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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/ChoAyo8 on 2024-02-15 18:16:25.
The Hokuriku Ouen Free Ticket (ouen meaning “rooting for” or “supporting”) went on sale February 15, and is tailored for travelers starting from the Tokyo area looking to explore the Hokuriku region, which sits on the northern coastline of Japan’s main island of Honshu and is made up of Ishikawa, Fukui, Niigata, and Toyama prefectures.
The four-day pass includes a round-trip ride to/from Tokyo and the Hokuriku Ouen Free Ticket’s applicable area on the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line, making the initial departure station candidates Tokyo and Ueno Stations, and those in Hokuriku Kanazawa, Shin Takaoka, Toyama, and Kurobe Unazukionsen Stations. For the outbound ride, you can select from reserved seats on Kagayaki or Hakutaka-class Shinkansen trains, while the return to Tokyo is via Hakutaka unreserved seat.
Ordinarily, a one-way Shinkansen ticket from Tokyo Station to Kanazawa Station, by itself, costs 13,850 yen (US$94), or 27,700 yen (US$188) for the round trip. The Hokuriku Ouen Free Ticket, though, is priced at just 20,000 yen (US$136), so it’s already a huge savings, and that’s before you factor in the four days of unlimited free rides on trains within the designated area, which even includes a section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
The complete list of the Hokuriku Ouen Free Ticket’s free-to ride lines consists of:
● Hokuriku Shinkansen (between Kanazawa and Kurobe Unazukionsen Stations)
● Obama Line (between Obama and Tsuruga)
● Hokuriku Main Line (between Tsuruga and Kanazawa)
● Nanao Line (between Tsubta and Wakuraonsen [entire line])
● Etsumi Hoku Line (between Echizen Hanando and Kuzuryuko [entire line])
● Johana Line (between Takaoka and Johana [entire line])
● Himi Line (between Takaoka and Himi [entire line])
● Takayama Main Line (between Inotani and Toyama)
● IR Ishikawa Railway Line and Ai no Kaze to Yama Railway Line (between Kanazawa and Kurobe)
The Hokuriku Ouen Free Ticket can be purchased at major JR stations in the Tokyo area through the ticket vending machines, though it’s a safe bet that station staff will be happy to assist those who need help navigating the menu (the Japanese name/pronunciation for the pass is “Hokuriku Ouen Furii Kippu”). The pass will be on sale until March 11 and must be purchased at least one day prior to activation, with the ticket usable between now and March 15.