Yours truly in Matsushima Kaigan, Sendai on 18 April, 2019.

Hello everyone! I'm getting some free time on my hands to write a short post! It's about a pass that I find very useful for people who are interested to explore a little further from Tohoku on an affordable price, and without using a JR East Pass.

Since we do know that JR East Tohoku Area Pass allows selection of 5 days within any 14-day period, you might want to consider saving your JR East Pass for longer and more pricey journeys (bullet trains especially!) so here's a pass that I am recommending!

The pass is called Chiisanatabi Holiday Pass / (JP) 小さな旅ホリデー・パス. It's a 1-day pass where you can use it over the weekends or public holiday.

I've received this pamphlet from the staff in Matsushimakaigan Station and find it really useful. It's unfortunately only in Japanese, but I'm translating a small part of it for your understanding, in case if you might not be able to understand Japanese, I have some of the information translated in the below scanned pamphlet!

Scanned copy of the pamphlet for Chiisanatabi Holiday Pass / 小さな旅ホリデー・パス

So, how do you use it? 

You can use it on JR local lines (unreserved seats only) in Miyagi, Fukushima and Yamagata, and could even use it up to Hiraizumi of Iwate too! BRT from Maeyachi to Kesennuma is also OK.

Note that you can't use it on Tohoku Shinkansen. However, you can use it on Yamagata Shinkansen if you purchase an additional Tokkyu (express) ticket (for Fukushima until Shinjo Station only).


Where can I use it?

You can use this pass in many places! Koriyama, Shin-Shirakawa or Aizu Wakamatsu offers beautiful view, especially during spring. Tourism information of Fukushima is here.

For cultural touch, Hiraizumi of Iwate is a great place to spend a day in! Beautiful temples and easy hiking trails for one of the most important national treasures is right in Hiraizumi! I've wrote a post about Iwate here too.

If you would like to see a bay side view, perhaps you can head to Kesennuma and Ishinomaki, where it was once affected by the great Tsunami in the past. Additionally, if you're staying in Kesennuma, you can also board joyful train on another day (Pokemon train) but let's talk about that next time!

Yonezawa is very popular with its beef, while you can definitely enjoy some onsen in Yamagata prefecture as well! Yamagata also has some special festivals to offer, such as Yonezawa Uesugi Festival where you can see people donning in samurai armor on horses, or during February, you can also see its Snow Lantern Festival. More information of Yamagata tourism here.


How do I get this pass?

To purchase this pass, you can head to the Midori no Madoguchi/ Reserved seat tickets/ Certain Travel Agencies in Japan (H.I.S. Travel, JTB) to get this ticket (usually also sold with local tours)!

It's a pass valid for 1 day, for adults it is 2,760 JPY and children passes are 1,330 JPY each (6 years old and above).


What are the things to take note of when using this pass?

1. Since not all stations are selling this ticket, it would be possible to purchase in advance, and it would be useful if you are departing very early in the morning - ask the Midori no Madoguchi Staff for this pass.
2. Refunds are possible with the condition of the ticket being unused on the valid usage day, and with a 220 yen handling fee.
3. The pamphlet also mentions that there could be occasions where service could be interrupted due to weather conditions such as heavy rain - the services will be substituted with buses if that happens. You may contact the station staff if such happens.