If your train is late, a station attendant will often be standing on the platform or else at the ticket gate handing out the certificates to exiting passengers. If not, go to the counter by the ticket gate and request one by say the following: Chien shoumeishou o onegai shimasu.

In Japan, train punctuality is legendary, so even a delay of five minutes is taken very seriously. If your train is late, the railway company will issue a Delay Certificate (Densha Chien Shoumeisho), which you can pick up at the station or download from the official JR or private rail website in 2026. This certificate is a high-value document used as proof for employers or schools that your lateness was beyond your control. If a Shinkansen or limited express train is delayed by two hours or more, you are generally entitled to a full refund of the express surcharge portion of your ticket, though the base fare is typically not refunded. On-board, conductors will provide frequent, polite apologies in multiple languages. It is a peer-to-peer essential to know that while Japanese trains are reliable, the system is strictly "no-excuses," so that little piece of paper from the station master is your only shield against a "tardy" mark at work.