Japan Rail Pass NowAustralia's No.1 Choice
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Japan Rail Pass NowAustralia's No.1 Choice
Book single Shinkansen and express train tickets right across Japan. Pay in Aussie dollars, pick your seat and hop on with a QR code. Over 70 popular routes, all through one easy checkout.
Tap any route to see live trains, seat options and fares with our booking partner. Times shown are for the fastest services.
Ensure you get the most out of your trip to the land of the rising sun with our comprehensive 249-page Japan Travel Guide.
Your ticket lands in your inbox, and on most routes you just scan a QR code to board. No language barrier, nothing to pick up.
After a Mt Fuji view, or a bit more room for the bags? Choose your seat when you book.
Sort it out in Aussie dollars before you fly, so there are no surprises at a Japanese ticket machine.
Business class style seating, two by two, with plenty of room and a much quieter carriage.
Japan at its most famous, from the Tokaido line between Tokyo and Osaka. Sit on the right heading west for the best look.
Signage is bilingual and everything runs to the minute, so finding your platform is straightforward.
Now the nationwide JR Pass costs a fair bit more, single tickets and regional passes often work out better value.
Booking online beats fronting up at the station. You skip the unfamiliar ticket machines and the queues at the busy hubs, and turn up ready to board.
Booking ahead locks in your seat. That really matters over cherry blossom, autumn leaves and New Year, when trains sell out days in advance.
Getting your tickets sorted early means you know your route and what you’re up for before you leave home.
Pick where you’re leaving from and where you’re headed, either from the popular routes or the full list below.
We send you across to our booking partner to choose your train, seat class and date, and pay securely in Aussie dollars.
Your ticket and QR code arrive by email. Scan it to board, or collect at the station if you’d rather.
Over 70 city to city combinations. Each one opens live availability and fares.
Japan runs a network of high speed trains called the Shinkansen, operated by Japan Railways. It has been built out across Honshu, Kyushu and Hokkaido since the 1960s, and now reaches as far north as Aomori and as far south as Kagoshima. Around 150 million people ride it every year, and it’s one of the best parts of any trip over there. The fastest services hit 320 km/h, which would get you from Sydney to Melbourne in under three hours. What surprises most first timers isn’t the speed though. It’s that the trains leave and arrive exactly when they say they will, the seats are roomy and swivel around to face the way you’re going, and the carriages are spotless and quiet.
The network is made up of several rail lines, each serving a different part of the country:
Standard seating, usually three on one side and two on the other, with far more legroom than economy on a plane. Seats recline, and you get a fold out table, a magazine pocket and an overhead shelf. Larger suitcases go behind the back row.
Japan’s take on business class, with two seats either side of the aisle. Roomier than Ordinary, usually with a footrest, reading light, power point and seat warmer, and generally much quieter.
The closest thing to first class, and you’ll only find it on the Tohoku, Hokuriku and Hokkaido lines. The roomiest seats going, with proper service and extras included.
Book online and it all comes through as one price. Here’s what goes into it.
Based on how far you’re going. The further you travel, the higher it is. You pay this whether you catch a Shinkansen or a local train.
What you pay on top for taking the Shinkansen instead of a local train. It also goes up with distance.
Changes with the season, usually somewhere between 320 and 720 yen. Reserved seats on the Nozomi, Mizuho, Hayabusa and Komachi cost a little more again.
What you pay on top if you go Green Car or Gran Class.
Not on most lines, but we’d strongly suggest it in peak periods. A reserved seat is yours for the trip. Non-reserved is first in, best dressed. A few Tohoku, Hokkaido and Hokuriku services are reserved only, so you have no choice there.
After booking with our booking partner you'll receive a QR code by email. On most routes you board straight off the QR code. On some you’ll need to grab the ticket from a machine or counter at the station first.
Yes. On the Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka, sit on the right hand side heading west. You can pick your seat preference at checkout.
Ordinary (standard), Green Car (business-class equivalent) and Gran Class (first-class equivalent, on select northern lines). See the seat guide above for details.
Cabin-sized luggage is fine without a reservation. On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines, oversized bags (161–250 cm total) require a reserved seat with an oversized-baggage space; bags over 250 cm are not permitted.
Yes. Child tickets apply to ages 6–11. Infants aged 5 and under usually travel free unless they need their own seat.
Pick your route, choose your seat and have your QR code ticket in a few minutes.
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