How would you like to go halfway across the most expensive country in the world, by train, for just $20?  Year after year, Japan tops the lists of expensive countries, yet there are extraordinary bargains to be found.  One of them is the opportunity to travel across the country for the price of two movie tickets.  Do you like to surf? Then you can go all the way from Tokyo to southern Japan’s largest city, Fukuoka, a distance of 1,175 kilometers (730 miles).  Or, if you prefer skiing, how about going to the northern city of Akita, a distance of 659 kilometers (409 miles)?  In either case, it only costs you $20.  Last winter, I was fortunate enough to be able to go from Tokyo all the way to Kobe, in western Japan, using this great deal. The delicious, mouth-watering steak I ate in Kobe tasted all the better because I knew I had only spent $20 getting there, so I could sink my teeth into the exquisite, world-famous Kobe beef without breaking the bank. And you too can have such an adventure, because this deal is available to anyone visiting or living in Japan. Called the Seishun Jyuuhachi Kippu (youthful 18 ticket), this fantastic bargain is available three times a year, for more than a month each time. Despite the rather strange name, anyone can purchase and use the SJK.  There is one catch, however: you must buy it in packs of five, meaning that you buy a book of five tickets, each worth 2,300 yen ($20 at today’s exchange rate), for a total of 11,500 yen.  Each ticket has unlimited use during any one day, but you don’t have to use the tickets on consecutive days.  You can instead use the tickets on any five days during the availability period.  Our journey began early one winter morning, just outside Tokyo, where four friends and I took the JR Tokaido train from Fujisawa station heading towards western Japan.  We boarded the train just after 7:00 a.m. and were surprised at how comfortable it was.  For such a low price, we had expected an old, rickety train crammed with standing passengers elbowing each other for space.  Nothing could have been further from the truth, for what we encountered was a clean, fast, modern train car with few passengers and many seats available.  The fact that we were just outside of Tokyo meant that there would be fewer passengers, but nothing could take away the fact that this was an extraordinary deal.  We were all able to snag a seat and enjoy the seaside view, as the train sped along Japan’s east coast, past the beaches and hillside homes.   As mentioned earlier, the train we were taking was a JR Tokaido train.  You can use the SJK only on JR (Japan Rail) trains, anywhere in the country.  However, the train must be either a local train (stops at every station on the train line) or rapid (stops at some stations on the train line).  Unfortunately, you can’t use the SJK on the bullet train, limited express, or express trains, so that’s why we didn’t get on the bullet train and instead got on a local train. However, the unbelievably low cost of the ticket more than makes up for the time spent on the trains.  For example, traveling from Tokyo to Osaka on the bullet train takes only three hours, but you’ll pay 13,950 yen ($121) one-way, as opposed to the SJK, which would take nine and a half hours, but only cost you $20 one-way.  The SJK costs six times less than the bullet train, but the real advantage of the SJK is that you can exit any station on your way and look around.  For example, if you’re traveling from Osaka to Fukuoka, and on the way you want to stop by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, you can do so and then get back on the train and continue your journey without paying extra.

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Depending on the length of your journey, you may have to change trains a few times.  We changed trains about five or six times, as we were traveling on local and rapid trains.  This, however, was not a problem, since train stations across Japan have plenty of signs written in English and it is actually quite easy to change trains even without speaking or reading a word of Japanese.

If you’re a night owl, you’ll be pleased to hear that there are some rapid night trains on which you can use the SJK.  In fact, one of my Japanese friends had used this same deal in his university days to get to Tokyo from his hometown of Fukuoka. These trains are called “Moonlight” trains and are available in various parts of the country.  For example, the Moonlight Kyuushuu train takes you from Osaka to Fukuoka, and the Moonlight Nagara takes you from Tokyo to Nagoya.  This is a fantastic way to save time and money, since you can travel at night and not spend any money on a hotel room.  And, since one day is defined as midnight to midnight, to maximize the SJK’s usage, you can board a train just before midnight and use the ticket until midnight the next day.  Hence, this is very popular among SJK users and it is wise to find out the timetable and make a reservation if necessary.

Another good thing about the SJK is that you can share and transfer the ticket between friends and travel companions.  Last winter I traveled with four other friends, so we bought two SJK tickets for the entire group of five (a total of ten tickets).  We each got the SJK stamped once from Tokyo to Kobe, and then again from Kobe to Tokyo, meaning that we used up all ten tickets on the SJK. There are of course, many combinations possible with the SJK, but when using it as a group, all members of the group would have to travel together since there is only one card for the entire group.  But regardless of whether you travel alone or with a group, I strongly recommend you to make an itinerary prior to traveling, since you will likely have to change trains a few times, and because in certain rural areas of Japan, local train service is infrequent.  You can find Japan train schedules on Web sites such as Hyperdia or by contacting a JR office in Japan.
 

Our trip came to an end when we finally reached Tarumi station in Kobe, at around 8 p.m.  The reason it had taken so long was that we had stopped twice, once for breakfast and once for lunch.  Had we not stopped at all, we would have arrived at our destination at around 4:30 p.m.  But the beauty of the SJK deal was we had the freedom to stop, enjoy the scenery, and get something to eat, thus making our journey considerably more interesting and comfortable.  The next day, we were to check out all that western Japan had to offer, including the wonderful Kobe beef.  I could just feel my teeth sinking into the succulent, juicy steak, but I had to endure what seemed like an interminable wait.  It would all be worth it in the end however, for who would have believed that we had spent only $20 each in getting halfway across the country?

According to a comprehensive survey conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting in 2004, Tokyo is the world’s most expensive city.  That’s fine with me, because I can still travel from Tokyo to almost anywhere in the country for the price of a bottle of wine.  No matter what your preferences are, you too can take advantage of the SJK and go just about anywhere in Japan.  From surfing in the south of Japan, to skiing in the north of Japan, to Kyoto’s majestic temples, to Tokyo’s massive skyscrapers, it’s all there, waiting for you.  All you have to do is say yes to this fantastic deal and let the SJK take you anywhere you want to go in Japan.

For more information:
JR East Web site (in English): www.jreast.co.jp
Japan-Guide info on the SJK:www.japan-guide.com
Hyperdia train timetable: www.grace.hyperdia.com
 

Arin Vahanian is author of 'An Expat's Guide to Living in Spain' and 'An Expat's Guide to Investing Offshore', both of which are currently unavailable.

An Expat’s Guide to Investing Offshore - So, you have decided to make your move and become an expat.   You have an income or a lump sum and your expenses are under control – things are going well and you love your new life.  You know you’ve made the right choice and you aren’t looking back.  But have you dealt with your financial future?  Life as an expatriate has never been more exciting or rewarding, but being an expatriate does not mean that you can ignore the importance of saving and investing.  At first there seem to be fewer options out there for you, as you may not be able to contribute to a retirement plan in your home country, such as a 401k, Roth IRA or equivalent plan.  That is one truth.  But there’s another more valuable truth -- expats also have many advantages with the array of offshore investments available to them, so it’s possible for you to invest and save more successfully than where you were at previously.