While Shinjuku is the world's busiest railway station and a massive transportation hub, the Shinkansen (bullet train) does not operate directly from there. Shinjuku serves numerous JR lines, private railways, and subways, but the high-speed Shinkansen tracks are centralized at three other major Tokyo stations: Tokyo Station, Shinagawa Station, and Ueno Station. To catch a bullet train from Shinjuku, you must first take a short connecting trip. For the Tokaido Shinkansen (heading toward Osaka and Kyoto), the most common route is taking the JR Chuo Line (Rapid) to Tokyo Station, which takes about 15 minutes, or the JR Yamanote Line to Shinagawa. For northern routes like the Tohoku or Joetsu Shinkansen, Ueno is also an option. While you can purchase Shinkansen tickets and exchange JR Passes at the JR East Travel Service Center near Shinjuku's New South Exit, you will always need to transfer to one of the dedicated Shinkansen terminals to actually board the high-speed trains.