There are several ways to get discounts on train tickets and shinkansen in Japan. Some buy daily or seasonal passes, others buy online in advance, but what many do not know are the famous stores called Kinken Shop (and others) that can be found near major train stations or tourist spots.
The Kinken Shop [金券ショップ] are stores that resell tickets and coupons at a lower price (about 5%) for trains, buses, shinkansen, cinema, restaurants, gift vouchers, and tourist attractions like Disney and Universal. In addition to Kinken Shops, you can find discount stores with different names or franchises such as Daikokuya Shop, Kounan Ticket, Sun Ticket, Marutoku Ticket, Yasui Ticket, and Tokai Ticket.
In some of these stores, it is possible to sell old tickets and buy tickets using a credit card. Most of the time, they do not have any information in English or any language other than Portuguese, but it is possible to buy discounted tickets through automatic machines that you find in front of these stores or in strategic locations.
Some train lines offer high discounts that provide savings of up to 30% or sometimes even more. These Japanese discount stores usually open at 09:00 or 10:00 and close at 18:00 or 19:00. There are also discounts and extra tickets for specific times or dates.
Tips about discount stores in Japan
When looking for a discount store or cheap ticket, you need to understand that there are different types of trains and tickets, some are:
- Fuutsu – These are normal tickets for regular and local trains;
- Jisa or Hirudoki – These are tickets that work in the afternoon, usually from 10:00 to 17:00;
- DoNichi or Kyuujitsu – These are tickets for weekends;
- Shinkansen – These are the bullet trains, usually the tickets have an expiration date;
Unlike regular tickets, tickets purchased at discount stores cannot be refunded if you do not arrive at the destination station. One of their advantages is that they have a longer validity period than regular coupons, which usually last only the day of purchase.
I made extensive use of discount stores in Japan, I bought a ticket from Kakegawa to Disney via Shinkansen + the segment from Tokyo to Mihara for only 6,000 yen. The normal price is usually over 8,000 yen. I saved about 2,000 yen (70 reais) with this discount.
If you are going to buy tickets or coupons for anything local or famous, try to find a discount store in Japan and save money. Cinema tickets can be up to half price if purchased at some of these discount stores.
Whenever you travel, look for a Discount Store located near the stations and get your discounts. What did you think of this tip? Did you like the article? We look forward to hearing your comments and shares. To finish, let’s leave some extra information for you to research:
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