Seishun 18 Ticket using the ticket · Using the ticket in Seishun 18 Ticket
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Using the ticket in Seishun 18 Ticket
Using the ticket in Seishun 18 Ticket
The ticket is actually five one-day passes condensed onto a single piece of ticket stock. When using the ticket for the first time, the passenger presents it at the manned ticket gate, and the employee on hand stamps the ticket, making it valid on every non-express JR train until midnight. After midnight, the ticket becomes invalid unless it is stamped again. The ticket has spaces for five stamps, after which it is invalid.
More than one person can travel on the same ticket: each of the five spaces on the ticket allows one person to ride for one day. For instance, if two passengers were using the ticket, the ticket would be stamped twice; at the end of the day, both passengers could use the ticket for another day and have one stamp space left over, or one of the passengers could use the ticket for three days. Likewise, a group of five could travel for one day on a single ticket: the cost would be only �2300 per person, which, for example, is more than 70% off of a regular one-way fare between Tokyo and Osaka.
The ticket cannot be used on super express, limited express, express or sleeper trains, including any train on the Shinkansen network. This is the main catch to the ticket, and the main reason why many travellers may prefer to use the Japan Rail Pass. When using the Seishun 18 Ticket, you are restricted to local (普通 futsū), rapid (快速 kaisoku) and super/special rapid (新快速 shin-kaisoku) trains, which are designed for regional trips, not cross-country travel. Traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto, for instance, takes as little as two and a half hours on the Shinkansen, but takes nine hours on rapid trains. The upshot to this is that you can stop in various towns along the way: taking a full day to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto, you would have enough time to visit Odawara, Nagoya, and other cities along the Tokaido Line. Using overnight trains can also help dull the effect, and possibly save on lodging expenses (see below).
There are a few exceptions to the above rule, which allow passengers to travel across two areas that have no local rail service:
Limited expresses on the Tsugaru-Kaikyo Line between Kikonai (木古内) and Kanita (蟹田) stations; this is a very useful exception because it allows Seishun 18 holders to cross between the main island of Honshu and the northern island of Hokkaido through the world's longest undersea tunnel, the Seikan Tunnel.
Limited expresses on the Sekisho Line between Shintoku (新得) and Shin-Yubari (新夕張), part of the route between Sapporo and Obihiro in Hokkaido.
In both cases, the Seishun 18 Ticket can only be used to travel in non-reserved cars between the designated stations.
The Seishun 18 Ticket can also be used on the Aoimori Railway in northern Tohoku. Ticket holders can only travel to and from Hachinohe, Noheji and Aomori with no intermediate stops. If you enter or exit the Aoimori Railway at another station, you will have to pay the applicable Aoimori Railway fares. The Ominato Line, which runs from Noheji, is operated by JR and can be used for Seishun 18 journeys. Note that the line from Morioka to Hachinohe, which is operated by IGR/Aoimori, is not covered and requires a regular ticket (�2960).
Some other express trains in remote areas may also be ridden for the price of a seat reservation. Typically, this is around 250 yen, and would be noted in the timetable books. Ordinary car seat reservations with the Seishun 18 Ticket on local, rapid or special rapid services can be made, if the required surcharges are paid (an example is the Marine Liner rapid service between Okayama and Takamatsu, which costs �510 each way for a reserved seat.)
The JR ferry between Hiroshima and Miyajima is covered by the ticket, but JR buses are not.
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Seishun 18 Ticket Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.