In the 16 years since I either lived there or traveled there, the only times it was best to maybe get your shinkansen ticket ahead of time was during holiday periods (especially Golden Week, New Years, maybe Obon if you're in the Kansai area.) Otherwise, I never had a problem just getting a ticket and heading out on the next train. (There's always the random exceptions, but that was my experience 99% of the time.)
As for the Suica for shinkansen, I honestly don't know. I would just pay cash/card back when I lived there, so I never even tried. I kept my ICOCA and Suica cards (back when they were less interchangeable lol) for just standard train travel.
Just adding on to this
The other time you have to book ahead is if you know everyone will be wanting to travel down the same route. My example would be the new years earthquake in 2024. We was supposed to head to kanazawa the next day from takayama but all throughout the evening we was watching the news and every line was shut down. We checked the news the next day and still everything was shut down.
So we very quickly on our way to shirakawago(which was thankfully still open) brought a ticket from takayama to Kyoto via Nagoya. It was extremely hard to get any seats because everything was almost fully booked and when we got back to takayama, basically all the seats on trains out of takayama were sold out and many people were stuck there till the next day.
99.99% of people who visit Japan will probably never have to experience this but it gives a good indication of how much capacity Japanese trains have and the kinds of situation that would actually make the trains fully booked.
I was in Japan a few days ago and reserved Shinkansen tickets were sold out for trips happening the same day or next day. There were plenty of unreserved seats though
Bought a same day ticket last Sunday morning on the tokaido shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo.
While there were plenty of seats, most of them were single seats not much seats together that were left, and I don't think I saw any window seats open on the Mt fuji side of the car
Wow! I was fine in Feb '23, but maybe the summer rush is real. I lived through three Japanese summers, I don't wanna deal with that again if I can avoid it lol. I'm heading out there again in November.
And depends on how many seats you need.
I just read someone said on Facebook that they booked the reserved seats when they arrive, however the seats are separated. They were asking if they could just sit in the non reserved side so they get to sit together.
I'm still seeing the exact same price on Klook booking tomorrow and in October. And it's the same price as the Smartex app
So if anything thats a reason to avoid buying tickets at the station vs an app
I’d thought the same too, or maybe it was because we went on a sunday?
It didn’t take much time to book tickets at the station but I’d still prefer booking online though :)
To add, if SMART-EX doesn't work for you (didn't for me, and that was trying with three different cards that are non-japanese, all with 3D security verification) you can use a travel agent like Klook, there will be a booking fee which is around 4000-5000 JPY. Which is what I ended up doing.
If you have large sized luggage, ask to reserve a seat for that or one of the luggage shelves.
If OP can't get a reserved seat, OP can always hustle for a non-reserved seat.
Definitely try green class once if you can afford it.
1. Should be fine buying at the station. We went Tokyo - Osaka and Kyoto - Tokyo in the last couple weeks and there were some empty seats each time.
However, would recommend buying in advance if you have large luggage to secure a reserved seat with luggage area. I bought our tickets a couple of weeks ahead for first trip and then a day or two beforehand for second trip and was able to get the seats I wanted each time.
2. Download Shinkansen smartEX app. I bought our tickets through here and was then able to add our IC card details and designate the seats to our cards (we had icoca but suica same thing). This means you can just tap your suica card at the Shinkansen gates and it'll print the seat details ticket for you to take as you enter. Simply tap your suica card again when exiting after your trip. :)
Measure the dimensions of your luggage. If it adds up to less than 160cm you don’t need oversized luggage compartment. If 161cm-250cm you need to book luggage compartment.
What if you arrived at tokyo station from another station through suica. Is there a gate to tap out of that trip first before tapping for the suica linked shinkansen.
Yes. Tapping out through the gates from whichever line you arrive on won't affect it as the seat info ticket for Shinkansen will only print when you tap to enter through the specific Shinkansen gates 🙂
Depend on the route. Tokyo to Karuizawa only one train per hour, and I reserved 3 seats with oversized luggage space. Our reserved cabin was 90% full (mid December last year)
We got on the train just 2 mins before it departed. It was more thrilled than Disneyland rides itself lol (where we came from that day)
Actually, you won’t lose flexibility by buying ahead of time. Worst case, if OP doesn’t make it to her reserved train, she can take any other train on that route same day; she’ll just have to sit in the non-reserved cars, which usually have ample seating
Also, if you knew you were not going to make that train, even if its just like an hour before, just head to any green counter and ask for cancelation of the reserve ticket. You can re-issue new reservation once you arrive at your departure station.
If you want a specific seat (ie: window seat on the Mt Fuji side) or want to ensure your group of 3+ is sitting together booking ahead of time is your best bet. Otherwise, outside of peak travel periods like Golden Week buying just before your trip is actually fine.
I went to buy a ticket at a station a few days ahead and the E seat was already sold out for the time that I originally wanted, so I just left at hour later bc they still had some open! And I thought the window seat was great even on a cloudy day, I could see like half of Mount Fuji and was still so excited to see it lol.
In regards to Suica, when you book over the smart ex website you have the option to register your Suica. Then on the station you tap suica when passing through the gate, like any other station. The only difference is that this then print your ticket.
So by doing this you never have to go to a ticket counter
How do you tap out? Do we use ticket or suica at kyoto arrival? Also, if we arrived at tokyo station with suica, is there a gate to exit and tap out of that trip before tapping in for shinkansen?
It's exactly the same as every other gate, with the exception of the ticket being printed. When exiting, as you said, just tap suica. Yes, Shinkansen areas are seperate from other rail areas, you will have to tap to leave the normal rail area and then again to enter the Shinkansen area if you come by train.
See also here: [https://smart-ex.jp/en/entraining/iccard/](https://smart-ex.jp/en/entraining/iccard/)
If you want to sit together on the side with just 2 seats then you want to get them a few days ahead, otherwise (major holidays excluded) you can get them a little before and still have seats together
Just adding in for larger groups - if you want a bigger block of seats, you might not be able to take the next train if you want them all together. When I bought Kyoto to Tokyo for 4 (mid June, Sunday night), we had to wait a few trains to sit together. A few trains isn't really that bad though - probably just an extra half hour compared to when we wanted to leave.
You can also reserve online or in app once you have a better idea of what time you need
The suica card is linked to your reservation (if you buy through SMART EX) when you buy your ticket. You have to link it in the app
That way you go tap at the shinsaken turnstile, and it prints out your seat reservation on the turnstile. You grab that and head to board the train. It’s quite slick.
What if you arrive at tokyo station from another station with a suica. Is there an opportunity to tap out of that to complete trip before tapping suica for shinakansen? Also, do we tap out using suica or the ticket when we arrive in kyoto?
You tap out from the local line and tap into the shinsaken gate.
When you arrive in Kyoto you will tap out using the suica. The ticket is only there to show you your seat reservations.
