Seishun juhachi kippu
This train ticket, issued by JR, is available for a limited period during summer and New Year holidays. Effectively a train pass, it gives customers the opportunity to ride on any local JR trains throughout Japan. Passengers can use the ticket for five days and is valid until it expires at the end of the holiday. They are sold at discount shops on Shijo Street, near Kawaramachi. The ticket can’t be used on express trains, but long distance fares or trips spread over three or four days will work out significantly cheaper.
There are many journeys worth undertaking. From Toyama to Niigata and beyond, the train line runs along the coast next to the Japan Sea and is quite beautiful. There are also picturesque routes south of this area, down through the Japanese Alps. As long as you start early, it takes two days to reach Aomori (the northernmost tip of Honshu), or with judicious use of an express train, Kagoshima in Kyushu can be reached in a day. It would also take a day to get to Tokyo.
Given that the ticket is like a rail pass, it isn’t necessary to plan the trip meticulously. You could arrive at the station with a vague idea of the direction in which you want to go, and then spend a few days drifting through the Japanese countryside. Reasonably priced Ryokans or business hotels can also be found without too much trouble - they are often located close to the station in medium sized towns. In summer months it’s warm enough to camp outside. For one night, it isn’t usually a problem to pitch a tent on public ground - on the beach or next to a river, for example. If you are going to use this ticket, it will be necessary to buy a JR train timetable. It costs 400 yen and is available from most bookshops. Despite looking like quite a formidable volume, it isn’t actually that difficult to use if you are able to read place names, in Japanese.