Summer discount railway tickets in Japan

The summer vacations do not only bring higher accommodation rates and increased air fares, but also a range of summer discount railway tickets. Some of the better ones are introduced below:

Hikari Hayatoku Round Trip

20,000 Yen for a round trip Tokyo to Kyoto, Osaka or Kobe
Available from July 20 to August 29

A round trip by reserved seat on a hikari shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto, Shin-Osaka or Shin-Kobe. The ticket has to be purchased at least one week in advance of the departure date, and the return trip needs to be done within three days of the outward journey. You save 24-33 percent compared to regular tickets.

Note that a one way Hikari Hayatoku ticket is available around the year: Tokyo-Kyoto 11,500 Yen, Tokyo-Osaka 12,000, Tokyo-Kobe 12,500 Yen.

Seishun 18 Kippu

11,500 Yen for five days nationwide travel by local trains
To be used between July 20 and September 10

Five days of unlimited, nationwide travel on local JR trains. This is the cheapest way of traveling in Japan! Note, however, that travel by local trains is time consuming and requires frequent transfers of trains. The trip from Tokyo to Kyoto, for example, takes about eight hours and requires typically about four transfers of trains. But it costs only 2300 Yen!