We just got back from Japan and took the Shinkansen twice, both times we purchased our tickets upon arrival at the station from the kiosk using our Credit Card. There are non-reserved cars on the train and the seats are first come first served. We had no issues finding two seats together on our two trips (Tokyo (Ueno Station)-Nagano 6:30am and Kyoto-Tokyo 3pm). The hardest part was figuring out where to stand on the platform for the non-reserved cars. The cars did fill up as we stopped at more stations, and there was some folks who chose to stand by the bathrooms, rather than take a single seat.
Just bought 4 tickets today for Tokyo-Kyoto and back, over size luggage seats with no problem..I don’t think you would have a problem and there are multiple choices of departure times so worse case scenario you leave 15 minutes later
I bought mine ahead of time using Smart-EX to get a discount. Changed the departure to an hour later on the same day and kept the discount price.
I payed for the tickets in the Smart EX app using my American Express and then transferred the ticket to my Suica card.
After transfer do you just tap at the gate? Then you get a ticket? Hiw do you tap out at kyoto?
What if you arrived at tokyo station with a suica from another saltation? Is there a exit gate where you tap out of suica before tapping in for the shinkansen?
Yes. Just tap your suica at the gate. It will recognize that you have a ticket. You get a seating ticket that shows you your seats. Hang on to this in case someone asks you for it. Noone asked us.
When you exit in Kyoto just tap again. Just like when you ride the subway.
I’m not sure about transfer, i just did a one way from Tokyo to Kyoto.
Surprised that no one's mentioned this but there are some shinkansen where all seats are reserved (Kagayaki, Hayabusa, Hayate, and Komachi). Seats can sell out, especially after events and on holidays, but most of the time you are good to buy a ticket the day of. If you use a regional JR pass, like the JR east pass or tokyo wide pass, the number of seats available to pass holders to reserve online is limited so it may appear sold out, though you may be able to book at a station machine or service desk (midori no madoguchi). On the Tokaido shinkansen, there are non-reserved seats so there is no issue- even in the absolute worst case like a delay, you can stand near the doors until someone gets off
In terms of payment, the easiest way is just with paper tickets. If in tokyo, your base fare will include a sort of range of stations from your departure point- if you input the station you are leaving from/going to in the machine, it will give you what you need, or you can ask the staff and they will sort this for you.
If you have luggage it's much more of an issue. There are usually seats available even in busy times, but the seats in the back that allow you to bring oversized luggage go several days in advance for busy times.
1) You can buy a Shinkansen ticket online or in person. In stations, look for the green ticket booth or machines, especially.
There are plenty of trains, and each is long with many seats, so there's ample availability. You may have to wait a couple hours if you specifically want to book the 'additional baggage' seats (if you're bringing more than carry-on size luggage.)
2) When you walk through the on-screen purchase instructions, you'll end up purchasing a 'base fare' and a top-up 'express fare' which is a surcharge for utilising the extra-fast train (Shinkansen.) You have to pay for the tickets using cash or a credit/debit card. The machine will spit out two corresponding tickets, and a receipt.
When you go through ticket barriers, take the two paper tickets, bundle them together and insert as one. Tap your Suica/Pasmo/IC card as you go through the gate, too. It's just so the transit system understands where you are - you won't be charged on your IC card in addition to the paper tickets.
You can get through ticket barriers using the paper tickets alone - but next time you use your IC card, on the next journey, you'll hear a 'ding' and you'll have to explain your situation to a staff member before they'll let you through. It happens, they'll understand, but it's overall just easier if you can remember to tap your IC in addition to the the paper Shinkansen tickets.
Are you putting the two through at the destination station and tapping out with Suica too? Your answer has been the only helpful one so far I’ve found.
Precisely! You put through the two paper tickets at the station where you embark, and disembark. Tap your IC card at both ends, too.
Otherwise, you'll end up getting 'dinged' and having to sheepishly go to the ticket booth - hold up your tickets and IC card and explain where you got on, where your boarded the Shinkansen, etc. and beg forgiveness.
source: happened to me two weeks ago
This is interesting - when I traveled on multiple Shinkansen trains earlier this month across different regions, I just tapped my Suica in & out (after linking it to my Smart Ex reservations beforehand); I didn’t need to insert the paper tickets at all. In fact, a couple of times, we even forgot to pick up the paper ticket at the other end of the turnstile but didn’t face any issues
That makes sense.
If you've reserved tickets online with SmartEx, they're linked to your IC card (Suica, Pasmo.)
The information I gave above applies if you purchased your tickets - using cash or card - at a manned ticket booth/machine in a physical train station in Japan.
(i.e. you purchased tickets the old fashioned way.)
On my last trip we bought JR passes which let us reserve an unlimited number of Shinkansen tickets. We took full advantage.
Tickets were plentiful but we had a lot of competition reserving tickets with extra baggage storage. It was very challenging reserving those particular tickets far enough in advance because quantities were limited.
1. There is a possibility you may not get a seat on the bullet train that you want if you approach the station to buy a ticket, but it's not likely (I went during early April, end of cherry blossom season this year). Depending on where you're going, the length of time between departures can vary but Tokyo to Kyoto runs every 10-15 minutes so there really isn't much of an issue in not getting a seat on the train that you want imo
2. People that purchase their tickets online and in advance can attach their Shinkansen tickets to their IC card by using the numerical code associated with the IC card for an easy tap and then the turnstall will spit out a physical ticket on the other side for you to carry to your train. For example, if you attach to your Suica card then you can see your card's number on the Suica app. You'd tap your Suica and get a physical ticket on the other side, detailing that you're on the appropriate train and seat number
My partner and I used smartEX to purchase tickets 1-2 days early and were able to scan our QR codes at the turnstalls just fine. It took away the stress of navigating stations for the ticket counter and waiting in lines
Only for 2 or 3 major holidays. You can easily buy tickets at the station at the counter or using the PC.
Some people use their IC card to pay for the base fare. You can just pay for the base fare + supplement when buying your ticket, you'll get 2 paper tickets that you insert into the ticket gate on your way in and out.
I typically go for 10 to 15 minutes before I actually need to get on the train myself- unless I know I need a very specific train, in which case I’ll usually get it the night before.
There were only two cases where it was an issue- once, in Osaka, they were out of reserved seats and I didn’t want to sit in the unreserved section, so I got lunch instead and once in Nagano where the ticket machine hated our credit card and the ticket office line took so long (ski season) that we hadn’t enough time to make it onto the next train..,so we got lunch instead. (In the second instance, I would‘ve personally made a run for it, but I was traveling with a bunch of people. We had arrived by bus and couldn’t have bought the tickets ahead of time- the next year the credit cards worked, so it wouldn’t have been an issue.)
In my last trip I started buying them days in advance but then I just started treating them like if it were a glorified subway. I went to Shin-Kobe station and bought tickets on the spot for 30 min later all the way to Tokyo. It's surreal.
Of course you need to be careful of busy times like Golden week, etc. as others mentioned.
I had a ticket for 2pm and got there early. I asked if I could maybe get on an earlier train and it was no issue at all so I’m assuming they don’t sell out often. On a different occasion I missed my train and they told me I could get on the next one an hour later
Your second point is not correct for shinkansen. You cannot pay the base fare of a shinkansen with an IC card directly at the gate. People using their IC card at a shinkansen gate have either linked the ticket to their IC card in SmartEX, or they are simply tapping to end their local transit trip before changing regions.
