A Cheapskate's Guide to Spring Travel in Japan

By Rachel Turner | Thursday, Feb 28, 2008

Oh, I can feel it coming! Winter is in the death throes, choking and sputtering with its final snowy breaths. I can see the light at the end of this long, dark, freezing cold tunnel. Spring is about to spring. With the promise of warmer weather, I have begun to start travel planning. I am ready to bust out of my cabin fever and explore!

And what better place to do said exploring? Japan in the springtime is a veritable cornucopia of festivals. With the cherry blossoms replacing the blanket of snow over the country, it’s also a bang-up time to go sightseeing. If only transportation in Japan weren’t so darn expensive, right? Don’t despair! Whether you want to go by plane, train, or automobile, there are some amazing travel deals to be had come March.

JR Railways criss-crosses the country with trains going to every nook and cranny. For the month of March and half of April, they offer Japan’s answer to the Eurail Pass: the Seishun 18 Kippu. Unlike many other JR passes, this deal is not only available to foreign visitors but to Japanese residents as well. Originally offered only to students (hence the “youthful 18” name), this value ticket can now be used by all ages. With the Seishun 18, which costs 11,500 yen, you have unlimited travel on JR trains from Hokkaido to Kyushu for five full days. The catch (and it is quite a catch) is that you are only allowed to use local and rapid trains. No Shinkansen, no rapid express, not even express trains. This means a trip from Tokyo to Osaka will take about nine hours. There are a few night trains available, though, which can make the travel time seem less overwhelming (and also cuts down on hotel costs).

For 2,300 yen a day, the Seishun 18 Kippu just can’t be beat. I wouldn’t recommend a long haul from Sapporo to Nagasaki, or you might spend most of your five days on trains. For shorter distances, though, this ticket is a discounted godsend. The ticket is available at JR offices across the country, and is available for use from March 1 through April 10. Tickets must be purchased before March 31st, though. JR’s website (http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/seishun18.html) only lists winter and summer availability, but a quick phone call confirmed that spring tickets are available. The website is helpful for travel planning and restrictions on the ticket. Another perk to the ticket is that it can be shared. It can be used by one person for five days or by five people for one day.

Trains a little too slow for your liking? ANA has the answer. A few times a year, ANA offers their super discount fare, Chowari. This fare ranges from 9,000 yen to 14,000 yen each way depending on departure and arrival. You can fly from Nagoya to Tokyo for 9,000 yen or from Osaka to Okinawa for 13,000 yen. The dates for this deal are May 22nd–26th, and tickets must be booked between March 21st and 31st. As an added bonus, JR Hokkaido gets in on the game by offering a special “AirRail Pass,” which allows for unlimited travel within Hokkaido for 3,000 yen per day when purchased in conjunction with a Chowari ticket. More information can be found on ANA’s website: http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/dms/fare/promotion/chowari/index.html

Now is also the time to book springtime flights on Japan’s other discount airlines. Skymark offers incredibly low fares to limited destinations, but they are snatched up quickly. Book exactly two months in advance, and you can fly from Tokyo to Sapporo or Okinawa for 10,000 yen each way. AirDo offers similar fares, but the Japanese-only site is a little difficult to navigate if you’re language skills aren’t up to snuff.

So you can’t travel during the Chowari sale, and you can’t take off five days to use the Seishun 18? I’ve got one more option for you: overnight buses. A number of companies offer cheap seats on highway buses across Japan. In theory it’s a great idea: save on a hotel room and be shuttled to your destination (and dreamland) in a cushy seat. In reality, it’s a bus. It’s not a hotel room. It’s not all that comfortable. It’s crowded and cramped. It’s a bus. While the lap of luxury it ain’t, it is cheap and there is no spring time limit. The buses run every day of the year. Japan Bus Web (http://www.bus.or.jp/e/index.html) contains information, timetables, and fares for a few of the bus companies. In my research, the cheapest company I’ve found is 123bus.net. Fares from Tokyo to Nagoya start at just 2,900 yen. Want to go to Tokyo from Osaka? It’ll only set you back 3,900 yen each way. If you go this route, take my advice and pack a sleep mask, earplugs, and some potent sleeping pills.

Whether by rail or road or sky, I for one plan to take full advantage of these amazing discounts. The hardest part is going to be deciding where to go. Should I make for the Kyoto Hanami parties or the Kite Fighting Festival in Shizuoka? Should I follow the cherry blossoms like a Dead Head or be looking for a St. Patrick’s Day parade? That’s another article altogether, I think. Happy travels!

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Rachel's articles have appeared in publications all over Japan. Check out her blog at www.amateurfatalist.com

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