The Shinkansen: Japan's Bullet Train Explained

The shinkansen is the fast, comfortable backbone of long-distance travel in Japan: Tokyo to Kyoto in about 2 hours 15 minutes, Tokyo to Osaka in under two and a half. Trains run frequently, leave exactly on time, and you can usually book a seat minutes before departure from your phone.

Here's how to ride it.

The main lines

You'll only ever care about the line that connects your cities, but it helps to know the shape of the network.

Line	Connects	Useful for
Tokaido	Tokyo – Nagoya – Kyoto – Osaka	The classic Golden Route
Sanyo	Osaka – Hiroshima – Hakata (Fukuoka)	Heading west
Kyushu	Hakata – Kumamoto – Kagoshima	The far southwest
Tohoku	Tokyo – Sendai – Aomori	The north
Hokuriku	Tokyo – Kanazawa – Tsuruga	The Japan Sea coast (extended to Tsuruga in 2024)
Hokkaido	Aomori – Hakodate	Onward to Hokkaido

The long-promised Chuo Shinkansen maglev isn't expected to open until the 2030s, so it won't factor into a 2026 trip.

Train classes

Each train has three kinds of cars:

Ordinary (reserved & non-reserved): standard seating, perfectly comfortable, and what most travellers use.
Green Car: first class — wider seats, more legroom, quieter. A paid upgrade.
Gran Class: premium seating with attendant service on some northern lines.

How to reserve

You don't have to reserve to ride — non-reserved cars exist — but a reserved seat guarantees you a place, which matters at peak times and when you have luggage. Three ways to book:

Official apps — smartEX (Tokaido/Sanyo/Kyushu) and EkiNet (eastern/northern lines) let you reserve, pay, and tap through the gate with a linked IC card.
Ticket machines at the station — switch to English, pick your train and seat.
Ticket counters (Midori-no-madoguchi) for help in person.

Booking on an official app and linking your IC card lets you walk straight to the platform — no paper ticket to collect. You can usually grab a seat right up to departure if space remains.

Nozomi vs Hikari (and the JR Pass)

On the Tokaido/Sanyo line, the fastest service is the Nozomi (and Mizuho on the Sanyo/Kyushu run). Slightly slower are the Hikari and Sakura, and the all-stops Kodama.

This matters if you hold a Japan Rail Pass: the nationwide pass covers Hikari, Sakura, and Kodama, but not Nozomi or Mizuho unless you pay a supplement. On Tokyo–Osaka that's only a small time difference, so most pass holders simply ride a Hikari. Check whether the pass even makes sense for your route with our JR Pass guide.

The oversized-luggage rule

If your bag is large — roughly the size of a big check-in suitcase — you must reserve an "oversized baggage" seat in advance on the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu lines. These seats sit by the storage space at the back of the car and cost no extra if booked ahead, but boarding with an oversized bag without a reservation can incur a fee.

Reserve oversized-luggage seats when you book your ticket — there's a limited number per car, and they go first on busy days. A normal carry-on fits on the overhead rack and doesn't need one.

Etiquette and ekiben

The shinkansen is calm and civilised — keep it that way:

Keep conversations quiet and take phone calls in the deck between cars.
Recline gently and check behind you first.
Eating is encouraged — which brings us to the best part.

An ekiben is a station bento box, sold on platforms and in station shops, often featuring a local speciality. Buying one before you board and eating it as the countryside flies past is a small ritual of Japanese train travel. Grab a drink to go with it.

FAQ

Do I need to reserve a seat? No — non-reserved cars are available — but reserving guarantees a seat and is worth it at busy times or with luggage.

How early should I arrive at the station? Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty; trains stop only briefly, so be on the platform before it arrives.

Can I use the shinkansen with an IC card? Yes, when linked through smartEX/EkiNet. A plain IC card alone isn't enough to ride the shinkansen — you still need a fare and reservation.

What's the difference between Nozomi and Hikari? Nozomi is faster with fewer stops; Hikari is slightly slower but is covered by the JR Pass without a supplement.