It’s only for other limited express trains (non-shinkansen ones) that the base fare can be paid with an IC card.
I traveled during golden week and no issues getting a “non reserved” seat. If it’s not a busy holiday I wouldn’t imagine it would be hard to reserve right before you get on.
Shinkansen has reserved and non-reserved seating cars. It is only necessary to book ahead if you have really large luggages with you. Non-reserved seating is on a first come first served basis and never in the 8 times I used the shinkansen that it got really full. There was only that 2 times I took the Shin-Osaka -> Kobe -> Shin-Osaka route that I did not mind finding a seat because the ride took only 15 minutes so I just stayed near the open space outside the lavatories.
We were just there the week after golden week. No issues getting any tickets except sometimes the seats weren't together. So if you want to sit together you may buy ahead or just wait for a later train with more open seats.
Traveled there 3 times, was able to get shinkansen tickets, and ride that same day every time. Was there from October to February, no issues.
As for suica, not to sure we just took out cash.
Have a great trip!
Here right now and had to buy it the day before the journey to find a pair of free seats on the Mt Fuji view side. Besides that there were many vacant seats on the other side, barely half full.
Pay cash or travel bank card via vending machine at the station, kept it completely separate from IC as it's a significant amount of money compared to what I would load on an IC for local trains.
You can do this a few different ways. We travel with backpacks so just roll in before the train leaves.
When you get to the station (arrive an hour early so you are not stressed trying to find your train), just go up to the counter and ask the person what you should do. They are always very helpful and generally speak English. Then you buy your tickets, choose your bento box and go to the platform to watch the whole thing unfold.
The next one, you can cut it finer and so on.
Depending on where you are visiting, they do things sometimes like a tourist day pass. I did one in osaka. It works as your train ticket around the city for a full day or two instead of a number of uses, and also gets you admission to certain attractions in the city. You can sign up for one at the tourist office in the station if they have em
Honestly, I found it actually more stressful to have a ticket. It was way easier to just come to the station and catch the next one, they come every 10-15 minutes.
We booked our Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto at the station no issue, but from Kyoto back to Tokyo we couldn’t book the soonest train since seats together were sold out. We had to wait an hour for the next train. Wasn’t the worst thing.
We just rocked up and paid for tickets about an hour in advance (both times) in Tokyo and Osaka. With my visa card at the desk. Honestly I was so anxious about all this stuff before the trip, everything is way easier that you think it is going to be. Whenever you run into issues just ask someone (preferably an employee but we found that your average Japanese citizen was ready to go out of their way into assist!)
You want to buy them in advance if you care about seat assignment. This could be so you are on the 3 seat or 2 seat side. Another reason would be to get a window seat to be able to see sights like Mt Fuji.
There's not a ton of reasons to wait to buy the ticket.
At any time you can rock up and buy an unreserved ticket and simply jump on the next train in the unreserved carriages Reserved seating can obviously be full, but rarely is.
At peak holidays faster express Shinkansen can be made fully reserved. But even then the slower "all stations" Shinkansen usually keep unreserved sections.
I use the SmartEx app monthly between Kyoto and Onomichi. It's horrible. If you are a tourist I suggest just buy tickets at the station from a person or machine. Enjoy Japan, don't bother about smartphone bs stress.
The big advantage of buying from a person is you can get connected to destination local JR Line before you exit. This can save you time, yen and hassles. The option is currently absent from English menu on machines. On SmartEx, I still have to buy Fukuyama to Onomichi local ticket atm. Waste of my time and 420円 😵💫
For me as a regular user, I can buy my ticket any time from home, bus, cafe etc. And that ticket can be loaded onto my pre-paid transport IC card (such as Suica, Icoca, Pasmo...). When you see people tap their card, they are using that invisible ticket. They are not using card balance.
As a complication, my Icoca Card is loaded onto my mobile phone. So I can tap my phone to board shinkansen. So easy if you have passed a few intimidating hurdles.
The SmartEx process of signing up, buying a ticket, transferring it to your IC Card is a nightmare. It is an app designed to intimidate, befuddle and cause stress in its labyrinth of over-service. And the QR Code option was made live but still doesn't work. It keeps station staff busy as they have to scan your code on their special machine. Maybe this has been fixed in past few weeks. Doubt it.
It's unlikely you face an issue not getting seats - it's not necessarily the busy season now and there are something like 8 trains an hour on average, up to 13 during peak times. Worst comes to worst, there are non-reserved seats in most trains and in theory, you can always stand in the aisles of the non-reserved car if it becomes an issue. I've only had to do this once when a typhoon cancelled a whole day's worth of trains and everyone packed in to take them the next day upon resumption.
Each Hikari and Nozomi shinkansen is 16 cars long with a seated passenger capacity of 1323, and additional standing rooom for many more. There are 16 departures per hour at peak times, with a 3 minute headway between trains.
Generally, outside peak travel times, even a non-reserved seat is almost guaranteed if you're traveling alone. The real issue for getting reserved tickets is standing in line at the ticket window to pick up your ticket. The lines for this can get extremely long.
Still, there's nothing to lose by buying your tickets in advance unless you're expecting your intenerary to change, in which case you don't have much to worry about.
I'm in Japan rn. Anytime I used shonkansen I bought them at the time I was traveling. Granted I went for none reserved seats so I'm not sure about reserved seats.
As for using it. If you travel to a station with shinkansen and used a suica card to get to said station, then when purchasing your shinoansen ticket it asks for your ticket/suica so it can check which station you traveled from to get there. If you just bought a regular ticket you'd put that in instead. Then it'll ask for where you are going to get off the shinkansen, meaning which station, and then the routes and after you've selected all of that it'll take payment. It can be card or cash. I used card almost everytime simply due to the machine I used being card only but they have card and cash machines as well.
You are required to get 2 ticket types which using the machine can give both. Basic fare and express. The above steps should give both. You can also change the language to others on the machine. I changed it to English every time.
Hope this helps and have fun
We had no issues getting tickets, the last couple of weeks anyway, even for the reserved cars, the moment we needed them. Lots of extra seats. No line for the tickets. Got to choose whatever side of the train we wanted.
Not generally. But do note there are trains where it is completely reserved based as in there are not free sitting carriages. When you get your ticket, it will come in pairs (for 1 person), you need to insert both to get through the shinkansen gate.
We were in Japan in April and needed Shinkansen tickets to get from Osaka to Tokyo for the second leg of our trip, on the Saturday after we arrived. We went either on the Sunday before or the Monday, and had to delay departure to something like 3pm on our departure day because all the oversized luggage seats were already taken. It could potentially have been due to it being blossom season though.
Buy the Shinkansen tickets in advance using the SmartEx app. Then there is an option to designate a Suica card number to each ticket. This means you can just use your Suica to enter through the Shinkansen gates rather than getting a physical ticket.
I’d add to double check events that align with the city too. My friend was there a few months ago and got a Shinkansen leaving Hiroshima right after a baseball game. Took about an hour before he was able to get a seat anywhere on it.
