noun
first-class ticket
Obsolete colloquial term for a first-class ticket, especially on trains. Modern Japanese uses 一等切符 or グリーン券.
昔、白切符を買うと一等車に乗れた。
In the old days, if you bought a first-class ticket, you could ride in a first-class car.
Current term for a first-class (Green Car) ticket on JR trains.
Compound of 白 (white, here implying first-class) and 切符 (ticket). The exact origin of using 'white' for first-class is uncertain, but it may derive from the color of the ticket or a traditional association of white with premium status.