Have you ever heard the Seishun Juhachi Kippu (Seishun 18 ticket)? It is a seasonal discount ticket that can take you anywhere in Japan on the JR rail for only 2,410 yen per day per person. I am not going to talk about details on the Seishun 18 ticket since there are many websites that explain the details.

Often times traveling on local train is tiring and often times you cannot possibly enjoy the view while eating lunch from the bento box. On the Tokaido line (local line) between Tokyo and Nagoya (or Kyoto and Osaka), you must travel through Shizuoka prefecture (190km, 3 hours to pass), which is notorious for trains without bathrooms. To make the matter worse, most trains come with subway style seats so you won’t be able to enjoy the Mount Fuji view. To minimize the suffering on this 190km section between Atami and Toyohashi there are several tricks that you can use to avoid the Shizuoka trap.

Tokyo to Nagoya (Weekday Travel Hack)

Tokyo to Nagoya is a popular route for Seishun 18 travelers. The trains come rather frequently and you do not have to plan ahead of time. The difficult part of the journey is the types of trains used between Atami and Toyohashi (The entire Shizuoka prefecture). Between these stations, many trains do not have bathrooms. If you are unlucky, you won’t be able to use the bathroom for 3 hours unless you get off the train at a random station. Making the matter worse is the longitudinal seating, seats are placed parallel to the train tracks. This seating arrangement is good for packed trains in Tokyo, New York or Paris but it is difficult to see outside since your back if facing the window. To avoid the Shizuoka trap, picking the types of train cars is the key. By taking the following trains would guarantee seating and bathroom(s) onboard ,and a comfortable ride.

Weekday Afternoon Departure:

The below is the recommended schedule leaving Tokyo on an weekend afternoon. The total cost of the this itinerary using the Seishun 18 ticket is between 2,740 yen and 4,000 yen for this trip.

Train #1: Tokyo (and beyond) to Numazu: Take Numazu bound local train

Train #1 departs Tokyo at 15:37, and it travels all the way to Numazu. Like all Tokaido line trains in the Tokyo area, car #1, 2, 9, 10, 14 and 15 have transverse seating, seats are placed perpendicular to the train tracks. This seating arrangement is preferrable for seeing outside. You should be on cars 1 to 10 as cars 11 to 15 terminate at Atami, which is 3 stops before Numaz.

The Green car is recommended. It will cost extra 1000 to 1260 yen but it is worth it for the 2 hour journey. Green car is essentially the first class car, and it is equipped with reclining seats, tray tables, bathroom(s). Once on board, you will be able to purchase snacks and drinks from an attendant. A Green ticket can be purchased from a ticket vending machine and onboard from an attendant. Car #4 and 5 are bilevel Green cars so you can’t miss it. Since this particular Green car is operated as a local train, it is open for Seishun 18 ticket riders. You can only purchase the Green ticket up to Atami, and if you go beyond Atami you would need to ask the Green car attendant to change the ticket destination to Numazu. Riding the left side of the train after Odawara is recommended for the Pacific ocean view.

Train #2: Numazu to Hamamatsu: Take Home Liner Hamamatsu No. 3 (runs only on weekdays)

Train #2 only runs on weekdays but it is highly recommended to take this cheat train for a fast and comfortable ride. Once you are at Numazu, you could take whatever the train comes but you might end up on a packed rush hour train. This “Home Liner” train enables you to avoid the rush hour train. The Home Liner is a commuter express that uses Limited express style trains with reclining seats, tray tables, guaranteed seating and bathrooms. The particular train uses the 373 series trainset, which is used for a limited express during daytime. This Home Liner is Seishun 18 ticket eligible but you need to purchase a 330 yen seat ticket for the ride.

For ticketing, Numazu station has a Home Liner ticket vending machine on track 1 and 2 for your convenience. It can also be purchased from other vending machines outside of the station and at the manned ticketing counter. If tickets are sold out, you could buy ticket onboard.

Once onboard, you can choose any available seat of your choice. The key is to use the connection time at Numazu to purchase the seat ticket, buy food and drinks to eat on the train, and to line up early to secure a good seat (boarding starts at 18:15). I would highly recommend purchasing the Home Liner ticket as soon as you get off the train from Tokyo, especially during the Seishun 18 season. For Mount Fuji view (during summer), taking the ride side of the train is recommended.

Train #3: Hamamatsu to Toyohashi

The Home Liner used to travel all the way to Toyohashi but the schedule changed in 2022. Now you need to connect to Train #3 at Hamamatsu. The train has 2 bathrooms and transverse seating so you won’t be disappointed.