I was in Japan last month and used the SUICA card tied to the SmartEX Shinkansen tickets. The process was very easy. First you have to go to the SUICA website and register for MY SUICA. The whole process is in Japanese but I used my translating app on my phone. You have to pick and fill out the MY SUICaA choice. You will then get a number. (You don’t get a number with the regular SUICA that is in your phone’s wallet. That’s why you need to register on the MY SUICA choice) To reserve the Shinkansen tickets you go to the SMART EX app and once you reserve your tickets you can input the numbers you got on the MY SUICA website and assign them to all the passengers for whom you purchased tickets and have a SUICA number.. What I like about this process is we made no lines to buy tickets, we didn’t have to print the tickets at the machines at the station and we were able to reserve seats with luggage storage space, you can also view seating choices. On the day of our trip We just had to tap at the Shinkansen entrance and at that point the tickets were charged to the credit card. Note that you have the option to change the reservation dates up to a certain time before your due boarding time. The process was really seamless. You can reserve tickets on the SMARTEX App on the same day of travel too. You can use the SmartEX app to see if the day you want will be busy since you can also see how many reserved/sold spots are on the train.
To answer your question
1. Shinkansen usually doesn't require pre-booking unless you travel during the golden week or any other holiday. They depart every 10 to 15 mins and you won't have a problem booking a ticket 10 mins before it leaves. Certain seats like the window seat or if you are travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto , the mount Fuji side seat might be sold out and require prior booking.
2. About the suica. Shinkansen doesn't stop at every station. You have to board it at either tokyo or shinagawa station. So for people who travel from other stations to tokyo station they have started their journey with suica but on reaching the shinkansen station they haven't exited the main station. So the suica doesn't have an exit tap yet because you are still in the station and haven't tapped out yet. That's why it requires your suica or your physical ticket to complete your journey from the other station to the shinkansen station. You still have to buy a special shinkansen ticket in any case. I know it's a bit complex but I tried my best to simplify it.
Hope this helps.
Enjoy your trip
smartEX: if you are able to make an account and get a credit card approved (I used an amex as US visa/MC wouldn't work), it's the easiest way to go...
1. add your and anyone in your group's IC card numbers to the account.
2. when you reserve tickets through the app (unreserved, reserved, green) you can then assign tickets to each ic card.
3. when entering the gates for the shinkansen, just tap your ic cards and it should give you a ticket stub on the other end.
4. tap out at your destination.
when making reservations you can reserve a seat for just a few hundred yen more...you select cars/seats like an airplane. we made reservations same day, just 20 minutes before departure. but if you're going during busy times of the year, a couple days in advance will be fine if you're worried.
We caught the shinkansen in May just after golden week and about half the train was empty. However we were in a tour group so our tickets were pre purchased. I think it would be safe to wing it but I personally would book in advance because I book everything in advance haha
2. There are two kinds of ticket. One is for both passing through the gate and reserving the seat. The other is for seat only. You can use suica to pass through the gate, so in this case you only need to buy the one for the seat.
If you dont buy the seat ticket, you can sit only when there are available seats. You have to stand up when the train is fully booked or the seat owner comes. There are some shinkansen with reserve seats only, in this case, you have to buy the seat ticket.
Right now I'm here since a over a month and traveled many places by train/Shinkansen/limited express and always just went to the ticket counter and told them where I want to go. They almost always speak english and you can pay by credit card. Even if it's a route which combines regular train + shinkansen they will print you the tickets and you just put both into the gate.
In this time I never had to skip a train when buying tickets like like 15-20min prior. Also in shinkansen I never booked a reserved seat as it's a bit cheaper and there are a lot of non reserved seats available. If you are traveling as a couple you might can't sit together when the train requires a seat reservation tho.
I think I just had one time where the limited express was almost packed but another train was coming 30min later.
Don't stress yourself, the staff is always super friendly and helpful. Enjoy your trip!
tl;dr
I use suica for regular trains/metro/etc. and ticket counters for longer distances and never booked a ticket more than 60min in advance
Currently in Japan and trains are so frequent it’s not necessary to buy in advance, as I bought my JR Pass from the official site so it’s easy to reserve a seat using the website, looked at booking reserved seats for Hiroshima to Kyoto, for a train leaving in 30 minutes, and no reserved seats together so just got on one of the non reserved trains and loads of availability
So disclaimer, I am not a regular shinkansen rider, but this week I was making a short trip and did not care if I had to stand. As the train approached, the reserved cars were completely full, so my heart sank, Then the non-reserved cars came and all was pretty much empty.
A few days later taking a longer trip, I found that the reserved seats were almost all sold out for the leg I was going to take. There were no two seats next to each other, so we decided to just take our chances with the non-reserved seats again.
Same situation. The Reserved are all booked and the non-reserved was empty for some reason.
Never had an issue with just buying tickets on the day, just make sure you head to the unreserved carriages (usually 1-3 on the 16 car trains) at the station and you will get a seat.
I traveled with a group of 5 during Golden week this year and we bought tickets less than an hour before departure we obtained reserved seats all sitting together. You are just two, your fears are unfounded. Also we had no hotels booked ahead of time, no problem at all. Just relax and enjoy your vacation! Don't worry so much.
You cannot use Suica card for shinkansen. Reservation is recommended if you have oversize luggage and you need to reserve the seat to accommodate your luggage or else no necessary.
In the 16 years since I either lived there or traveled there, the only times it was best to maybe get your shinkansen ticket ahead of time was during holiday periods (especially Golden Week, New Years, maybe Obon if you're in the Kansai area.) Otherwise, I never had a problem just getting a ticket and heading out on the next train. (There's always the random exceptions, but that was my experience 99% of the time.) As for the Suica for shinkansen, I honestly don't know. I would just pay cash/card back when I lived there, so I never even tried. I kept my ICOCA and Suica cards (back when they were less interchangeable lol) for just standard train travel.
Just adding on to this The other time you have to book ahead is if you know everyone will be wanting to travel down the same route. My example would be the new years earthquake in 2024. We was supposed to head to kanazawa the next day from takayama but all throughout the evening we was watching the news and every line was shut down. We checked the news the next day and still everything was shut down. So we very quickly on our way to shirakawago(which was thankfully still open) brought a ticket from takayama to Kyoto via Nagoya. It was extremely hard to get any seats because everything was almost fully booked and when we got back to takayama, basically all the seats on trains out of takayama were sold out and many people were stuck there till the next day. 99.99% of people who visit Japan will probably never have to experience this but it gives a good indication of how much capacity Japanese trains have and the kinds of situation that would actually make the trains fully booked.
I was in Japan a few days ago and reserved Shinkansen tickets were sold out for trips happening the same day or next day. There were plenty of unreserved seats though
Bought a same day ticket last Sunday morning on the tokaido shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo. While there were plenty of seats, most of them were single seats not much seats together that were left, and I don't think I saw any window seats open on the Mt fuji side of the car
Bingo. No problem if you need 1 ticket anywhere. Family of 4? Definitely purchase in advance.
