The Seishun 18 Kippu (Seishun Juhachi Kippu), which translates roughly to Youthful 18 Ticket, offers three or five days of unlimited nationwide travel on local and rapid Japan Rail (JR) trains.
Ticket update: JR announced some major changes to the Seishun 18 ticket commencing in Winter 2024 as follows:
- An end to non-consecutive usage: passes must be used on consecutive days.
- New shorter pass: A 3-day pass (10,000 yen) also joins the existing 5-day pass (12,050 yen).
- One pass per person: Ticket sharing between multiple people is no longer possible
- Automatic ticket gates: The new pass is now valid with automated gates, unlike before.
The ticket is available for three periods annually and originated as a means for Japan’s youth to explore the country during their school holiday seasons.
Price
The Seishun 18 Kippu costs ¥10,000 for the 3-day pass, or ¥12,050 for the 5-day pass.
Availability
As mentioned above, the Seishun 18 Kippu is eligible three times a year.
| Period | Timeframe | Tickets available |
| Spring | March 1–April 10 | February 20–March 31 |
|---|---|---|
| Summer | July 20–September 10 | July 1–August 31 |
| Winter | December 10–January 10 *Note changes in 2024/2025 | November 26–January 8 (3-day pass) November 26–January 6 (5-day pass) |
Eligibility
The Seishun 18 Kippu is available for people of all ages, including foreign tourists and residents. However, please be aware that there is no child fare.
How to use
You can use the Seishun 18 Kippu for three or five days (depending on which pass you buy). Since Winter 2024, the pass days must be used consecutively. For the ticket’s purposes, a day starts and ends at midnight. However, in Tokyo and Osaka, the ticket is valid until the last train.
Starting Winter 2024:
- The ticket can only used by individual travellers. In the past, it used to be possible for multiple people to share a ticket.
- The Seishun 18 Kippu is now compatible with automatic ticket gates.
Available train lines
In general, the Seishun 18 Kippu is:
- valid on all local and rapid JR trains (non-reserved seats) and
- invalid on limited express trains, express trains, shinkansen, and private railways.
Other valid routes
- JR West Miyajima Ferry (a visit tax of ¥100 is required on site)
- JR Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) from Maeyachi to Yanaizu to Kesennuma to Sakari (Miyagi and Iwate)
- Limited express trains (non-reserved seats) between:
- Shintoku and Shin-Yubari (Hokkaido) (also applicable for vacant reserved seats; however, please give up your seat if a passenger with a reserved ticket boards)
- Higashi-Muroran and Muroran (Hokkaido) (also applicable for vacant reserved seats; however, please give up your seat if a passenger with a reserved ticket boards)
- Aomori and Shin-Aomori (Aomori)
- Miyazaki and Miyazaki Airport (Miyazaki)
- Sasebo and Haiki (Nagasaki)
- Private railways:
- Note: you cannot board or disembark at any other stations except the ones listed below along the following lines
- Aoimori Railway between Aomori, Noheji and Hachinohe Stations to access the JR Ominato Line to the Shimokita Peninsula and JR Hachinohe Line
- IR Ishikawa Railway between Kanazawa and Tsubata Stations to access the JR Nanao Line bound for the Noto Peninsula
- Ainokaze Toyama Railway between Toyama and Takaoka Stations to access the JR Himi Line and JR Johana Line
- Hapi Line Fukui between Tsuruga and Echizen-Hanando to access the JR Kuzuryu Line
Important exclusions
- You cannot ride JR buses
- You cannot ride the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry between Japan and South Korea
- For travel between Honshu and Hokkaido, you must purchase an additional ticket (Seishun 18 Kippu Hokkaido Shinkansen Ticket) for ¥4,500 per person. This ticket allows travel on:
- The Hokkaido Shinkansen (non-reserved seat) between Shin-Aomori and Kikonai Stations
- The South Hokkaido Railway (Donan Isaribi Railway) between Kikonai and Goryokaku Stations (Hakodate).
- JR buses and private routes that connect directly to JR lines are not applicable. Separate fares and fees are required.
Where to buy
You can purchase the Seishun 18 Kippu at most staffed JR Stations at the ticket offices (Midori no Madoguchi) or green ticket machines (Midori no Kenbaiki) during the tickets’ corresponding sales periods. Please note that you cannot receive a ticket refund even if trains are canceled or delayed.
Should you buy it?
Overall, you will have to review your trip’s timing, goals, and plans to determine if the Seishun 18 Kippu is a good fit for you.
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