However, if you want to book a seat you can do so without additional charges before you catch your train by going into a booking office at the train station midori no madoguchi and showing your japan rail pass. The jr group does not allow to change to a reserved seat once you have boarded the train. Should i prebook shinkansen tickets for earlymid january. Densha otaku train enthusiasts from all over japan attend a train s final run. Reservations cannot be made for the tokaido and sanyo shinkansen, the kyushu shinkansen. Take your japan rail pass to the midori no mado guchi. When you take the shinkansen or the limited express train, you may have to book a seat because some trains require you a seat reservation. If you dont speak any japanese, booking shinkansen tickets can often be a bit of a hastle. Shinkansen how to buy bullet train tickets matcha japan. On our recent trip to japan one of the things which made travelling around japan really easy was using a japan rail pass. Purchase shinkansen tickets online without the hassle. Reservation tickets for the nozomi seldom sell out during normal periods, as they run very frequently, at least 4.
Immaculately clean, comfortable, and remarkably fast, it is the epitome of efficiency and the pride of the shockingly prompt japan rail network. It can be an economical, efficient way of seeing the. When you will use a reserved seat, a super limited express reserved seat ticket is required. Initially, it was built to connect distant japanese regions with tokyo, the capital, in order to aid economic growth and development. You can get your tickets at the shinkansen tickets office. If not, is there somewhere i can at least figure out train times so i can plan. Be sure to try the bullet train at least once during your travel to japan. The kyoto to osaka shinkansen is the cheapest highspeed train route in japan the cheapest bullet train ticket is kyoto to osaka and lasts roughly 20 30 minutes.
Buying shinkansen nozomi traintickets online tokyo. Line up behind the white line and wait for your train. Introduces shinkansen lines, such as tokaido, tohoku, and hokuriku shinkansen, as well as seat types, unreserved, reserved, green reserved, and gran class sets. Learn with our travel angel chris how to make a seat reservation and how to get to your train with a japan rail pass. Capable of reaching a maximum speed of 320kms per hour, the bullet train offers riders an exceptionally unique and efficient travel experience. Thanks but these just seem to be travel agents or similar. The train names are nozomi, mizuho, hikari, sakura and kodama. Japan railways west jr west recently launched an online ticket service that allows you to buy tickets online and pick them up in person at a train station in western japan. Shinkansen and limited express train reservations ticketing jr. Discover more about the highspeed trains and the 9 rail lines they cover. Everything you need to know about taking a bullet train, or shinkansen, to explore japan.
Japan necessary to buy shinkansen ticket in advance. Comfortable the train is very quiet and comfortable, so you can relax while you take in the beautiful surroundings. Shinkansen bullet trains are the fastest way to discover japan. Japan train shinkansen nozomi super express luke martin 2018 today we will be showing you the key features of the japan shinkansen nozomi train bullet train high speed rail. Apr 21, 2016 shinkansen is what the bullet trains in japan are called. Theyre comfortable, convenient, luxurious, and above all, superfast. Your japan rail pass entitles you to free seat reservations on all trains that are valid with your rail pass. In larger train stations like tokyo and kyoto, they also have dedicated shinkansen ticket offices.
There is no real need for booking in advance, unless you are taveling on an exceptionally busy day and if you. Japans main islands of honshu, kyushu and hokkaido are served by a network of high speed train lines that connect tokyo with most of the countrys major cities. Any jr ticket office or ticket window can sell you shinkansen tickets. The shinkansen, or bullet train, made history in 1964 as the worlds first highspeed train. We would like to take the btrain from tokyo to kyoto. The bullet train, or shinkansen, is a type of passenger train which operates on japans highspeed railway network. The nozomi is the fastest train category along the tokaido shinkansen, serving only major stations and requiring about 2. A basic fare ticket is necessary for all train travel.
