Seishun 18 Ticket

The Seishun 18 Ticket (青春18きっぷ, Seishun Jūhachi Kippu) is a special discount ticket issued in Japan that allows holders one-day unlimited rides on the local trains of Japan Railways Group (JR) during limited periods of the year. Since the ticket's introduction in the 1980s to 2024, one ticket was valid for five non-continuous days (midnight to midnight) within a designated seasonal period. The ticket was able to be used by multiple passengers; for example, five passengers could use one entire ticket sheet for unlimited trips in one day, or one person could use it for travel across five days. The ticket cost 12,050 yen (2,410 yen/day), and is ideal for long-distance travellers. The ticket was unable to be used in automatic ticket machines, and railway staff stamped the ticket at the beginning of each day of use. On October 24, 2024, the ticket's conditions of use were changed for the first time since 1984. The new tickets are valid for five consecutive days only, cannot be shared between multiple people, and can now be used to pass through automatic ticket gates. The five-day ticket's price remained the same as before, and a new three-day variant was also made available for 10,000 yen (3,333 yen/day). The Seishun 18 ticket covers travel on all local trains, which includes all passenger trains except for Shinkansen, limited express, and express services, which require express surcharges. However, in the context of Japan Railways Group, "local trains" (普通列車, futsū ressha) includes not only "local" (普通, futsū; also called 各停 kakutei, lit. "every stop") trains that stop at all stations, but also "rapid" (快速, kaisoku) train services. Rapid trains provide express service to destinations by passing intermediate stations, but do not require the surcharges of "express" trains. There is no age limit to buy the ticket despite the name "Seishun 18" (literally "Youth 18"). The ticket is not available at standard ticket vending machines, but can be purchased from higher-end machines that sell Shinkansen tickets during the sale period under the heading "Discount Tickets" (お得なきっぷ, otoku na kippu), over the counter at JR railway stations, or from a travel agency during the sale period.