Are all Shinkansen seats reserved?

Shinkansen, limited express trains, and express trains have reserved Green car seats, reserved standard car seats, and non-reserved seats. Some trains do not have non-reserved seats (all seats are reserved).



In 2026, the majority of Shinkansen trains—including the Hikari, Kodama, Sakura, and Tsubame—continue to offer both reserved (shiteiseki) and non-reserved (jiyu-seki) cars. However, a significant rule change applies to the fastest Nozomi and Mizuho services during peak holiday seasons, such as New Year, Golden Week, and Obon. During these high-traffic periods, these specific trains operate as "Reserved Only," meaning no non-reserved tickets are sold and passengers without a seat assignment cannot board unless they stand in the decks. For the rest of the year, cars 1–3 are typically non-reserved on most routes. To ensure a comfortable journey, especially with the 2026 rules regarding oversized baggage (which requires a specific reserved seat for any bag with total dimensions between 160cm and 250cm), booking in advance via the Smart-EX app or at a ticket machine is highly recommended.

People Also Ask

You must order at least 3 days in advance before the day of travel. I would advise you to book your shinkansen tickets as far in advance as you can, during peak season like Christmas and New Year, cherry blossom season (April) and fall foliage season (November). It gets extremely busy and trains are often fully booked.

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There are no crowds on the intercity Shinkansen trains so free seats tend to be available. However, it is recommended to book a seat before boarding any train during the following peak seasons: April 27 to May 6. August 11-20.

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Note that for the Shinkansen, you need a “super (limited) express” ticket in addition to the basic fare ticket for that route (we sell these as a set). Do Shinkansen tickets sell out? Yes, especially for weekend travel and during peak seasons, Shinkansen services can be fully booked.

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I'm using JR pass and reserved seats, what if I were to miss the train, can I change to the next train on the spot? Hi there, If you miss a train you have a reserved seat for, then you are allowed to board the next train and take a non-reserved seat.

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Out of the 16 carriages, the 3 carriages (Car 1 ~ 3) at the end of the whole train are designated as non-reserved seats, and the other 13 carriages (Car 4 ~ 16)are designated as reserved seats.

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3. Booking Shinkansen tickets at the JR Station ticket machine. You may also choose to book your tickets directly while you're at the JR Station. All you have to do is find the ticket machines, which come with an English language option.

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Passengers can buy Shinkansen tickets from ticket counters, ticket machines or online. Foreign visitors are entitled to buy a JR Pass, which offers unlimited access to all Shinkansen trains. The JR Pass is great value for money, covering unlimited journeys during its validity.

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In the event of a suspension in services or a delay of 2 hours or more, we will refund the amounts determined below to the credit card used to make payment.

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Eating and drinking on Japanese trains You should eat on trains only when taking a long-distance train, such as the Shinkansen. These types of trains have a tray and cup holder at every seat, and snacks are sold from a vendor trolley. When taking this type of train, it is also acceptable to bring your own food.

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All Shinkansen trains are covered by the JR Pass. The Nozomi and Mizuho high-speed trains (Tokaido and Sanyo lines) are also included, subject to purchase of a special complementary ticket. JR Pass holders wishing to travel free on these lines can board local and semi-fast trains.

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Yes you can change your reserved tickets at any time. Just go to the ticket window at any JR station and tell the staff you wish to make a change.

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