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What is the longest one-way ticket?

Saicho Katamichi Kippu (最長片道切符), or the longest one-way ticket is the one-way ticket issued by a railway operator that has the longest route traveled in terms of the fare calculation kilometer. While every railway operator has its own longest one-way ticket, it generally refers to the one issued by JR Group Companies that have succeeded the railway network of the Japanese National Railways (JNR) and calculate fares by aggregating the fare calculation km of the route of each group company traveled.

Ryokaku Eigyou Kisoku (旅客営業規則) of JR Group, or Passenger Service Rule (Rule) provides that a one-way ticket is issued for a one-way travel on a section where the route for fare calculation is continuous. The continuous route terminates at a station where the route completes a loop or turns back. Accordingly, the longest one-way ticket is the one-way ticket that has the longest route in terms of the fare calculation km between the starting and terminating stations, among those routes eligible for one-way tickets, or drawn with one stroke without duplication irrespective of the shape of the route.

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Travel with the JNR/JR longest one-way ticket

As far as known, the first JNR travel using the longest one-way ticket was accomplished in 1961 by a team of four embers of University of Tokyo Travel Club[1]. They traveled a journey of the 12,145.3 km from Kaigata (海潟) station of Furue line (古江線) in Kagoshima to Hiroo (広尾) station of Hiroo line in Hokkaido in 25 days. (Both Furue and Hiroo lines were abandoned since then.) Its record is found in a book "Nihon no Hakken" (日本の発見), or Discovery of Japan, published by Chuo Koronsha (中央公論社) in 1962.

Late Shunzo Miyawaki (宮脇俊三), a respected railway travel writer, made the 13,267.2 km longest one-way trip in 1978 from Hiroo to Makurazaki (枕崎), Kagoshima and wrote a book on "Saicho Katamichi Kippu no Tabi" (最長片道切符の旅) published by Shinchosha (新潮社) in 1979. This was his second book following "Jikokuhyo 20,000 km" (時刻表2万キロ) on his Kanjo trip and made the longest one-way ticket known by ordinary people, not only among Noritetsu (乗り鉄) or train riding buffs.

Mr. Takaya Kasai (葛西隆也), when he was a master's course student and a member of rail fan club at the University of Tokyo in 2000, made the route search by mathematically strict methods using a computer together with his co-researcher. Then Mr. Kasai traveled their searched 11,925.9km route between Wakkanai (稚内) and Hizen-Yamaguchi (肥前山口) (renamed Kohoku on September 23, 2022) with the funds contributed by his friends. The process of the route search and travel is reported in his web page (Japanese).

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Route and length of the longest one-way ticket

The longest one-way ticket of JNR was longest for about one week between June 23 and June 30, 1982. On June 23, 1982 Tohoku Shinkansen (東北新幹線) opened and on July 1 Nihori ferry line (仁堀航路) was discontinued. By the closure of Nihori ferry, which ran between Nikata (仁方) station of Kure line and Horie (堀江) station of Yosan line, Uko ferry line (宇高航路) between Uno (宇野) and Takamatsu (高松) became only one route connecting Honshu with Shikoku and the JNR lines in Shikoku were no longer the route traveled by the longest one-way ticket[2]. Thus the total length of the ticket was substantially reduced.

Enforcement of JNR Reform Law in 1981 made many local line discontinued or transferred to third sector companies. The discontinued or transferred lines were extended to those consisting the network such as Nayoro line (名寄線) and the total length was further reduced. Recently, the transfer of conventional lines parallel to Shinkansen to third sector affects the route and length of the ticket.

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Route search

In the model chart only one route either (a) or (b) can be used to move from Block A to Block B. Thus, Block A and Block B is divided by the vertical (red) line. In Block A the two longest routes passing either (a) or (b) are considered. So are in Block B. Then the two longest routes of Blocks A and B are combined and the longer of passing either (a) or (b) is selected.

In 1980's attempt to use computers for the longest one-way route search started. But using a computer in a route search was not necessarily intended to obtain the answer in mathematically strict way. The questioned problems were often simplified by putting several assumptions, such that the route starts in Hokkaido and terminates in Kyushu, or vice versa, that is not mathematically verified.

Mr. Kasai made the route search in both "integer programming" and "all search" methods. His work is unique in that they can mathematically demonstrate that the route searched is the longest among all the potential routes eligible for the one-way ticket. He used in the all search method the same approach of dividing the entire route into several blocks, in more mathymatically strict way, as Tokyo University Travel Club members had adopted in 1961.

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Choice of Shinkansen and conventional lines between Kokura and Hakata

JR Hokkaido, JR Shikoku and JR Kyushu increased the basic fare in January 1996, and the Shin-Shimonoseki = Kokura = Hakata section of San'yo Shinkansen and San'yo and Kagoshima Lines became independent lines as far as the fare calculation is concerned. But the Rule provided that both lines are regarded as the same line with respect to the conditions for issuing tickets. Thus a Round-trip Ticket for a round trip between Tokyo and Hakata with one-way on board Shinkansen and returning by Blue Train. This also applies in determining the continuous route eligible for one-way tickets. However, as an ambiguous provision was inserted in the Rule, there was a room for interpreting the both Shinkansen and conventional lines can be included in a one-way ticket under certain conditions[3].

