This document discusses planning an overnight low-cost lab trip to Kiyosato area in Yamanashi Prefecture using Japan Rail (JR) network. It finds that by utilizing JR discount rules for student groups of 8 or more and stopovers, the round-trip fare from Tokyo can be reduced to as low as 3,350 yen per person, down 65% from regular fares. Hotel plans ranging from 3,500-10,000 yen per person are also presented. The document concludes the total trip expenses per person including JR fare and hotel would be 7,000-14,000 yen, excluding lunches.

1. Consideration of an overnight low-cost lab trip
toward Kiyosato area based on JR network
Kentaro IWAMI1* and Yasuaki Kanazashi2
1Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
2NIKON Corp.
*Corresponding author: k_iwami@cc.tuat.ac.jp

2. Background – KIYOSATO Area –
 Located Northwest edge of Yamanashi Pref.
 Many beautiful sites around Mt. Yatsugatake
Suntory Hakusyu NAOJ Nobeyama
Yatsugatake Resort
outlets
Seisen-Ryo @ Kiyosato

3. Motivation – Low cost train trip –
How to get to Kiyosato area?
Methods Pros Cons
Cars Highly Flexible High cost (5,627/人)
Stressful traffic jam
Can’t drink!!@!
Trains On schedule
Drinkable
Worth flexibility
High cost (9,708/人)
Pursue low-cost and flexible train trip
based on low-recognized JR rules

4. Principle – Low recognized JR rules –
 Discount for student group on JR lines
 Group >8 people consisting of students and teachers
 50% reduction of fare!!
 Stopover
 Trip > 100 km except neighboring region of Tokyo
 Able to drop-off at any station(s) unless rebounding
 Use of holiday-specified special rapid service trains
 e.g. Holiday rapid service view Yamanashi
 Double-decker train without any extra fee

5. Tokyo-neighboring region of JR east
Extra-station from Nobeyama is mandatory to satisfy the stopover rule

6. Method – Computational estimation of fare –
 Mars for win ver. 0.10 (By Dr. T. Kasai, JR East)
 Calculate distance and fare along the specified route
 Used to calculate the longest one-way ticket problem

7. Result
 JR Fare – 3,350/人(Round-trip from Higa-Ko to Shinano-Kawakami)
 Approach: 0931 Tachikawa – 1159 Kobuchizawa
 Return trip: 1617 Kobuchizawa – 1825 Tachikawa
 Hotel Plans
Matsu-course
Seisen-ryo
Cottage with tatami bedroom
Approx. 10,000/人
Ume-course
Koganei city Kiyosato lodge
Tatami bedroom for group
Approx. 3,500/人

8. Conclusion
 JR fares can be much suppressed by
utilizing less-recognized rules
 In maximum, fares are decreased to 34.5%
from regular tariff! (65% reduction!!)
 Practical trip expenses will be 7,000~
14,000/人except lunches.
 This works is not financially supported by
Koganei-city nor JR east.