West Japan Railway offers train tickets with 'roll-the-dice' destinations

West Japan Railway (JR West) is now offering train tickets at a huge discount with the destination being a matter of chance.

The possibilities for those buying JR West's Saikoro Ticket, named after the Japanese word for dice, are the seven stations in central and western Japan, namely Shirahama, Amarube, Higashi Maizuru, Kurashiki, Awaraonsen, Onomichi, and Hakata.

Anywhere in Osaka City is a valid starting point for the 5,000 yen round-trip Saikoro Ticket. The price of tickets for these destinations ranges from 11,400 yen for Shirahama to 29,240 yen for Hakata.

The Saikoro Ticket, in contrast to some other discounted tickets, does not force passengers to board slower trains; instead, if their destination is along a bullet train line, they are free to board special limited expresses or even the Shinkansen.

Each of the seven stations is close to a popular tourist destination.

The chances for the destinations aren't exactly equal. You have an identical probability of 16.7% for five of them: Shirahama, Amarube, Higashi Maizuru, Kurashiki, and Awaraonsen. With a possibility of only 2.8%, Hakata, the main train station in central Fukuoka City, is the least likely Saikoro Ticket destination. Onomichi is somewhat more likely, at 13.9%.

The Saikoro Ticket could be purchased for up to six people at a time, and everyone in the group is guaranteed to get to the same destination.

The first round of Saikoro Tickets is available online, with the second batch to become available on July 30.