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.
Baggage with overall dimensions of less than 160 cmYou can put baggage whose overall dimensions are less than 160 cm (the same size as the baggage that can be carried for free in airplane holds) * on the overhead baggage rack of the Shinkansen.
The high speed railway is called the Shinkansen and is known for its safety and reliability. In addition, the Shinkansen is well known for punctuality. As a matter of fact, the average delay of trains is less than one minutes every year.
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.
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.
Eating and drinking on Japanese trainsYou 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.
Kodama (???, Echo) is one of the three train services running on the Tokaido and San'yo Shinkansen lines. Stopping at every station, the Kodama is the slowest Shinkansen service for trips between major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka.
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.
The train's tilting mechanism to lean into curves at high speed and the high-quality airtight body minimize vibration and provide a smooth, quiet ride.
Most trains do not operate 24 hours; for example, in Tokyo they do not run in the early morning 01:00-05:00, and the Shinkansen never runs overnight. If you are planning to be out late and are relying on the train to get home, be sure to find out when the last train is leaving.
The rush hours peak between 8am and 9am in the morning and shortly after 5pm in the evening; however, morning rush hours tend to be more concentrated and heavier than evening rush hours. Rush hours are most extreme in Tokyo, but can also be pretty heavy in Japan's other major cities.
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.
You may bring up to two pieces of baggage on board free of charge. For each bag the total of the length, width and height must not exceed 250 centimetres, the length must not exceed two meters and the weight must be no more than 30 kilograms.