With more than 200 business trips to japan, my experience is that you walk up to the ticket window and book a seat on the next train and rarely have i had to wait more than one train later ten minutes. Everything you need to know about taking a bullet train. How to reserve a seat of japan railway trains at the. The shinkansen is unlikely to be sold out so you should have no issues booking it when you land at narita, and even if it is sold out you can always buy a nonreserved ticket and try and grab a seat in the nonreserved carriages. Jreast train reservation seat reservation service online for shinkansen and limited express train in east japan region. If youve looked at shinkansen, or highspeed train, tickets in japan, you know they are really on the cheap side. Nextday delivery cannot be guaranteed to the islands of hokkaido.
N scale model train preowned locomotives preowned shinkansen preowned train cars preowned coach preowned. The shinkansen bullet train connects most major cities in japan, which makes it very convenient for sightseeing trips. The shinkansen bullet train is japan s pride, being the first highspeed train in the world. How to purchase shinkansen bullet train tickets shinkansen. There are options for ordinary car reserved seats, green cars first class cars, and ordinary car nonreserved seats. Jreast train reservation is a convenient online service that allows you to reserve seats on shinkansen and limited express trains ordinary cars, green cars and granclass before you come to japan. It was originally built and operated by the governmentowned japanese national railways and has been part of the private japan railways group since 1987. Nextday delivery to mainland japan we offer nextday delivery across japan s main island of honshu, except for the northern prefectures of akita and aomori. In general you cant easily pre book these from outside of japan. We arrive in tokyo then train to nagano on january 2nd. And there are additional shinkansen which make more stops hikari and kodomo.
Reserve seats in advance in order to avoid long lines in crowded japan. This is the name for the concept of using a single train that is specially designed to travel on both 1,067 mm 3 ft 6 in narrow gauge railway lines and the 1,435 mm 4 ft 8 1. All seats should be booked before boarding the train. How to buy japan rail tickets and shinkansen tickets. The route search corresponds to not only japanese but also english and chinese. Booking website are usually in japanese only, and therefore not very easy to use for non japanese speakers. From its origins in pre war days as a means to connect the ever expanding imperialist japan, to a symbol of economic resurgence post the abomb disaster, the work is a miniencyclopedia of the japanese shinkansen. And rightly so as someone who has made a lot of shinkansen journeys over. Shinkansen bullet trains are the fastest and most convenient way of discovering japan. Originally designated as n300 during the development phase, they formed the next generation of shinkansen vehicles jointly designed by jr central and jrwest for use on both tokaido and sanyo shinkansen lines. So to be clear i am not able to pre book train tickets with my jr pass. You can always head to a japan rail jr counter once you arrive or seek help from an agent and pay some extra bucks, however, did you know that you can also book in advance online. Find out where and how to find the best value tickets for shinkansen bullet trains.
Book shinkansen bullet train tickets from tokyo to kyoto, tokyo to osaka and other routes through voyagin. I have been travelling all my life in japan and ive never booked a seat of shinkansen before the date of travel. How to buy shinkansen tickets at train stations in japan. For traveling on a shinkansen bullet train or a limited express train, you need to purchase a super limited express train ticket in addition to a basic fare ticket. The train moves like a bullet hence the nickname, so fast. Beyond longdistance travel, some sections around the largest. Im heading from kyoto to toyko in several days on the shinkansen nozomi train. Now that weve covered the basics of getting to nagano on the shinkansen bullet train including the different jr pass options available to you, lets tackle how to actually buy tickets and use the train. When you have a jr pass you can easily reserve seats for your preferred train services, switch and change your reservations and also go around japan on the unreserved train carriages. How to take your bicycle on trains, buses, and more in japan tour japan like royalty on luxury. You can travel to kyoto from tokyo in about 2,5 hrs. Japan s high speed trains bullet trains are called shinkansen and are operated by japan railways jr running at speeds of up to 320 kmh, the shinkansen is known for punctuality most trains depart on time to the. Is it worth forgetting the jr pass and book the tickets. New trunk linebyname bullet train, pioneer highspeed passenger rail system of japan, with lines on the islands of honshu, kyushu, and hokkaido.
