JR West Anywhere Ticket: Unlimited Access to Shinkansen and Limited Express for 3 Days!

JR West 683 Series Limited Express Thunderbird

In the last article, we discussed the JR timetable revision for March 13, 2021. However, the conversation branched out, and eventually, I ended up introducing the “JR West Anywhere Ticket.” It’s a bad habit of mine; I apologize… Although this article might also wander off-topic, I want to talk about that “JR West Anywhere Ticket.”

The ticket was announced by JR West on April 9, 2021, and will be sold from April 16 to June 21. This ticket is incredibly amazing! It offers unlimited travel across all JR West lines and the Kachō Keikō Line (Chizu Express). You can get on and off freely anywhere. If you think, “These special tickets are only released sometimes,” wait until you hear this. The highlight of this ticket is that it grants unlimited access to both Shinkansen and Limited Express trains! It is valid for three days at a price of 22,000 yen! That works out to about 7,500 yen per day. For those who are thinking, “This doesn’t sound appealing,” I understand. Compared to the ‘Seishun 18 Kippu’ (Youth Trip Pass), which is sold every spring, summer, and winter for 12,050 yen for five days—about 2,500 yen per day—this ticket seems quite expensive. However, the Seishun 18 Kippu only covers local trains, meaning you cannot ride Shinkansen or Limited Express trains. If you want to take a Shinkansen or Limited Express train, you must buy a combination of “Ordinary Ticket + Limited Express Ticket,” not just the pass. Even though it is limited to the JR West area, the fact that it covers everything from Shin-Osaka to Hakata on the Shinkansen, and even extends as far east as Hokuriku Shinkansen/Joetsu Myōkō in Niigata, and west to Yamaguchi/Shimonoseki in Kyushu, is truly generous of JR West.

Transportation routes covered by the ticket. — Example itinerary.

Day 1: Sanyo Shinkansen
Shin-Osaka to Hakata (3 round trips) (15 hours of travel)
Day 2: Hokuriku Main Line & Hokuriku Shinkansen
Osaka to Kanazawa to Joetsu Myōkō (1.5 round trips) (11 hours)
Day 3: Hokuriku Shinkansen, Hokuriku Main Line, & Sanyo Shinkansen
Joetsu Myōkō to Kanazawa to Shin-Osaka to Hakata to Shin-Osaka (9 hours)

I am dreaming up an itinerary like this. The one-way trip from Shin-Osaka to Hakata costs 14,750 yen, so three round trips cost 88,500 yen—you can cover a lot of ground in just one day. It truly is a “Doraemon’s Anywhere Ticket.” For solo travelers, this might be an even better option during the pandemic era. Needless to say, thorough infection prevention measures must also be maintained.

JR West Doraemon's New Railway Style NEW MORMAL FOR TRAIN TRAVEL — JR West Doraemon’s New Railway Style: NEW NORMAL FOR TRAIN TRAVEL

The period for using this ticket, running until June 30th, makes sense given that the time between Golden Week and summer vacation is a quieter season for JR. It is also the mission of railway companies to contribute to preventing the spread of COVID-19, to support regional transportation and economic activities, and finally, to continue their business as private profit-making corporations. While it is difficult to see how this ticket represents a measure taken by JR West due to poor performance caused by the new coronavirus…

“NEW NORMAL FOR TRAIN TRAVEL”

See you next time!