Oct 26, 2024
Revised Seishun 18 Kippu changes my travel plans
This afternoon, I got started on my winter getaway plan - a trip out to the Pacific coast of Chiba Prefecture. I live well inland, so to keep costs down, I thought I’d take advantage of the 青春18きっぷ, Seishun 18 Ticket, JR’s holiday deal.
But all the English language pages I looked at took me to dead links. What gives? A bit of Japanese Internet-jutsu reveals that on October 24th, JR announced that the ticket periods and usage have been drastically revised.
The original ticket scheme allowed five days of travel within a one- to two-month period on all JR lines and affiliated transport. The ticket was shareable, too, between up to five riders. The new scheme has two tickets, one for 3 consecutive days for 10,000 yen, the other for five costing 12,050 yen. That puts a dent in leisurely and flexible travel plans.
The ticket's value has been diminishing for some time. Route coverage has decreased and overnight train services have been discontinued.
Have you used the Seishun 18 Kippu? How much value did you get out of it? Will you travel on the revised ticket this year?
3 Comments
genkidesu
on Oct 26
Wow, that's a bummer. Not something I'd used myself since we often opt to drive, but I'd heard from many people about the flexibility and value it offered.
TonetoEdo
on Oct 26
@genkidesu Such a bummer for me... And for families. My students tell me they've done trips to visit relatives on their own or with their parents on those holiday period tickets.
BlueButterfly
on Oct 26
I used that ticket so often, when I was younger, and it was really so helpful. The change is really not good and like many on SNS say, spontaneous day trips somewhere are not possible anymore, and you really have to plan all in advance.