On October 29, NEXCO East Japan began selling the “Off-Peak Winter Savings! Kan-Etsu Leisure Pass,” an ETC-only discount package that offers savings on winter sports and hot spring trips along the Kan-Etsu Expressway (E17).
In addition to highway toll discounts, users who avoid peak traffic hours on the northbound lanes of the Kan-Etsu Expressway (between Nagaoka JCT and Takasaki JCT) on holidays and travel the return trip during off-peak hours will receive additional ETC Mileage Points equivalent to up to 20% of the purchase price. Users can choose their destination area from Yuzawa, Numata, or Minakami, and the program is valid for up to three consecutive days between December 4 and April 22, 2027 (excluding the year-end and New Year holidays and three-day weekends). Applications are accepted on the official website, “Dora-Pura.”
The service offers a “Round-Trip Plan,” which provides a discount on round-trip travel, and a “Set Plan,” which includes unlimited rides in the destination area when you make separate reservations for accommodations or ski lift tickets. For example, for the Yuzawa Plan (Round-Trip Plan) departing from and returning to the Tokyo metropolitan area, the price is 7,000 yen for standard cars and 5,600 yen for light vehicles and similar types. This is cheaper than the standard holiday discount rate (a total of 7,120 yen round-trip for a standard car), and if you avoid traffic by returning home after 8:00 p.m., you’ll receive 1,400 points, effectively bringing the cost down to 5,600 yen.
The bonus point rate is determined based on the time of passage through the entry interchange on the return trip. A 20% bonus is awarded for travel during all hours on weekdays and from 8:00 PM to midnight on holidays, while a 10% bonus is awarded for travel from midnight to 2:00 PM on holidays. However, trips taken between 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM on holidays—when traffic congestion is heaviest—are not eligible for the bonus. If the conditions are met, the bonus points will be credited on the 20th of the month two months following the trip.
© Source travel watch