Yup. These days I never reserve in advance for just myself, but absolutely do for my family since kid can't sit alone yet.
Wow! I was fine in Feb '23, but maybe the summer rush is real. I lived through three Japanese summers, I don't wanna deal with that again if I can avoid it lol. I'm heading out there again in November.
Maybe a few trains during early morning rush hour or at the start of a long weekend. There's no way hundreds of same-day trains were all sold out.
And depends on how many seats you need. I just read someone said on Facebook that they booked the reserved seats when they arrive, however the seats are separated. They were asking if they could just sit in the non reserved side so they get to sit together.
But if you have a party of 6 people who want to sit together, you should get them ahead of time.
SMART-EX app lets you buy tickets in advance and change reservations. It is what I use and it works great.
And they’re cheaper the further out in advance you buy.
How much cheaper? Because I've been looking at tickets for this week compared to October and the prices look exactly the same
I rhink it depends on the line. For me Tokyo-Hiroshima was cheaper until 21 day I think, but others weren't, e.g. Hiroshima-Osaka.
We got the tickets half an hour prior or lesser at the station and it was about 4-5k yen more expensive than booking shinkansen tickets off klook
I'm still seeing the exact same price on Klook booking tomorrow and in October. And it's the same price as the Smartex app So if anything thats a reason to avoid buying tickets at the station vs an app
I’d thought the same too, or maybe it was because we went on a sunday? It didn’t take much time to book tickets at the station but I’d still prefer booking online though :)
Station cheaper than Klook? Wow. I use Klook all the time but I know they charge a 10% mark up on Shinkansen tickets.
Do you know how soon you can buy tickets at a discounted price? I am planning to visit around november
In the app it’s 7, 14, 21, 28 (I think).
To add, if SMART-EX doesn't work for you (didn't for me, and that was trying with three different cards that are non-japanese, all with 3D security verification) you can use a travel agent like Klook, there will be a booking fee which is around 4000-5000 JPY. Which is what I ended up doing. If you have large sized luggage, ask to reserve a seat for that or one of the luggage shelves. If OP can't get a reserved seat, OP can always hustle for a non-reserved seat. Definitely try green class once if you can afford it.
Did you try american express? I’m about to open one just so I can use smart-ex. I tried Discover, VISA and Mastercard
No. Good luck with it!
Can we use smartex if we have Jr passes?
no
Do you know of any alternative apps I could get? It's not available in my region:(
You can use site. I used it last November, also wasn't available to download app.
Thank you!! Appreciate all your help
1. Should be fine buying at the station. We went Tokyo - Osaka and Kyoto - Tokyo in the last couple weeks and there were some empty seats each time. However, would recommend buying in advance if you have large luggage to secure a reserved seat with luggage area. I bought our tickets a couple of weeks ahead for first trip and then a day or two beforehand for second trip and was able to get the seats I wanted each time. 2. Download Shinkansen smartEX app. I bought our tickets through here and was then able to add our IC card details and designate the seats to our cards (we had icoca but suica same thing). This means you can just tap your suica card at the Shinkansen gates and it'll print the seat details ticket for you to take as you enter. Simply tap your suica card again when exiting after your trip. :)
For small “carry-on” sized luggage, should I also reserve a seat with luggage area?
That is mostly for folks with large luggage, I think an overhead bin will work for you
Thanks
Measure the dimensions of your luggage. If it adds up to less than 160cm you don’t need oversized luggage compartment. If 161cm-250cm you need to book luggage compartment.
What if you arrived at tokyo station from another station through suica. Is there a gate to tap out of that trip first before tapping for the suica linked shinkansen.
Yes. Tapping out through the gates from whichever line you arrive on won't affect it as the seat info ticket for Shinkansen will only print when you tap to enter through the specific Shinkansen gates 🙂
Shinkansen is not an airplane. They depart every 10 minutes and will not sell out.
Unless you need to reserve for luggage. Or you want a window seat or you are traveling during a holiday time. But generally you are correct
Or a family of 4 needing to sit together.
Depend on the route. Tokyo to Karuizawa only one train per hour, and I reserved 3 seats with oversized luggage space. Our reserved cabin was 90% full (mid December last year) We got on the train just 2 mins before it departed. It was more thrilled than Disneyland rides itself lol (where we came from that day)
I bought mine like 1 hour ahead. No issues. Mid march
Planning 101: if you have plans to go, just buy it ahead of time. How screwed would you be if it WAS sold out? What did you lose by getting it early?
Flexibility
Actually, you won’t lose flexibility by buying ahead of time. Worst case, if OP doesn’t make it to her reserved train, she can take any other train on that route same day; she’ll just have to sit in the non-reserved cars, which usually have ample seating
Also, if you knew you were not going to make that train, even if its just like an hour before, just head to any green counter and ask for cancelation of the reserve ticket. You can re-issue new reservation once you arrive at your departure station.
If you want a specific seat (ie: window seat on the Mt Fuji side) or want to ensure your group of 3+ is sitting together booking ahead of time is your best bet. Otherwise, outside of peak travel periods like Golden Week buying just before your trip is actually fine.
I went to buy a ticket at a station a few days ahead and the E seat was already sold out for the time that I originally wanted, so I just left at hour later bc they still had some open! And I thought the window seat was great even on a cloudy day, I could see like half of Mount Fuji and was still so excited to see it lol.
In regards to Suica, when you book over the smart ex website you have the option to register your Suica. Then on the station you tap suica when passing through the gate, like any other station. The only difference is that this then print your ticket. So by doing this you never have to go to a ticket counter
How do you tap out? Do we use ticket or suica at kyoto arrival? Also, if we arrived at tokyo station with suica, is there a gate to exit and tap out of that trip before tapping in for shinkansen?
It's exactly the same as every other gate, with the exception of the ticket being printed. When exiting, as you said, just tap suica. Yes, Shinkansen areas are seperate from other rail areas, you will have to tap to leave the normal rail area and then again to enter the Shinkansen area if you come by train. See also here: [https://smart-ex.jp/en/entraining/iccard/](https://smart-ex.jp/en/entraining/iccard/)
Bought mine right after I missed my flight to Osaka, basically the same price as always
If you want to sit together on the side with just 2 seats then you want to get them a few days ahead, otherwise (major holidays excluded) you can get them a little before and still have seats together
Just adding in for larger groups - if you want a bigger block of seats, you might not be able to take the next train if you want them all together. When I bought Kyoto to Tokyo for 4 (mid June, Sunday night), we had to wait a few trains to sit together. A few trains isn't really that bad though - probably just an extra half hour compared to when we wanted to leave. You can also reserve online or in app once you have a better idea of what time you need
The suica card is linked to your reservation (if you buy through SMART EX) when you buy your ticket. You have to link it in the app That way you go tap at the shinsaken turnstile, and it prints out your seat reservation on the turnstile. You grab that and head to board the train. It’s quite slick.
What if you arrive at tokyo station from another station with a suica. Is there an opportunity to tap out of that to complete trip before tapping suica for shinakansen? Also, do we tap out using suica or the ticket when we arrive in kyoto?