In 1980 Mr. Kasai traveled with his longest one–way ticket the route of Kokura (Shinkansen) Hakata (Kagoshima line) Yoshizuka (Sasaguri and Kashii lines) Kashii (Kagoshima line) Nishi-Kokura shown in the left chart below, while a friend of Mr. Kasai who accompanied him in traveling this section was oblidged to use Consecutive Ticket as he could not buy a one-way ticket.

The NHK route did not use the both lines in the section, as seen in the right chart below.
 

Mr.Kasai's Route (2000)	NHK Route (2004)

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Change of the JNR/JR Longest One-way Ticket Route

Until March 30, 1987 both directions Kyushu to Hokkaido and Hokkaido to Kyushu were eligible for the one-way ticket. After March 30, 1987 when the longest route took the shape of 6, a 6-letter route, only one direction has become possible. Between March 30, 1987 and April 30, 1988 the longest route started at a atation in Kyushu and ended at Otoineppu, Hokkaido. Only the Hokkaido to Kyushu route has become eligible since May 1, 1988. On April 1, 2024 the Kyushu to Hokkaido route was revived. Letters s and l in the table below show the starting and ending stations, respectively.

The longest route in 1961 is 22.7km longer than the route traveled by Tokyo University members. The route differs in the Tokyo area as shown in the map below.
 

Route A	Route B	Route C

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Tentative Longest Route After Great Earthquake

The author recognizes that such a longest one-way trip is possible only in Japan due to the very special rule to issue a one-way ticket as shown in JR's Rule on Passenger Tickets. Any information would be appreciated regarding the rule of the route eligible for a one-way ticket in any country of the world.

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Revision History

• June 13, 2006: "Change of the JNR/JR Longest One-way Ticket Route" section released.
• June 23, 2006: Error of Kilos corrected in Table 1.
• December 31, 2006: Error of the longest route corrected in Table 1 (The longest route in Hokkaido from March 30, 1987 to May 1, 1989 was not correct.)
• May 3, 2007: Table 1 updated as the longest route was shortened by 0.4km due to the rerouting of Wakayama line on March 18.
• June 30, 2007: The description on the direction of the longest route was added. Start and last stations of the longest route after March 30, 1987 were shown in Table 1.
• November 29, 2009: Error of the longest route in Kyushu from March 23, 1983 to April 1, 1988 corrected in Table 1.
• December 3, 2009: Column of 1994/11/01 deleted from Table 1 (No change in distance or route on this day).
• March 9, 2010: Table 1 updated as the longest route was shortened by 3.8km due to the opening of Musashi-Kosugi station on Tokaido branch (Yokosuka) line on March 13. Errors of the longest route in Honshu from October 1, 1964 to September 30, 1966 and of kilos from October 20, 1966 to September 9, 1972 corrected.
• December 4, 2010: Table 1 updated as the longest route was shortened by 10.3km due to the extension of Tohoku Shinkansen to Shin-Aomori and transfer of JR East Tohoku line's Hachinohe = Aomori section to Aoimori Tetsudo.
• March 6, 2011: Table 1 updated as the longest route was extened due to the opening of Kyushu Shinkansen between Hakata and Shin-Yatsushiro stations on March 12, 2011.
• March 22, 2011: Error of Total Km of the longest route as of March 12, 2011 corrected in Table 1.
• August 27, 2012: "Tentative Longest One-way Ticket Route After Great Earthquake" section released.
• June 12, 2015: Table 1 updated as the longest route was changed due to the extension of Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa and transfer of JR East Shin'etsu line and JR West Hokuriku line to "third-sector" companies on March 14, 2015 and due to opening of "Senseki-Tohoku" line on May 30, 2015. Conversion of Kesen'numa Railway line to BRT service specified in Table 1. "Tentative Longest Route After Great Earthquake" section updated.
• July 27, 2015: Error of Km of the longest route as of March 14 and May 15, 2015 corrected in Table 1.
• March 28, 2016: Table 1 updated as the longest route was changed due to the opening of Hokkaido Shinkansen and transfer of JR Hokkaido Esashi line to Donan-isaribi Tetsudo on March 26, 2016. Errors or omissions of dates and km corrected in Table 1.
• April 1, 2017: Table 1 updated as the distance of the longest route was increased by 0.6km due to the change of the operation kilometer of Komagamine = Hama-Yoshida section of Jōban line effective as of April 1, 2017. The section was rerouted and reopened on December 10, 2016.
• March 31, 2018: Table 1 updated as the longest route was changed due to the closing of Sanko line on April 1, 2018.
• April 20, 2018: An error of the April 1, 2018 route in Table 1 corrected ("Shin-Yamaguchi (Ube) Ino" to "Shin-Yamaguchi (San'yo) Ube (Ube) Ino"). Total Km was correct and not changed.
• March 23, 2019: Table 1 and "Tentative Longest Route After Great Earthquake" section updated as the "tentative" longest route has become the "real" longest route due to the transfer to Sanriku Tetsudo of JR East Yamada line's Miyako = Kamaishi section on March 23, 2019.
• April 1, 2020: Table 1 updated as the longest route was changed because the railway operations of Yanaizu = Kesen'numa section of Kesen'numa line is officially terminatied on April 1, 2020.
• September 27, 2022: Table 1 updated to show the longest route on September 23, 2022 by opening of Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen.
• December 20, 2023: Table 1 updated to show the longest route as of August 28, 2023 after converting Soeda = Yoake section of Hitahikosan line to BRT (bus rapid transport) service. The entire route is shown for the latest longest route at a reader's request.
• April 1, 2024: Table 1 updated to show the longest route as of March 16 and April 1 2024.

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