Budget Travel: Seishun 18 and Japan Bus Pass

Edit 8 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I taught you about the Japan Rail Pass and how to use it.  While the JR Pass can be of immense value when travelling between distant points across the country, it is still a major investment for a holiday in Japan.  For those who prefer to travel more cheaply, there are unique options available to stretch one's transportation dollar.

A sample Seishun 18 Ticket.  Each stamp represents a day/person it has been used for.
Gamy-Gamy-Gamy [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

The first pass I wish to highlight is the Seishun 18 Kippu (青春18きっぷ, Seishun Jūhachi Kippu, lit, 'Youthful 18 Ticket'). The Seishun 18 allows free travel on local and rapid trains run by the JR Group during three periods each year.  These periods, which last a month or more in the spring, summer, and winter, coincide with school holidays.  Yet despite this fact, and its name, anybody may purchase the Seishun 18, regardless of age or nationality.

The Seishun 18 ticket is valid on local and rapid JR trains, the JR ferry to Miyajima, and on Bus Rapid Transit services replacing downed sections of JR lines.  It may not be used on express, limited express, Shinkansen, or non-JR lines, with a few exceptions listed later.  If you wish to use a reserved and/or Green Car on valid trains, the Seishun 18 will pay for the base fare, and you will have to buy the appropriate supplement tickets separately.

The Seishun 18 is valid for 5 non-consecutive days within the given period, and costs ¥12,050, for an average of ¥2,410 per day. What makes it interesting is that it is non-personal: more than one person may use one ticket, and each person using it counts as one day.  For example, two people travelling together could use the ticket for two days, counting for a total of four out of five "days".  Seishun 18 tickets are sold at most JR-affiliated stations during the periods listed below, along with their corresponding periods of validity.

Period	Sale Dates	Valid Dates
Spring	20 February to 31 March	1 March to 10 April
Summer	1 July to 31 August	20 July to 10 September
Winter	1 December to 31 December	10 December to 10 January

The Seishun 18 can be used on long-distance rapid trains, such as the Resort Shirakami between Aomori and Akita.
掬茶 [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Sounds like a good deal, right?  Well, remember that the Seishun 18 is not valid on faster trains, such as limited-express and Shinkansen services.  For example, let's take the route between Tokyo and Osaka.  Using the Tokaido Shinkansen, this would take 3 to 4 hours.  But sticking to local trains would take at least 9 hours, and would require four or more transfers along the non-continuous Tokaido Main Line.  Furthermore, not all lines are as frequently-served as the ones between major cities, so careful planning is needed in order to travel more time-efficiently.

One last point to note: ever since the Hokkaido Shinkansen opened in 2016, there are no longer any regular rail links between Honshu and Hokkaido.  So that means you can't use the Seishun 18 to get there, right?  Not exactly.  JR also offers a supplement ticket, called the "Seishun 18 Kippu Hokkaido Shinkansen Ticket", which pays for a one-way ride on the Hokkaido Shinkansen between Oku Tsugaru-Imabetsu and Kikonai, and the South Hokkaido Railway between Kikonai and Hakodate.  It costs ¥2,490, which is less than half of the normal fare of those sections.  From Aomori, users will have to take the local Tsugaru ⬛ line to Tsugaru-Futamata Station, and walk to the adjacent Oku Tsugaru-Imabetsu for the Shinkansen, or vice-versa.

There are also a few exceptions where Seishun 18 holders may use limited-express or non-JR trains, where otherwise valid trains are not as frequent.  Only non-reserved cars on these trains may be used with the Seishun 18.  These are as follows:

• The Aoimori Railway between Aomori, Noheji, and Hachinohe, for access to the JR Ominato ⬛ line.
• The Ishikawa Railway between Kanazawa and Tsubata, for access to the JR Nanao ⬛ line.
• The Echigo Tokimeki Railway between Toyama and Takaoka, for access to the JR Himi ⬛ and Johana ⬛ lines.
• The Super Ozora limited express on the JR Hokkaido Yubari (Y) branch line, between Shintoku and Yubari.
• The Tsugaru limited express on the JR East Ou ⬛ Main Line, between Aomori and Shin-Aomori.
• The Midori limited express on the JR Kyushu Sasebo Line, between Haiki and Sasebo.
• The Hyuga limited express on the JR Kyushu Miyazaki Airport ⬛ Line, between Miyazaki and Miyazaki Airport.

More information: (English)

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The second option I wish to highlight is the Japan Bus Pass.  This allows free travel on highway buses operated by the company Willer Express.  There are multiple versions of this pass valid on 3, 5, or 7 non-consecutive days, and of those, separate versions valid either from Monday to Thursday, or on all days of the week.  All passes are valid within two months from the date of purchase.  Based on their prices, the cost per day can fall down to ¥3,000 or less!

Type	3 Days	5 Days	7 Days
Monday-Thursday	¥10,200 (¥3,400/day)	¥12,800 (¥2,560/day)	¥15,300 (¥2,185/day)
All Week	¥12,800 (¥4,267/day)	¥15,300 (¥3,060/day)	N/A

When using the Japan Bus Pass, up to three buses may be booked per day.  For overnight buses, only the date of departure counts for this rule.  There are also a few blackout dates when the pass cannot be used at all; they are mainly centered around New Year's Day in December/January, Golden Week in April/May, and O-Bon in August.  Then again, these are such busy travel times that you may be discouraged from going to Japan then in the first place.

The pass is not valid on buses with fewer than four seats per row.  But even the seats that are valid with the pass are still quite comfortable.  In particular, the "Relax" seat type offers 93 cm (36 in.) of legroom, and 140 degrees of recline.  Plus, by spending the night on the bus, that means fewer nights to spend on hotels!

Willer's fleet of buses has a distinctive pink livery.
Tennen-Gas [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Willer's bus network operates from two hubs: one in Tokyo, and one pair in Kyoto and Osaka.  From those hubs, they serve a variety of major and minor cities, but those looking to go off the beaten path will have to rely on other services.  This hub-and-spoke layout also means that if you are trying to go between two outlying cities, you may have to connect in Tokyo or Kyoto/Osaka, instead of being able to travel directly.  Furthermore, the Japan Bus Pass cannot be used to get to or around Hokkaido, as there are no roads between Honshu and Hokkaido.

So, is the Japan Bus Pass a good value?  Well, let's compare how it would work on the classic "Golden Route", from Tokyo to Kyoto and Hiroshima, against the Japan Rail Pass.  The JR Pass would cost just shy of ¥30,000, and you would have to complete the trip in 7 days, whereas with the Japan Bus Pass, it would cost only ¥10,000, and you would have 2 months with which to complete the trip.  That said, trains can be faster than buses, especially the Shinkansen, and sleeping on buses is perhaps not for everyone.  Plus, the JR Pass has no blackout dates and a far wider coverage network.  But for those willing to take the plunge, the Japan Bus Pass offers new opportunities for long-distance travel and time management for your holiday.

More information: (English)