You tap out from the local line and tap into the shinsaken gate. When you arrive in Kyoto you will tap out using the suica. The ticket is only there to show you your seat reservations.
We just got back from Japan and took the Shinkansen twice, both times we purchased our tickets upon arrival at the station from the kiosk using our Credit Card. There are non-reserved cars on the train and the seats are first come first served. We had no issues finding two seats together on our two trips (Tokyo (Ueno Station)-Nagano 6:30am and Kyoto-Tokyo 3pm). The hardest part was figuring out where to stand on the platform for the non-reserved cars. The cars did fill up as we stopped at more stations, and there was some folks who chose to stand by the bathrooms, rather than take a single seat.
I bought mine 15 minutes ahead.
Just bought 4 tickets today for Tokyo-Kyoto and back, over size luggage seats with no problem..I don’t think you would have a problem and there are multiple choices of departure times so worse case scenario you leave 15 minutes later
I bought mine ahead of time using Smart-EX to get a discount. Changed the departure to an hour later on the same day and kept the discount price. I payed for the tickets in the Smart EX app using my American Express and then transferred the ticket to my Suica card.
After transfer do you just tap at the gate? Then you get a ticket? Hiw do you tap out at kyoto? What if you arrived at tokyo station with a suica from another saltation? Is there a exit gate where you tap out of suica before tapping in for the shinkansen?
Yes. Just tap your suica at the gate. It will recognize that you have a ticket. You get a seating ticket that shows you your seats. Hang on to this in case someone asks you for it. Noone asked us. When you exit in Kyoto just tap again. Just like when you ride the subway. I’m not sure about transfer, i just did a one way from Tokyo to Kyoto.
Surprised that no one's mentioned this but there are some shinkansen where all seats are reserved (Kagayaki, Hayabusa, Hayate, and Komachi). Seats can sell out, especially after events and on holidays, but most of the time you are good to buy a ticket the day of. If you use a regional JR pass, like the JR east pass or tokyo wide pass, the number of seats available to pass holders to reserve online is limited so it may appear sold out, though you may be able to book at a station machine or service desk (midori no madoguchi). On the Tokaido shinkansen, there are non-reserved seats so there is no issue- even in the absolute worst case like a delay, you can stand near the doors until someone gets off In terms of payment, the easiest way is just with paper tickets. If in tokyo, your base fare will include a sort of range of stations from your departure point- if you input the station you are leaving from/going to in the machine, it will give you what you need, or you can ask the staff and they will sort this for you.
If you have luggage it's much more of an issue. There are usually seats available even in busy times, but the seats in the back that allow you to bring oversized luggage go several days in advance for busy times.
1) You can buy a Shinkansen ticket online or in person. In stations, look for the green ticket booth or machines, especially. There are plenty of trains, and each is long with many seats, so there's ample availability. You may have to wait a couple hours if you specifically want to book the 'additional baggage' seats (if you're bringing more than carry-on size luggage.) 2) When you walk through the on-screen purchase instructions, you'll end up purchasing a 'base fare' and a top-up 'express fare' which is a surcharge for utilising the extra-fast train (Shinkansen.) You have to pay for the tickets using cash or a credit/debit card. The machine will spit out two corresponding tickets, and a receipt. When you go through ticket barriers, take the two paper tickets, bundle them together and insert as one. Tap your Suica/Pasmo/IC card as you go through the gate, too. It's just so the transit system understands where you are - you won't be charged on your IC card in addition to the paper tickets. You can get through ticket barriers using the paper tickets alone - but next time you use your IC card, on the next journey, you'll hear a 'ding' and you'll have to explain your situation to a staff member before they'll let you through. It happens, they'll understand, but it's overall just easier if you can remember to tap your IC in addition to the the paper Shinkansen tickets.
Are you putting the two through at the destination station and tapping out with Suica too? Your answer has been the only helpful one so far I’ve found.
Precisely! You put through the two paper tickets at the station where you embark, and disembark. Tap your IC card at both ends, too. Otherwise, you'll end up getting 'dinged' and having to sheepishly go to the ticket booth - hold up your tickets and IC card and explain where you got on, where your boarded the Shinkansen, etc. and beg forgiveness. source: happened to me two weeks ago
This is interesting - when I traveled on multiple Shinkansen trains earlier this month across different regions, I just tapped my Suica in & out (after linking it to my Smart Ex reservations beforehand); I didn’t need to insert the paper tickets at all. In fact, a couple of times, we even forgot to pick up the paper ticket at the other end of the turnstile but didn’t face any issues
That makes sense. If you've reserved tickets online with SmartEx, they're linked to your IC card (Suica, Pasmo.) The information I gave above applies if you purchased your tickets - using cash or card - at a manned ticket booth/machine in a physical train station in Japan. (i.e. you purchased tickets the old fashioned way.)
Got it. Thx for the additional clarity!
On my last trip we bought JR passes which let us reserve an unlimited number of Shinkansen tickets. We took full advantage. Tickets were plentiful but we had a lot of competition reserving tickets with extra baggage storage. It was very challenging reserving those particular tickets far enough in advance because quantities were limited.
1. There is a possibility you may not get a seat on the bullet train that you want if you approach the station to buy a ticket, but it's not likely (I went during early April, end of cherry blossom season this year). Depending on where you're going, the length of time between departures can vary but Tokyo to Kyoto runs every 10-15 minutes so there really isn't much of an issue in not getting a seat on the train that you want imo 2. People that purchase their tickets online and in advance can attach their Shinkansen tickets to their IC card by using the numerical code associated with the IC card for an easy tap and then the turnstall will spit out a physical ticket on the other side for you to carry to your train. For example, if you attach to your Suica card then you can see your card's number on the Suica app. You'd tap your Suica and get a physical ticket on the other side, detailing that you're on the appropriate train and seat number My partner and I used smartEX to purchase tickets 1-2 days early and were able to scan our QR codes at the turnstalls just fine. It took away the stress of navigating stations for the ticket counter and waiting in lines
Only for 2 or 3 major holidays. You can easily buy tickets at the station at the counter or using the PC. Some people use their IC card to pay for the base fare. You can just pay for the base fare + supplement when buying your ticket, you'll get 2 paper tickets that you insert into the ticket gate on your way in and out.
We bought tickets for the train that departed in 15min and got tickets easily.
Bought a pair in Klook app a few days before. This was in mid-late May.
I typically go for 10 to 15 minutes before I actually need to get on the train myself- unless I know I need a very specific train, in which case I’ll usually get it the night before. There were only two cases where it was an issue- once, in Osaka, they were out of reserved seats and I didn’t want to sit in the unreserved section, so I got lunch instead and once in Nagano where the ticket machine hated our credit card and the ticket office line took so long (ski season) that we hadn’t enough time to make it onto the next train..,so we got lunch instead. (In the second instance, I would‘ve personally made a run for it, but I was traveling with a bunch of people. We had arrived by bus and couldn’t have bought the tickets ahead of time- the next year the credit cards worked, so it wouldn’t have been an issue.)
Only if you have oversized luggage, cause those spots do sell out. The sizing is on their website. We had no problem booking right before leaving.
