Fun fact: I love planning trips.
I find it incredibly relaxing to do on my own. But planning trips with my friends…not so fun. That’s mostly because they’re people who just want to go out and explore with no real plan in mind (and have occasionally slept outside on benches as a result).
Anyways, the point of this post is to share the next trip around Japan I plan to take using the Seishun 18 ticket.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, the Seishun 18 is a series of 5 tickets which are good for unlimited travel on any local JR trains. This means no shinkansen or limited express trains. It’s not as good a deal as a 1-week JR Pass but it is available to people living in Japan. The cost is 11,850円.
If you plan your trip well, you can use the Seishun 18 to see a lot without spending an unbearable amount of time on trains. My daily budget when I travel is 10,000円 per day (including food, lodging, and the cost of the ticket). I live in Tokyo so all of my time estimates are based of departing from and returning to Tokyo. My daily budget for food is around 1,500円. I always depart on any trip with a reusable water bottle, a sandwich, and some other snacks then pick up a drink from a konbini & breads from a bakery each day for lunch that day and breakfast the next morning (usually ~500円 for lunch and ~200円 for breakfast).
Day 1: Odawara & Hamamatsu
Shinjuku Station → Odawara Station: 1hr 30 min
Odawara Station → Hamamatsu Station: 3hr 20min
The plan for this day is to head to Hamamatsu (with a stop at Odawara Castle). This is the most travel-intensive day.
- Odawara Castle – 700円
- Hamamatsu Castle – 150円
- Hamamatsu Airforce Museum – 0円
- 365Base (Hostel) – 3,500
- Coin Locker @ Odawara Station – 300円
- Food – 1,500円
- Misc. – 500円
Trip Total: 6,650円
Day 2: Nagoya
Hamamatsu Station → Nagoya Station: 1hr 40min
Nagoya Station → Nagiso Station: 1hr 40min
The plan for this day is to visit Nagoya Castle & the Nagoya Science Museum, eat some misokatsu, then head to the hostel in Nagiso while it’s still light out because the hostel has some breathtaking views.
- Nagoya Castle – 640円
- Nagoya Science Museum – 500円
- Yui Hostel (in Nagiso) – 4,000円
- Coin Locker @ Nagoya Station – 300円
- Food – 2,000円
- Misokatsu Yabaton Katsudon – 1,188円
- Misc. – 500円
Trip Total: 14,590円
Day 3: Hiking from Magome to Tsumago
The hike is apparently easier from Magome to Tsumago (because it’s more downhill than uphill). There is a luggage forwarding service available in Magome for 500円 but I don’t plan to use it because I travel very lightly. I budgeted in a bit more for food because small tourist towns are usually a bit more expensive.
- Fujito Inn – 6,000円
- Food – 2,000円
- Misc. – 500円
Trip Total: 23,090円
Day 4: Matsumoto Castle
Nagiso Station → Matsumoto Station: 2hr 10min
The plan for this day is just to see Matsumoto Castle and explore the cute local shops.
- Matsumoto Castle – 610円
- Hostel – 4,000円
- Coin Locker @ Matsumoto Station – 300円
- Food – 1,500円
- Taiyaki-Ya Hotdog Taiyaki – 150円
- Misc. – 500円
Trip Total: 30,000円
Day 5: Wine Tasting in Kofu, Yamanashi
Matsumoto Station → Kofu Station: 1hr 50min
Kofu Station → Shinjuku Station: 1hr 40min
- Takeda Shrine – 0円
- Sadoya Winery – 500円
- wine from Sadoya Winery – 1,080円
- Coin Locker @ Kofu Station – 300円
- Food – 1,500円
- Misc. – 500円
Trip Total: 33,880円
Trip Total + Seishun 18 Ticket: 43,730円
9,146円 per day
irusu, ne? 