A Guide About Trains In Japan
Shinkansen bullet trains are the fastest and most convenient way of discovering Japan and are operated by Japan Railways (JR). Running at speeds of up to 320 km/h.
Japan's four major islands - Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku - are covered by an extensive and reliable network of railways. Trains are a very convenient way for visitors to travel around Japan, especially in conjunction with the Japan Rail Pass.
About 70 percent of Japan's railway network is operated by the Japan Railways (JR), while the rest is served by dozens of other private railway companies, especially in and around metropolitan areas.
JAPAN RAILWAYS (JR)
The Japan Railways Group (JR Group) is the successor of the Japanese National Railways (JNR), which were privatized in 1987. The JR Group is made up of six regional passenger railway companies, which are JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku and JR Kyushu, and one nationwide freight railway company, JR Freight. Together they operate a nationwide network of urban, regional and interregional train lines and the shinkansen (bullet trains).
Besides the well known Japan Rail Pass, there exists a large variety of regional rail passes that provide unlimited travel in a certain area of the country.
SHINKANSEN
Japan's high speed trains (bullet trains) are called shinkansen and are operated by Japan Railways (JR).
Running at speeds of up to 320 km/h, the shinkansen is known for punctuality (most trains depart on time to the second), comfort (relatively silent cars with spacious, always forward-facing seats), safety (no fatal accidents in its history) and efficiency. Thanks to various rail passes, the shinkansen can also be a cost-effective means of travel.
SHINKANSEN NETWORK
The shinkansen network consists of multiple lines, among which the Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo - Nagoya - Kyoto - Osaka) is the oldest and most popular. All shinkansen lines (except the Akita and Yamagata Shinkansen) run on tracks that are exclusively built for and used by shinkansen trains. Most lines are served by multiple train categories, ranging from the fastest category that stops only at major stations to the slowest category that stops at every station.
SEATS AND CLASSES
SEAT CLASSES
Trains offer seats in two or three classes, which are typically found in separate cars:
Ordinary
Like the name suggests, ordinary seats are the regular seats found on all shinkansen trains. Although the size and foot space of ordinary seats varies between train sets, ordinary seats on shinkansen are generally comfortable and offer a generous amount of foot space. They usually come in rows of 3+2 seats.
Green Car
Comparable to business class on airplanes, green cars offer seats that are larger and more comfortable than ordinary seats and offer more foot space. The seats are arranged in rows of 2+2 seats. Green Cars tend to be less crowded than ordinary cars. A small number of shinkansen trains do not carry Green Car seats.
Gran Class
Comparable to first class on airplanes, Gran Class is available only on the Tohoku Shinkansen, Hokuriku Shinkansen, Joetsu Shinkansen and Hokkaido Shinkansen. It offers seats that are even more spacious and comfortable than Green Car seats (in rows of 2+1 seats) and additional amenities and services.
The Shinkansen First Class have seats arranged 2+2 and boast a bit cozier headrests.
RESERVED VS. NON -RESERVED CARS
Most shinkansen trains offer both non-reserved seats and reserved seats in separate cars. Only the Hayabusa, Hayate, Komachi and Tsubasa trains on the Tohoku Shinkansen and Hokkaido Shinkansen and the Kagayaki trains on the Hokuriku Shinkansen are fully reserved and do not carry non-reserved seating. In addition, Nozomi trains along the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen become temporarily fully reserved during the New Year, Golden Week and Obon holidays. All seats in Green Cars are reserved. Bilingual signs indicate whether a car carries reserved or non-reserved seats.
Advance seat reservations are required to use a seat in a reserved car (see below on how to make seat reservations). A fee of a few hundred yen applies for making seat reservations. Japan Rail Pass holders can make seat reservations for free.
