Shinkansen Tickets: Buy Bullet Train Tickets

Single Shinkansen tickets may be the way to go for your trip to Japan

With the 70% price increase of the nationwide Japan Rail Pass, it may be worth considering if single train tickets or regional passes are the right fit for your trip. Whether you’re eager for high-speed escapades on the Shinkansen, serene views aboard scenic railways through the countryside, or engaging in a deep dive into historical locales, you can now get individual train tickets which cover the comprehensive rail system in Japan.

Why you should reserve your train tickets before your trip to Japan

• Ease of Booking: Booking your tickets online is significantly simpler than navigating on the ground purchases, particularly in Japan. This approach ensures a seamless experience, free from the complexities of using ticket machines or standing in lines at busy stations.
• Secured Seating: Opting for booking before you go guarantees you a seat, especially crucial during peak travel periods. This is a game-changer during Japan’s busy tourist seasons, such as the cherry blossom (sakura) and autumn foliage (momiji) seasons, and the bustling New Year’s holidays.
• Planned Itinerary and Budget: By securing your tickets online, it allows you to get organised and understand the travel costs ahead of your journey.

About the Japan Bullet Trains

Japan’s major cities are connected by a network of high speed trains known as Shinkansen. The network operated by Japan Railways (JR) has been progressively developed on the main islands of Honshu, Kyushu and Hokkaido since the 1960s. It provides a stark example of cutting edge Japanese technology, connecting the bustling capital city of Tokyo with cities extending as far as Aomori in the north and Kagoshima in the south. Trains currently transport a staggering 150 million passengers per year. Riding on one is an essential part of the tourist experience when visiting Japan. These trains can travel up to 320 kilometres per hour. To put that speed into perspective, if we had Shinkansen trains in Australia they’d be able to travel between Sydney and Melbourne in under three hours!

Besides their incredible speed, they have a great reputation for:

• consistently departing and arriving on time;
• comfort (there’s plenty of room with their reversible seating arrangements);
• quiet and efficient operation;
• cleanliness;
• safety (they have one of the best safety records in the world!)

Popular Shinkansen ticket routes

The network

The Shinkansen network has multiple rail lines:

• Tokaido (the most popular line that links Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka: the stretch between Tokyo and Kyoto provides spectacular views of the iconic Mt Fuji)
• Sanyo (linking Osaka, Hiroshima and Fukuoka)
• Kyushu (linking Fukuoka and Kagoshima)
• Tohoku (linking Tokyo, Sendai, Morioka and Aomori)
• Joetsu (linking Tokyo and Niigata)
• Hokuriku (linking Tokyo and Kanazawa)
• Hokkaido (linking Aomori and Hakodate)

In addition, several additional lines are planned over the coming decades. One magnetic line between Tokyo and Nagoya that is scheduled for completion by 2027 will enable Shinkansen trains to travel at speeds up to 500 kilometres per hour. A variety of Shinkansen train types operate on each existing line, ranging from express services that bypass various stations to those that stop at each station.

Seat categories

Most Shinkansen trains offer two seat classes in separate cars, with some also offering a third class. These classes are:

Reserved and non-reserved seating & how to make seat reservations

Most Shinkansen trains offer both reserved (shiteiseki) and non-reserved (jiyūseki) seating. However, a few services on the Tohoku, Hokkaido and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines only offer reserved seating. Bilingual signs on the Shinkansen trains and at station platforms indicate whether reserved and/or non-reserved seating options are available.

All Green Car and Gran seats must be reserved in advance, along with any special needs seating (e.g. passengers with wheelchairs).

You can reserve a Shinkansen seat up to a month in advance via a JR ticket office. Doing this gives you the peace of mind that you’ll be able to travel in comfort when you want to. At peak travel times to popular destinations, seats can often be booked out several days in advance. To reserve seats, you need to provide your departure and destination stations, the date of your travel, the time of your Shinkansen service, and the seat class you require (e.g. Ordinary, Green Car or Gran).

You can also book online before you go, which is the simplest option for international travellers, or reserve at a station ticket counter (midori no madoguchi) before departure, provided seats are still available.

Fares and ticketing

A Shinkansen fare can be made up of several fees, but when you purchase online this fare will be combined and all included:

Boarding Shinkansen trains

Regular Shinkansen ticket holders must queue and pass through automatic gates. Signs and announcements on Japanese platforms are bilingual (Japanese and English). You then make your way to the Shinkansen platforms to board one of these trains. They are often in a separate part of the station or on a different level, but they may also be parallel to the regular train lines.

Virtually all Japanese stations have escalators or elevators if required. There is easy Shinkansen platform and train access for passengers in wheelchairs and mothers with strollers.

Displays on each Shinkansen platform will indicate upcoming Shinkansen arrivals and routes. Other signs painted on the platform indicate car door locations, numbers and seat classes (i.e. Ordinary, Green Car or Gran). It’s customary in Japan to line up in an orderly queue to board trains, especially for non-reserved seats. Reserved Shinkansen seats are numbered and lettered similarly to airline seats.

Riding on Shinkansen trains

Just like on public transport in Australia, there are manners you should observe when riding Shinkansen trains in Japan:

• keep your voice down when you’re having a conversation;
• turn your phone to silent mode;
• have consideration for the person behind you when reclining your seat;
• don’t block aisles with your luggage.

Small food carts with a variety of snacks, drinks and boxed meals (bento) pass along the aisles at regular intervals on most Shinkansen trains. Some also have drink vending machines. Wi-Fi is available on the newest Shinkansen trains between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka and will progressively become available on others.

Multiple toilet and wash room facilities are available on all Shinkansen trains, with some being gender-specific. Most toilets are Western style and many modern Shinkansen trains also have disabled toilet facilities. Smoking is not allowed on most Shinkansen trains, although a few older models allow smoking in small designated areas.