Seishun 18 Rail Pass

Oh that is cool, never heard of it before.
 
This sounds good but I guess it's only for tourists and not residents? :/
 
The pass is available to anyone. Originally the pass was for young travelers around 18 years old. It still carries 18 in the name even after the age restriction was lifted.

The catch is: you cannot take the Shinkansen trains and other express trains with this pass (except for the Hokkaido Shinkansen trains. This exception was made because all non-Shinkansen trains through the Seikan tunnel line were abolished). The JR group has abolished long-distance non-express trains, which deflates the value of this pass. That said, it'll be a great fun taking local non-express trains to travel around Japan.

According to a train transit planner, if you take a train which leaves Tokyo at 4:42, you can go as far as Shimonoseki same day after changing trains 11 times (arrives at 23:50).
 
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Actually it's not valid on the Hokkaido Shinkansen. You have to buy an additional ticket (2300 yen) for the Shinkansen from Okutsugaruimabetsu to Kikonai, and change there to the Donan isaribi railway to Goryokaku. Before the Hokkaido shinkansen opened it was possible to take a limited express between Kanita and Kikonai.
The regular fare for the Seikan Ferry between Aomori and Hakodate is 1600 to 2000 yen depending on the season, so the shinkansen deal is not a really an option. For tourists the regular JR pass is a better deal anyway.

Unless you have a lot of time and a tight budget I don't think the Seishun 18 kippu is a good deal for greater distances. I did Kobe -> Tokyo -> Sapporo a few years back when the "Moonlight" rapid trains were still running daily, it took three days. Nowadays you can buy a plane ticket from Osaka to Sapporo for 7000 yen, so I have no idea who would take local trains all the way unless being a big train enthusiast.
 
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Ken1988 said:
The pass is available to anyone. Originally the pass was for young travelers around 18 years old. It still carries 18 in the name even after the age restriction was lifted.

The catch is: you cannot take the Shinkansen trains and other express trains with this pass (except for the Hokkaido Shinkansen trains. This exception was made because all non-Shinkansen trains through the Seikan tunnel line were abolished). The JR group has abolished long-distance non-express trains, which deflates the value of this pass. That said, it'll be a great fun taking local non-express trains to travel around Japan.

According to a train transit planner, if you take a train which leaves Tokyo at 4:42, you can go as far as Shimonoseki same day after changing trains 11 times (arrives at 23:50).
Click to expand...

I should have mentioned the shinkansen invalidity, though the article does take care of that. ;-)

I was thinking of seeing how long it would take to get to Kyoto if I could do it in a day or not, but haven't had the time to research it.
 
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I have used this ticket a couple of times when I was a uni. student.
I don't know how they sell it currently but they sold 5 tickets in a package so you couldn't get it individually unless buying it from discount ticket shop.
Me and two of my friends from the same home town bought the tickets, took local line all the way to home. It took us almost 6 hours total but it was fun. Girls never shut up, six hours was nothing for us.
 
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impish said:
I should have mentioned the shinkansen invalidity, though the article does take care of that. ;-)

I was thinking of seeing how long it would take to get to Kyoto if I could do it in a day or not, but haven't had the time to research it.
Click to expand...

This site is useful. You need to have all the tickmarks off but "Local Train" in "More options".
www.hyperdia.com/en/

As Goshogawara implies, for a point-to-point travel, other means of transportation can be cheaper and better than a succession of non-express train rides. For Kyoto, a highway bus can be a good competitive option, but I guess you are well aware of this.
 
I used it once when I was a student. If your value of time is low and your itinerary calls for medium distances, there is value.
 
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