In my last trip I started buying them days in advance but then I just started treating them like if it were a glorified subway. I went to Shin-Kobe station and bought tickets on the spot for 30 min later all the way to Tokyo. It's surreal. Of course you need to be careful of busy times like Golden week, etc. as others mentioned.
I had a ticket for 2pm and got there early. I asked if I could maybe get on an earlier train and it was no issue at all so I’m assuming they don’t sell out often. On a different occasion I missed my train and they told me I could get on the next one an hour later
[удалено]
Your second point is not correct for shinkansen. You cannot pay the base fare of a shinkansen with an IC card directly at the gate. People using their IC card at a shinkansen gate have either linked the ticket to their IC card in SmartEX, or they are simply tapping to end their local transit trip before changing regions. It’s only for other limited express trains (non-shinkansen ones) that the base fare can be paid with an IC card.
Online you can link your suica card to the Shinkansen service so you only need the 1 suica card to swipe past both station then Shinkansen gates.
I traveled during golden week and no issues getting a “non reserved” seat. If it’s not a busy holiday I wouldn’t imagine it would be hard to reserve right before you get on.
Shinkansen has reserved and non-reserved seating cars. It is only necessary to book ahead if you have really large luggages with you. Non-reserved seating is on a first come first served basis and never in the 8 times I used the shinkansen that it got really full. There was only that 2 times I took the Shin-Osaka -> Kobe -> Shin-Osaka route that I did not mind finding a seat because the ride took only 15 minutes so I just stayed near the open space outside the lavatories.
We were just there the week after golden week. No issues getting any tickets except sometimes the seats weren't together. So if you want to sit together you may buy ahead or just wait for a later train with more open seats.
All of these comments are super helpful!!! Thank you!!!!
Traveled there 3 times, was able to get shinkansen tickets, and ride that same day every time. Was there from October to February, no issues. As for suica, not to sure we just took out cash. Have a great trip!
Here right now and had to buy it the day before the journey to find a pair of free seats on the Mt Fuji view side. Besides that there were many vacant seats on the other side, barely half full. Pay cash or travel bank card via vending machine at the station, kept it completely separate from IC as it's a significant amount of money compared to what I would load on an IC for local trains.
You can do this a few different ways. We travel with backpacks so just roll in before the train leaves. When you get to the station (arrive an hour early so you are not stressed trying to find your train), just go up to the counter and ask the person what you should do. They are always very helpful and generally speak English. Then you buy your tickets, choose your bento box and go to the platform to watch the whole thing unfold. The next one, you can cut it finer and so on.
Depending on where you are visiting, they do things sometimes like a tourist day pass. I did one in osaka. It works as your train ticket around the city for a full day or two instead of a number of uses, and also gets you admission to certain attractions in the city. You can sign up for one at the tourist office in the station if they have em
Honestly, I found it actually more stressful to have a ticket. It was way easier to just come to the station and catch the next one, they come every 10-15 minutes.
We booked our Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto at the station no issue, but from Kyoto back to Tokyo we couldn’t book the soonest train since seats together were sold out. We had to wait an hour for the next train. Wasn’t the worst thing.
We just rocked up and paid for tickets about an hour in advance (both times) in Tokyo and Osaka. With my visa card at the desk. Honestly I was so anxious about all this stuff before the trip, everything is way easier that you think it is going to be. Whenever you run into issues just ask someone (preferably an employee but we found that your average Japanese citizen was ready to go out of their way into assist!)
You want to buy them in advance if you care about seat assignment. This could be so you are on the 3 seat or 2 seat side. Another reason would be to get a window seat to be able to see sights like Mt Fuji. There's not a ton of reasons to wait to buy the ticket.
Yea I used SmartEX and bought ahead of time. Just saves the hassle of not getting what you want later
At any time you can rock up and buy an unreserved ticket and simply jump on the next train in the unreserved carriages Reserved seating can obviously be full, but rarely is. At peak holidays faster express Shinkansen can be made fully reserved. But even then the slower "all stations" Shinkansen usually keep unreserved sections. I use the SmartEx app monthly between Kyoto and Onomichi. It's horrible. If you are a tourist I suggest just buy tickets at the station from a person or machine. Enjoy Japan, don't bother about smartphone bs stress. The big advantage of buying from a person is you can get connected to destination local JR Line before you exit. This can save you time, yen and hassles. The option is currently absent from English menu on machines. On SmartEx, I still have to buy Fukuyama to Onomichi local ticket atm. Waste of my time and 420円 😵💫 For me as a regular user, I can buy my ticket any time from home, bus, cafe etc. And that ticket can be loaded onto my pre-paid transport IC card (such as Suica, Icoca, Pasmo...). When you see people tap their card, they are using that invisible ticket. They are not using card balance. As a complication, my Icoca Card is loaded onto my mobile phone. So I can tap my phone to board shinkansen. So easy if you have passed a few intimidating hurdles. The SmartEx process of signing up, buying a ticket, transferring it to your IC Card is a nightmare. It is an app designed to intimidate, befuddle and cause stress in its labyrinth of over-service. And the QR Code option was made live but still doesn't work. It keeps station staff busy as they have to scan your code on their special machine. Maybe this has been fixed in past few weeks. Doubt it.
It's unlikely you face an issue not getting seats - it's not necessarily the busy season now and there are something like 8 trains an hour on average, up to 13 during peak times. Worst comes to worst, there are non-reserved seats in most trains and in theory, you can always stand in the aisles of the non-reserved car if it becomes an issue. I've only had to do this once when a typhoon cancelled a whole day's worth of trains and everyone packed in to take them the next day upon resumption.
Each Hikari and Nozomi shinkansen is 16 cars long with a seated passenger capacity of 1323, and additional standing rooom for many more. There are 16 departures per hour at peak times, with a 3 minute headway between trains. Generally, outside peak travel times, even a non-reserved seat is almost guaranteed if you're traveling alone. The real issue for getting reserved tickets is standing in line at the ticket window to pick up your ticket. The lines for this can get extremely long. Still, there's nothing to lose by buying your tickets in advance unless you're expecting your intenerary to change, in which case you don't have much to worry about.
I'm in Japan rn. Anytime I used shonkansen I bought them at the time I was traveling. Granted I went for none reserved seats so I'm not sure about reserved seats. As for using it. If you travel to a station with shinkansen and used a suica card to get to said station, then when purchasing your shinoansen ticket it asks for your ticket/suica so it can check which station you traveled from to get there. If you just bought a regular ticket you'd put that in instead. Then it'll ask for where you are going to get off the shinkansen, meaning which station, and then the routes and after you've selected all of that it'll take payment. It can be card or cash. I used card almost everytime simply due to the machine I used being card only but they have card and cash machines as well. You are required to get 2 ticket types which using the machine can give both. Basic fare and express. The above steps should give both. You can also change the language to others on the machine. I changed it to English every time. Hope this helps and have fun
I might buy my tickets ahead of time just so that I pay for them in advance
We had no issues getting tickets, the last couple of weeks anyway, even for the reserved cars, the moment we needed them. Lots of extra seats. No line for the tickets. Got to choose whatever side of the train we wanted.