Therefore, you can book the shinkansen from shinkobe to hiroshima by yourself without any handling charge, although this app. The shinkansen, japans bullet train, is a fast train that allows passengers to travel comfortably over long distances in the shortest time possible. Shinkansen bullet trains, classic trains, airport trains. Well, you can probably do that easily, without advance booking. Hyperdiatimetable is a service which offers the route and the timetable of the railway and the aviation within japan. The average delay to a highspeed shinkansen train is measured in seconds. Tokyo cheapo is the site of choice for value hunters who want their yen to go further in tokyo. I read online that since this is a peak travel time, it would be very difficult to get tickets close to the date of travel. How to buy shinkansen bullet train tickets inside kyoto. Reserved seat tickets can be purchased at jr ticket offices midorinomadoguchi, travel service centers view plaza and jr east travel service centers. Want to purchase bullet train tickets in advance tokyo.
As to why well partly because i want to travel on specific trains, and to be sure that i can, and partly for convenience id prefer not to have to worry about booking the tickets when i get to tokyo. Looking at the online booking system for the shinkansen, they say that you have to pick up your ticket the day before. Jreast train reservation is a convenient online service that allows you to. Enter the train and find your seat, seat numbers are indicated above the window sit in any seat if an unreserved carriage keep hold of your ticket as you may have to present both your japan rail pass and seat reservation to the ticket inspector. From haneda, take the keikyu airport rapid or express to shinagawa. Japans high speed trains bullet trains are called shinkansen and are operated by japan railways jr. Practically you cant book tokaido shinkansen tickets online unless you understand japanese. Japan has an extensive and very efficient rail network, you can pretty much assume that trains go almost everywhere youd want to visit. The shinkansen, japan s bullet train, is a fast train that allows passengers to travel comfortably over long distances in the shortest time possible. Alternatively, if you dont come in the new year holidays from dec. We land at haneda and then want to travel on to nagoya. Osaka to kyoto shinkansen japans cheapest bullet train.
Sameday delivery is only available to hotels with a concierge. It is connected with the sanyo shinkansen at shinosaka. The shinkansen is more than just a mode of transportation it is a uniquely japanese experience. The shinkansen highspeed rail network of japan contains the proceedings of the international institute for applied systems analysis conference on the shinkansen highspeed rail network of japan, held on june 2730, 1977. This is official central japan shinkansen train portal site operated by central japan railway company. Sameday delivery to tokyo hotels we offer sameday delivery to central tokyo hotels if the booking is placed before 5 pm japan time. With this service, you will not have to worry about not being able to ride a train after you arrive in japan. The reserve seat on most trains can be reserved at midori no madoguchi only.
Is there no way to book direct from the train company. You may find that having a specific seat is more comfortable than looking for empty seats on the unreserved cars, especially if you are traveling with your family and would like to sit together. Fastest train in japan shinkansen nozomi super express. I am travelling to japan for a week in the last week of december. How to reserve a seat of japan railway trains at the station. Baggage restrictions to be introduced on shinkansen lines. Booking shinkansen in advance japan forum tripadvisor. The basic information about shinkansen for tourists visiting japan. Baggage restrictions will be introduced on the tokaido, sanyo, and kyushu shinkansen lines from may 2020 if the sum of the height, length, and width of your suitcase exceeds 160 cm and is within 250 cm, youll be required to book a place for it in the special luggage area that will be introduced in bullet train cars from may 2020. The smartex basic service lets you make a reservation up to your date of travel and combines the validity of the basic fare ticket and limited express ticket for the tokaidosanyo shinkansen lines. But if you book a seat on overnight booking, please check the departure date at the original departure station. Christopher hood lays bare the history of the worlds most spoken about transport system the japanese bullet trains. You can buy shinkansen tickets and regular train tickets, as well as some regional rail passes but not the all country japan rail pass.
