It's been more than three weeks since I moved from Yokohama to my new
house in Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture.

One of the most Kansai-like things I felt here was about the discount tickets.

　Off course, they have been sold not only in Kansai area but also in Kanto area.
The discount tickets which have been usually sold were JR tickets, gift coupons, complimentary tickets for stockholders, beer coupons, travel coupons and so on.

If I remember correctly, I think that JR discount tickets were only ones for
long-distance train like Shinkansen-line.

　While I was active in business, I often used to use the JR discount ticket to be
at the sales meeting in the headquarters or to take a business trip.

　The amount of money I saved by it was used up as the drinking money in the
return train.

　By the way, I casually saw a vending machine at the corner of the west traffic
circle from JR Kusatsu station one day.
There was a line of some people waiting in front of it.

And so I gazed at the vending machine.

I knew it was the one for the discount tickets of JR line.

The vending machine which sales the discount tickets of JR local line

　I gazed at it again.

It were not discount tickets for long-distance train like Shinkansen train but those
for local train like from kusatsu to Kyoto, Osaka or Sannomiya that were sold
by the vending machine.
Off course, JR ticket office at Kusatsu station sells regular tickets.

　However, somehow, the time zone that those tickets are available is restricted
(limited) on weekdays, that is, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The round-trip discounted fare from Kusatsu to Kyoto is 780 yen and the rate of
discount is2.5 %.： the fare from Kusatsu to Osaka is 1740　yen and the discount
amounts to 21.6 %.

　I already used it when I went to Osaka.

Anyway, these discount tickets are welcome ones for us.

They might also be tickets that support our life.

I felt it’s characteristic of Kansai to trade in even a discount ticket of local train.

[Note]　　Kansai-like things ; 関西らしい事柄、　gift coupon ; 商品券
　　complimentary tickets for stockholders ; 株主優待券
　　beer coupon ; ビール券、travel coupon ; 旅行券 use up 〜　; 〜を使い尽くす
　　return ; (形容詞)帰りの、　gaze at 〜 ; 〜 を注視する、　local train ; 近距離列車

　 ticket office ; (劇場・鉄道の)切符売り場、 somehow ; どういうわけか
　fare ; (交通機関の)運賃、料金、　trade in〜 ; 〜を商う、扱う
　it's characteristic of A to do 〜 ; 〜するなんていかにもAらしい

Japanese Diary / No.247−2010.03.05 / 「関西らしさ(3)」