The Tokaido shinkansen is the only profitable high speed rail route in the world. It's expensive because it's the best way to travel between cities. It's competition is airplanes. Few people will ride across the entire country on one because after a certain distance the planes are cheaper and faster.
The takeaway:
They are found on shinkansen (bullet trains) and tokkyu (limited express trains). Because standards are so high on Japanese trains, even the ordinary cars are usually perfectly sufficient. But, if you want a little more space and a bit more peace and quiet, the Green Car is a good option.The Shinkansen is not a 24 hour service, but does run until late. For the last trains, you should choose Type: "arrival" and Time: "12am", and for all non-nozomi bullets you should deselect the "NOZOMI/MIZUHO Shinkansen" option. Here's an example showing the last times to travel from Kyoto back to Tokyo.
All Shinkansen trains are covered by the JR Pass except the Nozomi and Mizuho fast trains which run on the Takaido and Sanyo lines.
Most of the cases, Shinkansen is profitable. 85% of the income of JR Central is from the Tokaido Shinkansen. Thanks to the Tokaido-Sanyo-Kyushu Shinkansen, JR West and JR Kyushu is now become profitable in railway business.
Shinkansen have both reserved and non-reserved cars. For both types of cars, people form a line. It's more complex than you might imagine to even find your line. If you can find it (don't be shy to ask) — stand in it. Japanese society is orderly — lines are taken seriously.
The Japan Rail Pass covers all JR Group limited express trains, express trains, rapid and local ones. Shinkansen bullet trains are also covered, except of NOZOMI and MIZUHO.
Shanghai Maglev, also known as Shanghai Transrapid, is currently the fastest train in the world.
If you reserved a seat and miss the shinkansen, nothing happens except the seat is wasted. You can always take the next shinkansen and go to the unreserved carriages or make a new reservation.
Yes, you can. You can bring food and drink on Shinkansen. At Shinkansen station, you will find KIOSK selling drink, food, and books/magazines. Also, you often see small shops selling Obento box, sandwiches, and drinks.
Shinkansen Toilets
We're on board the Shinkansen, the famous high-speed "bullet trains". The toilets on board are similar to airline toilets. That seems appropriate, given the speed of travel.Yes, you can. However, you should try to get your ticket farther in advance if traveling at a busy time, such as certain dates around the New Year. You can make the reservation at any JR reservation office (all major stations and many smaller stations). Yes you are able to, from the machines or JR office.
Order Shinkansen Tickets At Least 3 Days In Advance
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).You may drink alcohol on the Shinkansen and long-distance “rapid” trains in Japan; no biggie. You'll often see business people enjoying a can of beer on their journey home at the end of the workday. Do not drink on local trains and transportation.
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.
Some shinkansen trains are served by small food carts with a selection of snacks, drinks and boxed meals (bento) which periodically pass along the aisle. Some trains also have vending machines with drinks and pay phones.
WiFi access is not available across all of the Shinkansen lines. The train network is currently being modernized so, by the end of 2020, free wifi will be available on all the trains. Free access to WLANs (wireless local area networks) will soon be available on the Tokaido Shinkansen line from Tokyo to Osaka.
The Nozomi is one of only a few JR trains that cannot be used with the Japan Rail Pass. The Hikari is the second fastest train category along the Tokaido Shinkansen, serving a few more stations than the Nozomi and requiring about three hours to reach Shin-Osaka from Tokyo.
Japan tests world's fastest bullet train
- The ALFA-X version of the Shinkansen train began three years' worth of test runs on Friday.
- Once it enters operation sometime around 2030, it will run at speeds of up to 360 kph (224 mph), comfortably making it the world's fastest bullet train.
The name "Bullet Train" is the English translation of the Japanese word dangan ressha (????), which was the name given to the project while it was being made in the 1940s. Nowadays, the trains are called Shinkansen trains. The name Shinkansen means "New Trunk Line". The trains are called "Super Expresses".
Bullet trains or high speed trains have wheels like ordinary trains, high speed trains are nothing else other than normal multiple units which runs in suburban rail routes. High speed trains runs fast because of there streamlined design and light weight body. This the Shanghai Maglev running without wheels.
The original bullet train, the Series 0, hit a speed of about 200 kilometers per hour, or about 125 mph. The speeds gradually increased through the years, reaching the current figure of 177 mph in 2015.
Train services
The Hikari train connects Tokyo to Shin-Osaka in exactly 173 minutes. The maximum operating speed is 285 km/h (178 mph), which makes it the second fastest train on the Tokaido line. Hikari also runs on the Sanyo Shinkansen line with an operating speed of 300 km/h (185 mph).If you travel from Tokyo to Kyoto with a Japan Rail Pass, you will probably ride a Hikari. The Hikari Shinkansen is the second fastest bullet trian, taking about 3 hours from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka. Hikari Shinkansen run about every 30 minutes (please check timetables for details).
Shinkansen trains are electric multiple units, offering fast acceleration, deceleration and reduced damage to the track because of the use of lighter vehicles compared to locomotives or power cars. The coaches are air-sealed to ensure stable air pressure when entering tunnels at high speed.
Japan tests world's fastest bullet train
- The ALFA-X version of the Shinkansen train began three years' worth of test runs on Friday.
- Once it enters operation sometime around 2030, it will run at speeds of up to 360 kph (224 mph), comfortably making it the world's fastest bullet train.
The Shinkansen is expensive because Japan is expensive. Why is Japan expensive? Because most people believe they are paying a normal price and accept to pay that price. They are oblivious that it could be cheaper.
For comparison, the regular Shinkansen fare for a one-way, reserved seat from Tokyo to Osaka is 14,450 yen, so purchasing this Japan Rail Pass makes up for the cost of a round trip. An additional charge will be required for the Nozomi, so most Japan Rail Pass users ride the Hikari or Kodama trains.
According to a study by the Los Angeles Times, the most current projected fare for the train, $86 a ride, would still be one of the most inexpensive high-speed rail trips on a per-mile basis. When funding for the project was first approved, however, tickets were projected to be closer to the $50 range.
Regular paper
tickets for the
shinkansen can be purchased at
ticket counters, at
ticket machines or online.
Buying a ticket at the ticket counter
- Number of travelers.
- Date of travel.
- Departure station.
- Destination station.
- Ordinary or green car.
- Reserved or non-reserved seat.
At Shinjuku Station, you can catch the JR Chuo limited express train and arrive to Kawaguchiko Station in about an hour. A one-way ticket costs 2,250 yen (unreserved seat), 2,970 yen (reserved seat), or free for JR Pass holders.
From Tokyo take the Shinkansen (just 36 minutes) or JR Tokaido line / from Shinjuku (about 90 minutes) → Odawara with your Japan Rail Pass.