Japanese trains are clean, comfortable and unbelievably punctual. Reservations cannot be made in english for most routes outside japan, but you can reserve jr east trains here. This article provides information on how to purchase shinkansen tickets online or at the station in all areas of japan. For many people traveling to japan, booking train tickets is a major problem. Nov 12, 2014 however, if you want to book a seat you can do so without additional charges before you catch your train by going into a booking office at the train station midori no madoguchi and showing your japan rail pass. You can easily buy shinkansen train tickets from voyagin and travel safely and rapidly to your destination in japan. Shinkansen have been serving passengers for almost 50 years in the country. Then osaka, hiroshima, and finally return to tokyo again we wanted to buy a jr pass when we arrived but weve also heard shinkansen trains sell out quickly during the holiday period. However, booking or purchasing shinkansen tickets may be a bit difficult for those who plan to visit japan for the first time. The shinkansen highspeed trains are the fastest way to discover all of japan, reaching a speed of 320 kmh 199 mph. Three train categories operate on the tokaido shinkansen. How to book train tickets in advance before traveling to japan. The shinkansen highspeed rail network of japan 1st edition.
However, at first it can be difficult to know where and how to buy shinkansen tickets everyone wants to get the best value tickets possible but without doing extensive research it can be tricky. That does not seem to be very helpful as our schedule does not allow that. Traveling around japan using shinkansen bullet trains is an absolute pleasure. Getting around japan with a japan rail pass pretraveller. Japan rail pass holders are entitled to book a seat on all japan railways trains free of charge. I am looking for a shinkansen ticket from tokyoosaka on 28th december. You can use your credit card at jr east ticket offices, travel service centers and jr east travel service centers. Japan s main islands of honshu, kyushu and hokkaido are served by a network of high speed train lines that connect tokyo with most of the countrys major cities. How to buy japan rail tickets and shinkansen tickets online. Me and my partner are traveling to japan on december 29th. Travelling by japans shinkansen, or bullet trains, is a mustdo for visitors to japan. Fuji shizuoka, nagoya, kyoto, osaka, hiroshima, takayama, ise, alpineroute, world heritage siteshirakawago, kumano kodo, and more. The japan rail jr network is extensive and the trains reach a top speed. How to easily book shinkansen tickets welcome to the.
You can book shinkansen and limited express train tickets for traveling to tokyo, mt. If you would like sameday delivery, please book the sameday delivery to tokyo hotels addon during checkout. There are usually four departures per hour in each direction, and even more during peak hours. You can book shinkansen bullet train tickets online here. Train travel shinkansen japan has a state of the art transportation system and i love riding the train here. Order process all about shinkansen, the bullet train. And, our company offers and sells the traveling expenses adjustment system using the route searach function of hyperdiatimetable. Shinkansen ticket is your online ticket agent for your travel to japan. In that time, there have been 16 models or series of models of japanese bullet train. They are super fast and must travel when you are in japan. I cant find anything on the jr website that says that advance ticket purchases are required, although it mentions it is available. Must do in shinkansen bullet train japan wonder travel.
Its very easy to buy shinkansen tickets in person at train stations in japan. Introduces shinkansen lines, such as tokaido, tohoku, and hokuriku shinkansen, as well as seat types, unreserved, reserved, green reserved, and. We purchase tickets for you and deliver to your hotel. Shinkansen and limited express train reservations ticketing. For shorter distance, tickets can be purchased at ticket vending machines. Its a one way trip and would probably be easy except its the weekend of golden week highly traveled. You can make reservations right up to train departures. Central japan shinkansen train portal for online booking and. It attracts travellers with its high levels of safety, speeds over 200 km per hour, and frequent departures every 35 minutes. In addition, this service possesses the golf course search function. There is no real need for booking in advance, unless you are taveling on an exceptionally busy day and if you are unlucky. The trucksbogies of the gauge change train gct allow the wheels to be unlocked from the axles. You need to purchase them in person at a ticket counter in japan.