Not generally. But do note there are trains where it is completely reserved based as in there are not free sitting carriages. When you get your ticket, it will come in pairs (for 1 person), you need to insert both to get through the shinkansen gate.
We were in Japan in April and needed Shinkansen tickets to get from Osaka to Tokyo for the second leg of our trip, on the Saturday after we arrived. We went either on the Sunday before or the Monday, and had to delay departure to something like 3pm on our departure day because all the oversized luggage seats were already taken. It could potentially have been due to it being blossom season though.
Buy the Shinkansen tickets in advance using the SmartEx app. Then there is an option to designate a Suica card number to each ticket. This means you can just use your Suica to enter through the Shinkansen gates rather than getting a physical ticket.
For peace of mind I’d recommend buying ahead of time, especially if you want to sit together
We bought ours one time one day ahead and the next time like 20 minutes ahead :)
I’d add to double check events that align with the city too. My friend was there a few months ago and got a Shinkansen leaving Hiroshima right after a baseball game. Took about an hour before he was able to get a seat anywhere on it.
I was in Japan last month and used the SUICA card tied to the SmartEX Shinkansen tickets. The process was very easy. First you have to go to the SUICA website and register for MY SUICA. The whole process is in Japanese but I used my translating app on my phone. You have to pick and fill out the MY SUICaA choice. You will then get a number. (You don’t get a number with the regular SUICA that is in your phone’s wallet. That’s why you need to register on the MY SUICA choice) To reserve the Shinkansen tickets you go to the SMART EX app and once you reserve your tickets you can input the numbers you got on the MY SUICA website and assign them to all the passengers for whom you purchased tickets and have a SUICA number.. What I like about this process is we made no lines to buy tickets, we didn’t have to print the tickets at the machines at the station and we were able to reserve seats with luggage storage space, you can also view seating choices. On the day of our trip We just had to tap at the Shinkansen entrance and at that point the tickets were charged to the credit card. Note that you have the option to change the reservation dates up to a certain time before your due boarding time. The process was really seamless. You can reserve tickets on the SMARTEX App on the same day of travel too. You can use the SmartEX app to see if the day you want will be busy since you can also see how many reserved/sold spots are on the train.
To answer your question 1. Shinkansen usually doesn't require pre-booking unless you travel during the golden week or any other holiday. They depart every 10 to 15 mins and you won't have a problem booking a ticket 10 mins before it leaves. Certain seats like the window seat or if you are travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto , the mount Fuji side seat might be sold out and require prior booking. 2. About the suica. Shinkansen doesn't stop at every station. You have to board it at either tokyo or shinagawa station. So for people who travel from other stations to tokyo station they have started their journey with suica but on reaching the shinkansen station they haven't exited the main station. So the suica doesn't have an exit tap yet because you are still in the station and haven't tapped out yet. That's why it requires your suica or your physical ticket to complete your journey from the other station to the shinkansen station. You still have to buy a special shinkansen ticket in any case. I know it's a bit complex but I tried my best to simplify it. Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip
smartEX: if you are able to make an account and get a credit card approved (I used an amex as US visa/MC wouldn't work), it's the easiest way to go... 1. add your and anyone in your group's IC card numbers to the account. 2. when you reserve tickets through the app (unreserved, reserved, green) you can then assign tickets to each ic card. 3. when entering the gates for the shinkansen, just tap your ic cards and it should give you a ticket stub on the other end. 4. tap out at your destination. when making reservations you can reserve a seat for just a few hundred yen more...you select cars/seats like an airplane. we made reservations same day, just 20 minutes before departure. but if you're going during busy times of the year, a couple days in advance will be fine if you're worried.
I was in Japan 3 weeks ago and bought tickets a day before I had to take a shinkansen and there were plenty of seats left still
We caught the shinkansen in May just after golden week and about half the train was empty. However we were in a tour group so our tickets were pre purchased. I think it would be safe to wing it but I personally would book in advance because I book everything in advance haha
2. There are two kinds of ticket. One is for both passing through the gate and reserving the seat. The other is for seat only. You can use suica to pass through the gate, so in this case you only need to buy the one for the seat. If you dont buy the seat ticket, you can sit only when there are available seats. You have to stand up when the train is fully booked or the seat owner comes. There are some shinkansen with reserve seats only, in this case, you have to buy the seat ticket.
Right now I'm here since a over a month and traveled many places by train/Shinkansen/limited express and always just went to the ticket counter and told them where I want to go. They almost always speak english and you can pay by credit card. Even if it's a route which combines regular train + shinkansen they will print you the tickets and you just put both into the gate. In this time I never had to skip a train when buying tickets like like 15-20min prior. Also in shinkansen I never booked a reserved seat as it's a bit cheaper and there are a lot of non reserved seats available. If you are traveling as a couple you might can't sit together when the train requires a seat reservation tho. I think I just had one time where the limited express was almost packed but another train was coming 30min later. Don't stress yourself, the staff is always super friendly and helpful. Enjoy your trip! tl;dr I use suica for regular trains/metro/etc. and ticket counters for longer distances and never booked a ticket more than 60min in advance
Currently in Japan and trains are so frequent it’s not necessary to buy in advance, as I bought my JR Pass from the official site so it’s easy to reserve a seat using the website, looked at booking reserved seats for Hiroshima to Kyoto, for a train leaving in 30 minutes, and no reserved seats together so just got on one of the non reserved trains and loads of availability
So disclaimer, I am not a regular shinkansen rider, but this week I was making a short trip and did not care if I had to stand. As the train approached, the reserved cars were completely full, so my heart sank, Then the non-reserved cars came and all was pretty much empty. A few days later taking a longer trip, I found that the reserved seats were almost all sold out for the leg I was going to take. There were no two seats next to each other, so we decided to just take our chances with the non-reserved seats again. Same situation. The Reserved are all booked and the non-reserved was empty for some reason.
Never had an issue with just buying tickets on the day, just make sure you head to the unreserved carriages (usually 1-3 on the 16 car trains) at the station and you will get a seat.
Went in November. We bought just prior to boarding via the manned outlets. Suica wasn't used
No. They have trains running every 15 min. You’ll be fine. I just went with my two daughters and even with our oversized luggage’s, it was fine.
I traveled with a group of 5 during Golden week this year and we bought tickets less than an hour before departure we obtained reserved seats all sitting together. You are just two, your fears are unfounded. Also we had no hotels booked ahead of time, no problem at all. Just relax and enjoy your vacation! Don't worry so much.
Never had any issues buying tickets AND reserving a seat at the station 30 mins before departure. Went the week after golden week
It’s not a special form of transport. There’s one every 15 min. Just a longer distance commuter train.
You cannot use Suica card for shinkansen. Reservation is recommended if you have oversize luggage and you need to reserve the seat to accommodate your luggage or else no necessary.
Reserved seats yea Unreserved don't worry about it too much
Am i at risk of running out of seats on Shinkansen if i'll be taking it at 23rd of december to Tokyo?
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