Train #4: Toyohashi to Nagoya (and beyond): Special Rapid or Semi-Rapid

Toyohashi to Nagoya is one of the easiest part to travel. The service is frequent and high grade. All trains have bathroom(s) and transverse seating. There are 2 trains departing within 10 minutes of train #3’s arrival. During the Seishun 18 season, the faster Special Rapid train (train 4a) often gets crowded. If you are not in a hurry, taking the later departing Semi-Rapid train (train 4b) may be better.

Tokyo to Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Beyond

To go to Kyoto, Osaka and beyond, you would need to leave Tokyo early since it takes around 9 hours to go to Osaka by local trains.

The latest train you could take is the 15:27 departure from Tokyo. The train comes from Takasaki so you could catch the train from stations like Omiya and Ueno. You would arrive at Nagoya at 21:30, Kyoto at 23:50 and Osaka at 00:45.

Comfortable Travel (Earlier departure)

Train #1 departs Tokyo at 5:40. This early Tokyo departure is good because the train travels all the way to Numazu, minimizing the connection. You want to purchase food prior to departure since I wouldn’t recommend taking a break until Toyohashi.

Train #2 is the connecting train leaving Numazu at 8:09. This train comes from the Gotenba line, and it might be crowded with commuters but the last 2 cars have a bathroom and transverse seating, which is good for seeing outside. Sitting on the right side of the train is recommend as you might be able to see Mount Fuji. You could take the train all the way to Shizuoka but it is recommended getting off at Okitsu, and take the 8:54 train from Okitsu.

Train #3 is the 8:54 train from Okitsu. The train originates at Okitsu so you are guaranteed to get a seat all the way to Hamamatsu if you line up on platform 3 as soon as you get off from Train #2 on platform 1. You must be on the first 3 cars of the train since the last 3 cars won’t go to Hamamatsu. Often times the first 3 cars have a bathroom and transverse seating so you can see outside easily. These transverse seating cars are rare in the Shizuoka area, but they run on fixed schedules so you can catch them if you plan ahead.

Train #4 will take you from Hamamatsu to Toyohashi. Many Seishun 18 travelers avoid this 211 series train like a plague. Unfortunately Train #4 is run by a 211 series train. The particular train has the longitudinal seating, and there is no bathroom. Most people just deal with it because of the short ride. The train comes from Kakegawa but there is no reason to take this train from Kakegawa.

Train #5 and beyond: West of Toyohashi on Tokaido and Sanyo lines, all trains have transverse seating and a bathroom. You can take whatever the train and you will be comfortable traveling.

Earliest Departure

Train #1 departs from Tokyo at 5:20. With 5 transfers, you would reach Nagoya at 11:00, Kyoto at 13:43 and Osaka at 14:13. It saves 40 minutes of travel time comparing to the next departure, which is 5:40. It leaves Tokyo 20 minutes before the 5:40 train but arrives Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka an hour earlier. You could possibly go all the way to Shin-Yamaguchi station within one day, which is 1027km from Tokyo.

You want to take Train #1 to Mishima, and catch Train #2. As mentioned before, the Green car is recommended on Train #1, otherwise stick to car #1, 2, 9 and 10. Also mentioned before that a Green car ticket can only be purchased upto Atami. To ride on the Green car all the way to Mishima or Numazu, you need to ask an attendant onboard to extend the ticket validation to those stations. For viewing, the leftside is recommended, especially after Odawara.

For train #2, the strategy is same as mentioned before, boarding the rear 2 cars is recommended as those cars have a bathroom and transverse seating. During Winter months, however, you want to stick to the first 2 cars as those cars are coupled in the front of the train.

Train #3 will have longitudinal seating but it has a bathroom on one of the rear 3 cars.

Train #4 and thereafter (usually west of Toyohashi), all trains come with bathroom(s) and transverse seating.

Is Local train trip using Seishun 18 for you?

It depends. If you travel light, have ample time and want to save money, using the Seishun 18 tickets to travel around Japan is a great idea. Seishun 18 tickets are seasonal therefore it is not available year around but when you are during the season, you are luck. Tickets are usually available during in March- early April, late July- early September and early December to early January every year. You must purchase 5 tickets at a time so you will need some planning. The easiest and the most popular way to travel is to go west from Tokyo towards Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka since local trains run more frequently compare to other regions. Other travelers found traveling to Matsumoto and Nagano easily done by the ticket.

If Seishun 18 is not for you, there are other ways to cheaply travel in Japan. Long distance bus and low cost airlines are popular options for many people in Japan.