Are you allowed to drink on the Shinkansen?

Having a few drinks is perfectly acceptable; the emphasis on Shinkansen trains is quiet stress-free travel (even loud mobile phone conversations aren't allowed). BUT, do not become intoxicated (i.e. drunk) on board (or any other public space in Japan) to the point of being loud/obnoxious/rude/physically violent etc.



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Be sure to grab some food for the journey, too. Japanese trains don't have restaurant or bar cars, only snack trolleys, and travellers tend to buy their meals at the train station before they depart.

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A gradually decreasing number of shinkansen trains are served by small food carts with a selection of snacks, drinks and boxed meals (bento) which periodically pass along the aisle. Free Wi-Fi is available on board of all shinkansen except on some older train sets in eastern Japan.

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Smoking has already been banned on most local trains in Japan, as well as on shinkansen operated by East Japan Railway and Hokkaido Railway.

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When riding the Shinkansen or on a long train ride in a green car (reserved seating) you are allowed to eat and drink. The seats actually have tables and cup holders. There are also food, drinks, and snacks being sold in these train cars. But on commuter trains, avoid eating.

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Hazardous materials, sharp objects*1, furnaces / stoves, animals*2, deceased biological material, unclean objects, objects that emit offensive odors, items that may hurt other customers, and objects that may damage the train are not allowed on board. *1: Sharp objects packed as to not hurt other customers are allowed.

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Any journey on the Shinkansen – Japan's bullet train – is the perfect opportunity to enjoy an ekiben, the iconic bento filled with an assortment of delicacies tucked into a container and eaten in bite-size pieces. The term comes from the Japanese words for station (eki) combined with ben for bento (or “lunchbox”).

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Some trains do not have non-reserved seats (all seats are reserved). There are no Green Cars on most “HIKARI” and “KODAMA” trains on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line (Shin-Osaka—Hakata), or on Series 800 trains on the Kyushu Shinkansen Line.

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Eating while walking is a big no-no for most Japanese–even children enjoying an ice cream are often told to sit down before consuming food.

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Yes, drinking water from taps in Japan is safe. For environmental reasons, try to use a refillable water bottle rather than buying bottled water in Japan. Metro train stations have public water fountains, but otherwise these can be hard to find (this is the land of vending machines after all).

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