticket'".
Its price is 11,500 yen (including consumption tax) and is one piece of five coupons, so one coupon is worth 2,300 yen. But you can not buy one coupon.
How to Make your Seat Reservation.
Your seat reservation is also available at "Midori no Madoguchi" or at travel agencies. It is accepted from 10:00 AM on the same day of the month before the departing date. If the month before the departing date, Seat resevation is accepted from 10:00 AM on the first day of departing month.
Seat reservation charge of economy class of local/rapid trains is shown in the following.
- In JR Hokkaido area or in JR Kyushu area.
- 300 yen (every day). However, you need 800 yen for some trains tracted by a steam locomotive.
- Others, that is, In an area of JR East, Central, West or Shikoku, or in plural areas.
- Subject to your taking day.
- Off-season days
- You need 310 yen when you take a local, rapid or express train with seat reservation on one of Monday, Tuesday, Wednsday, or Thursday of following days (Except National Holiday).
- From Jan. 16 to End of Feb.,
- From June 1 to June 30,
- From Sep. 1 to Sep. 30,
- or From Nov. 1 to Dec. 20.
- Off-peak season days or peak days
- You need 510 yen when you take a local, rapid, or express train with seat reservation on one of other days than off-season days.
- You need 710 yen when you take a Shinkansen (superexpress) or limited express train with seat reservation on one of peak days, but "Seishun 18 Tickets" is not valid for such trains.
Difficulty of Reservations from Overseas.
World Eki-net, on-line resevation service for foreigner by JR East is only on-line resevation service of JR trains described in English as far as Producer knows. However, only shinkansen trains and Narita Express trains are avilable in that service currently, not night rapid trains which you can enjoy with "Seishun 18 Ticket" such as "Moonlight Nagara".
- With Eki-net, on-line resevation service for Japanese (described only in Japanese) by JR East, you might make your resevations night rapid trains.
About this matter, please contact to an inquiry form of World Eki-net.
Refunds.
Totally unused ticket can be refunded the difference 210yen, as "refund charge", from the price. Refonud is available only where you bought before the valid term ends.
- Partly used ticket can not be paid back.