SEAT RESERVATIONS
Seat reservations allow you to secure a seat and travel with peace of mind. They can be made for all shinkansen trains, but are not mandatory on the trains that also carry non-reserved seating. Only the Hayabusa, Hayate, Komachi and Tsubasa trains along the Tohoku/Hokkaido Shinkansen, and the Kagayaki trains along the Hokuriku Shinkansen require seat reservations. In addition, Nozomi trains along the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen become temporarily fully reserved during the New Year, Golden Week and Obon holidays.
Seat reservations can be made from one month before travel date (from 10:00am) until shortly before departure time. They can be made at ticket offices, at ticket machines or online. (Through the Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu Shinkansen Online Reservation Service reservations can be made up to one year in advance).
ARE SEAT RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED?
On many trains reserved seats do not get booked out, but on some they do. On particularly busy travel days (e.g. peak travel days during Golden Week, Obon and the New Year holidays), trains can get booked out several days in advance, but on most other days trains rarely get booked out more than a few hours in advance, if at all.
For peace of mind seat reservations are always recommended, especially when traveling in groups and preferring to sit together. On a few shinkansen trains along the Tohoku Shinkansen, Hokkaido Shinkansen and Hokuriku Shinkansen seat reservations are mandatory.
SHINKANSEN TICKETS
Regular paper tickets for the shinkansen can be purchased at ticket counters, at ticket machines or online. Alternatively, IC cards can be used. Last but not least, there are several rail passes and other types of discount tickets that can be used on the shinkansen.
Fees that make up a shinkansen ticket
A shinkansen ticket is made up of the following fees:
Base fare
The fare to get from A to B. Increases stepwise according to the distance traveled. Issued as a base fare ticket.Shinkansen supplement (aka limited express fee)
The supplement fee for using a shinkansen train (as opposed to a local train). The fee increases stepwise according to the distance traveled. The express supplement is issued as a limited express fee ticket.Seat reservation fee
330, 530, 730 or 930 yen depending on the date of travel. An additional supplement (100-1060 yen depending on distance traveled) applies for using reserved seats on Nozomi, Mizuho, Hayabusa and Komachi trains. The seat reservation fee is included into the above-mentioned express supplement.Green car fee (if using a green car)
The supplement fee for riding the green car. Increases stepwise according to the distance traveled. It is combined with the express supplement into a single ticket.
Shinkansen passengers typically receive two pieces of tickets: a base fare ticket and a supplement ticket. In some situations the two tickets are combined into a single ticket, while more than two tickets may be issued if multiple trains are involved (one base fare ticket and one supplement ticket for each train).
You can always buy tickets at a manned ticket counter at a local train station.
BUYING A TICKET AT THE TICKET COUNTER
Shinkansen tickets can be purchased at any ticket office found at all major and many minor JR stations nationwide. Credit cards are accepted at most ticket offices. In order to purchase a ticket, the following information is needed:
Number of travelers
Date of travel
Departure station
Destination station
Ordinary or green car
Reserved or non-reserved seat
For a seat reservation, the following additional information is required:
Train name (e.g. Hikari) and train number or departure time
If you do not speak Japanese, it is recommended that you write the data on a piece of paper and present it to the salesperson in order to make the purchasing process smoother. Salespersons are generally familiar with the English vocabulary needed for the purchase of train tickets and seat reservations, but many have limited English conversation skills.
BUYING A TICKET AT A TICKET MACHINE
Selected ticket machines can be used to buy shinkansen tickets. Most of them offer English menus. Some machines sell only non-reserved seats, while others can be used to also make seat reservations. Although ticket machines can be very useful if you know how to use them, the process of buying shinkansen tickets is not always straight-forward.
When not using IC cards, travelers can purchase tickets for short distance trips at ticket machines.
BUYING A TICKET ONLINE
Although such websites exist in Japanese, there is currently no single English website for buying tickets for shinkansen nationwide. Instead, there are multiple systems that each cover only selected lines. Two of them allow for the use of IC cards in place of paper tickets. If using paper tickets, you will need to be pick up the tickets in the region covered by each system from a ticket machine or ticket office before boarding the train.