I needed to go to Osaka this weekend. So, I decided to try Seishun 18 Kippu, a series of 5 tickets that lets you ride on JR trains anywhere in the country for 2300 yen per day! Now, Tokyo to Osaka on local JR trains takes about 10 hours, so I decided to just go to Nagoya for the first day, just a few hours closer to Tokyo.

Here is the itinerary:

Leaving Tokyo station for Atami at 14:42 (arriving at 16:30)

Leaving Atami for Hamamatsu at 16:56 (arriving at 19:30…this one was really long!)

Leaving Hamamatsu for Tohoyashi at 19:46 (arriving at 20:25)

Mikan at Atami station.

Leaving Toyohashi for Nagoya at 20:35 (arriving at 21:30)

Yes, it’s a lot of sitting. And, you really have to plan ahead and bring some food (or leave your house earlier to make a stop at some stations for break), because I left no time for eating and was starving by the end of the trip. Don’t expect the super convenient shops that has everthing you need at every station like it is in Tokyo, because some of the major hub stations outside the Kanto region could just have one small shop that has everything sold out already. Also, bring a really good book. It’s a really long ride.

Snacking on eel bones (back), warm milk tea and mikan.

That being said, it’s fun if you like to take trains. I discovered an interesting transition of the direction of train seats. In Tokyo, most trains have the seats along the wall on the side to maximize the space, but towards Nagoya (past Hamamatsu), trains tend to have 2-seater seats facing the front. Finding some local delicacy is another fun. I got delicious mikan at Atami (that area is famous for producing great citrus fruites) and eel bone snack at Hamamatsu (which is famous for eels)!

Kishimen at Ekikama Kishimen inside Nagoya station. 820 yen.

Okay anyhow, when I finally got to Nagoya, I had to reward myself with a bowl of kishimen (wide type of udon noodles). Mmmm it was worth it! Tomorrow, I’m riding from Nagoya to Osaka via Hikone by Lake Biwa. We’ll se how it goes!

Seishun 18 Kippu: http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/seishun18.html