Shinkansen: A Complete Guide to the Japanese Bullet Train
All you need to know about using the bullet train in Japan: how to book a ticket, how to ride the train, and more.
The Shinkansen or Japanese bullet train was the world’s first high-speed train, with its first service launched on October 1, 1964, linking Tokyo to Osaka. Today other countries have surpassed Japan in speed, but it is still among the top 5 fastest in the world.
Operated by Japan Railways, Japan’s largest railroad company, and from that first line, it now has nine Shinkansen lines covering practically the entire country from North to South. Today the Shinkansen has become without a doubt the best way to travel around Japan. Especially the bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka and the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto are the most frequent.
Types of Shinkansen
Although we call them all Shinkansen, there are different types of bullet trains, depending on whether they have more or less speed and how many stations they stop at. The best known are the Nozomi and the Mizuho, as they are the fastest, and then the Hikari, Kodama, and Sakura.
Shinkansen Cars and Seat Classes
Cars
There are mainly two types of cars, those with reserved seats and those with non-reserved seats. Most bullet trains in Japan (though not all), have about 5 cars as non-reserved. The explanation for this is that there is an extra charge for reserved seats. If you don’t want to pay the extra supplement, you can access the non-reserved cars. Also, if you don’t know exactly what time you will catch the train, you can buy a ticket without a reserved seat and jump on the first train of the category you paid for in the non-reserved cars.
Users of special passes such as the Japan Rail Pass can reserve seats at no extra charge, as it’s included in the pass.
Please note that if you are traveling to Japan during the high season for domestic tourism, such as Golden Week, Obon, or New Year’s Eve, some lines temporarily switch to reserved cars only.
Seat Classes
Most parts of bullet trains in Japan have only two types of seat classes, ordinary or green class, but in a few types, there is a third category called gran class.
Ordinary Car: they have so-called regular seats. However, on Japan’s bullet trains even the regular seats are spacious and comfortable.
Green Class: special cars with larger and more luxurious seats. Green car cars are all reserved seating.
Gran Class: only a few trains have this option, but is even more luxurious and comfortable than Green Class.
Shinkansen Tickets
Shinkansen tickets can be purchased at official JR ticket offices, called Midori no Madoguchi in Japanese or simply Ticket Office in English, at ticket machines, or online. Ticket Offices are located in all major JR stations, and in some cases, there is more than one office if the station is very large. It’s the most direct way to buy them, but be aware that except in some tourist spots such as the airport, the staff usually do not speak English even if they know some basic words related to the job. It’s also quite time-consuming (especially at times when there can be a long queue of people waiting).
The other option would be to look for a ticket machine, which usually has an English version available. The cons are that there are not always machines, and some may not accept foreign cards. Also, the process can be equally long, especially if you don’t understand how bullet train tickets work in Japan (requires different information, etc).
Recently some providers have offered to buy Shinkansen tickets online, which is the easiest and most convenient option for tourists. There are still few English-language options for online sales, but although it may come as a surprise to many, Shinkansen ticket sales did not have an online option until a few years ago.
Information and types of details written on the ticket
The bullet train ticket is divided into two parts: on the one hand we have the base charge, which is basically the price to go from one point to another (for example, from Tokyo to Osaka). The longer the distance, the higher the price. On the other side is the supplement for using the Shinkansen (the base price would be that of a local train). It’s called a limited express fee ticket. It’s quite common that when you buy a Shinkansen ticket, you end up with at least two tickets (one for the base fare and one for the limited express fee). In addition, those who wish to do so can also pay an extra supplement for seat reservations and for traveling in Green Car (or Gran class if available).
Boarding Ticket
1. Departure Station
2. Arrival Station
3. Validity Period
Limited Express Ticket
1. Departure Station
2. Arrival Station
3. Departure Date & Time
4. Train Name & Type
5. Car Number
6. Seat Number
Japan Rail Pass
The Japan Rail Pass, also known as JR Pass, is a Japan Railways pass for foreign tourists in Japan that allows unlimited travel on all Japan Railways trains, including bullet trains, for 7, 14, or 21 days. It was one of the best-selling products by tourists in Japan as it allows you to save money on bullet trains. In addition, it also includes other JR transportation, such as some buses or the ferry that connects Hiroshima with Miyajima.
In October 2023 the prices have gone up, so depending on your route it might not be worth it, but it is still a good value for money if you want to go to several cities.
You didn’t even mention the Kyushu Shinkansen or rail passes. ☹️