An exceptionally priced Western Japan unlimited ride ticket for residents of Japan: “Dokodemo Door Kippu”

Rail pass for residents
(C) JR West

JR West has tied up with the blockbuster “Movie Doraemon Nobita’s New Dinosaur” and the upcoming movie “STAND BY ME Doraemon 2”, and the campaign of “where shall we go with Dokodemo Door? ” will be launched from October.

The highlight of the campaign will be the “Dokodemo Door Ticket”. Although there is a condition that “two or more people can use the same journey”, it is an exceptional ticket that you can ride all JR West lines for 2 days for 12,000 yen per person. In addition, there is also a ticket that allows unlimited rides on all JR West, Kyushu, and Shikoku lines for 3 days for 18,000 yen per person.

I will explain about this ticket that can be used by residents in Japan in this article.

Sales period

September 18, 2020 (Friday) -December 17, 2020 (Thursday)

  • Sold from 1 month to 7 days before the departure date at 23:30

Usage period

October 1, 2020 (Thursday) -December 25, 2020 (Friday)

  • For 2 days, until December 24, 2020 (Thursday) departure
  • For 3 days, until December 23, 2020 (Wednesday) departure

Both tickets must be used by December 25th.

And the sales date is up to one week before traveling date. For example, if you want to buy a 3-day ticket departing on December 23, you must buy it by 23:30 on December 16.

Sales location

JR West online reservation “e5489”
JR Kyushu Internet Train Reservation Service

Both are official JR online sites, but both are only available in Japanese. If you want to use these online sites, you need to register first in Japanese, so it may be a little difficult for you to use.

The official website of JR West states that it will also be sold by major travel agencies in the areas of JR West, JR Shikoku, and JR Kyushu. It is not specified which travel agency will sell it. In my opinion, Nippon Travel Agency (日本旅行), one of the major travel agencies, is a subsidiary of JR West, so it is highly possible that it is sold. You can find a branch of Nippon Travel Agency in major stations of JR West, such as Osaka station. If you find it difficult to buy online, check it out.

Nippon Travel Agency branch
Photo Rebirth10 / CC BY-SA

In addition, “Go to Travel Campaign” is being held in Japan. This is a government-sponsored discount on travel costs, but online purchases are not eligible for this promotion. However, it says that you should check with the travel agency when purchasing from a travel agency. If you buy from a travel agency, you may be able to get a discount.

Price

The coverage map of Dokodemo Door Kippu
Click to view large.

Unlimited rides in JR West area for 2 days (6 reserved seats)

JPYSaturday and holidaysWeekdays
Adult12,000 JPY15,000 JPY
Child (6 to 11 years)2,000 JPY2,000 JPY

Unlimited rides in JR West, JR Kyushu and JR Shikoku for 3 days (6 reserved seats)

Saturday and holidaysWeekdays
Adult18,000 JPY20,000 JPY
Child (6 to 11 years)3,000 JPY3,000 JPY
  • Neither can be sold or used by children only.

Tickets for 2 days cover trains running on all JR lines in the JR West area, including Shinkansen and limited express trains, as well as Chizu Express (including limited express trains) and JR West Miyajima Ferry. You can board the IR Shikawa Railway Line between Kanazawa and Tsubata, and the Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line between Toyama and Takaoka only when connecting to the Nanao Line, Johana Line and Himi Line.

Tickets for all JR West, Kyushu, and Shikoku lines also cover all JR lines in Kyushu and Shikoku.

The set date calendar is as follows:

Click to view large.

There are two prices, one for Saturdays and holidays, and the other one for weekdays, both of which are set based on the departure date. The fare setting is slightly different for the JR West all lines (2-day unlimited ride) ticket and the JR West / Kyushu / Shikoku all-line (3-day unlimited ride) ticket.

Saturdays and holidays are cheaper than weekdays. In my opinion, business demand is back a bit, but leisure demand remains declining,. JR may be setting lower holiday rates to make up for it.

As you can see from the prices, children’s prices are exceptional. Parents and children are also considered to be two people, so if you travel with your children, you can save a lot of money.

Reservaed seat

You can reserve seats on the Shinkansen and limited express trains up to 6 times with this ticket. If you purchased online, you can select your seat online. If you purchase from a travel agency, the booking method may vary by travel agencies. Please check it at the time of purchase.

How many rides do I have to make to get the money worth?

Miyajima is fully covered by this ticket. ©Hiroshima Prefecture / ©JNTO

The two-day ticket costs 12,000 yen on holidays and 15,000 yen on weekdays. So, if you are on a holiday, you can get the money by taking the train for 6000 yen one way, and on weekdays, you can get the money for 7500 yen one way.

If you take a train from Osaka, you can get paid by traveling by Shinkansen or limited express train to the following locations.

From Osaka to Okayama by the Shinkansen6,350 JPY
From Osaka to Hiroshima by the Shinkansen10,630 JPY
From Osaka to Kanazawa by the limited express train7,790 JPY
From Osaka to Fukui by the limited express train6,140 JPY
From Osaka to Shirahama by the limited express train5,370 JPY
From Osaka to Shingu by the limited express train7,350 JPY
From Osaka to Kinosaki Onsen by the limited express train5,700 JPY

At the trip for Shirahama and Kinosaki Onsen, it’s a little less than half the Saturday and holiday price, but at the trip for other places, it’s over 6000 yen one way, so you can easily pay for it. If you go to Hiroshima, you can get the money worth for even 3-day unlimited ride ticket for all JR West, JR Kyushu, and JR Shikoku lines.

Also, since the normal child price is half the price for adults, using this ticket will give you a very high discount rate.

Summary

This is a special discount ticket released because the demand is declining due to Covid-19. We cannot see like this deal under the normal situation.

Enjoy your trip with this, as it’s an unusual rate.

Comments

  1. Naii says:

    Is there any rail pass for foreign students reside in Japan?
    My daughter resides in Beppu with a resident card. She would travelling to Yamaguchi/Osaka during the university break this March.

  2. Jack says:

    Hello, thank you for all of this information, its very helpful.
    I was wondering what is the period to cancel your tickets and still get a refund? If you cancel the week of, will you be able to get your money back?

  3. mark says:

    Hi Takeshi, thanks for your great information. Can residents in Japan who want to go on a solo (one person trip) also use this “dokodemo” door campaign?
    Thank you.

  4. Saranya Raghunathan says:

    Thanks for sharing this information. Just curious if this JR West pass can be availed in JR East ticket offices too as i live in Tokyo.

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