The Moonlight Nagara service is a rather popular service among Seishun 18 Ticket holders.
It is because one only has to pay 520 yen to reserve a seat while travelling across the long stretch that is the Tōkaidō overnight, so the service allows them to travel at a cheap price and save time.

The Seishun 18 Ticket is a basic fare ticket (乗車券) that allows holders to have unlimited rides on the local trains for 5 (not necessarily consecutive) days.
The price of the ticket is 11,850 yen, which means 2,370 yen per use.
A day is defined as the 24-hour period between 12am and 12am on the next day, and within this period of time, the use of the 18 Ticket counts as one day.
For the case of the Moonlight Nagara, the journey takes place within two days.
If one uses the 18 Ticket to board the Moonlight Nagara for the entirety of the journey, 2 days would be counted for the person's Ticket, which could possibly reduce the value they're getting for their money.
Therefore, for some travellers who're beginning their journey in Tokyo / Ōgaki, they would purchase a separate fare ticket covering the distance between the boarding station and the first stop after midnight (i.e. Tokyo→Odawara, 1490 yen or Ōgaki→Toyohashi, 1940 yen), and use the 18 Ticket for the remaining part, so that they can get better value for their money.

Often, the Seishun 18 Ticket is used for long distance travelling, so after getting off the Moonlight Nagara, these Ticket holders would change for other trains heading further towards different locations.
At one terminus of the Moonlight Nagara, Ōgaki Station, the interchange window between the Moonlight Nagara (5:50 Arrival) and a Maibara-bound local train (5:53 Departure) is merely 3 minutes, which is so short that interchanging passengers often have to dash up the stairs, across the overpass towards the opposite platform, run down the stairs again, just so they can board the local train as soon as possible, to secure a seat after the exhausting journey on the Moonlight Nagara.
This is dubbed as the Ōgaki Dash (大垣ダッシュ).
For 18 Ticket holders, interchange windows can be so tight that the Ōgaki Dash is inevitable.
Some passengers even specifically picked particular seats, just so they can get off the train at the nearest exit to the stairs.
JR Central, in response to the Ōgaki Dash, has put up signs that warn passenger not to run.
The Moonlight Nagara service is a rather popular service among Seishun 18 Ticket holders. It is because one only has to pay 520 yen to reserve a seat while travelling across the long stretch that is the Tōkaidō overnight, so the service allows them to travel at a cheap price and save time.
The Seishun 18 Ticket is a basic fare ticket (乗車券) that allows holders to have unlimited rides on the local trains for 5 (not necessarily consecutive) days. The price of the ticket is 11,850 yen, which means 2,370 yen per use. A day is defined as the 24-hour period between 12am and 12am on the next day, and within this period of time, the use of the 18 Ticket counts as one day. For the case of the Moonlight Nagara, the journey takes place within two days. If one uses the 18 Ticket to board the Moonlight Nagara for the entirety of the journey, 2 days would be counted for the person's Ticket, which could possibly reduce the value they're getting for their money. Therefore, for some travellers who're beginning their journey in Tokyo / Ōgaki, they would purchase a separate fare ticket covering the distance between the boarding station and the first stop after midnight (i.e. Tokyo→Odawara, 1490 yen or Ōgaki→Toyohashi, 1940 yen), and use the 18 Ticket for the remaining part, so that they can get better value for their money.
Often, the Seishun 18 Ticket is used for long distance travelling, so after getting off the Moonlight Nagara, these Ticket holders would change for other trains heading further towards different locations. At one terminus of the Moonlight Nagara, Ōgaki Station, the interchange window between the Moonlight Nagara (5:50 Arrival) and a Maibara-bound local train (5:53 Departure) is merely 3 minutes, which is so short that interchanging passengers often have to dash up the stairs, across the overpass towards the opposite platform, run down the stairs again, just so they can board the local train as soon as possible, to secure a seat after the exhausting journey on the Moonlight Nagara. This is dubbed as the Ōgaki Dash (大垣ダッシュ). For 18 Ticket holders, interchange windows can be so tight that the Ōgaki Dash is inevitable. Some passengers even specifically picked particular seats, just so they can get off the train at the nearest exit to the stairs. JR Central, in response to the Ōgaki Dash, has put up signs that warn passenger not to run.
Moonlight Nagara