乗Japan Train Trips
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How to ride trains in Japan

How to ride the Shinkansen and limited express trains: tickets, gates and transfers

新幹線・特急の乗り方（きっぷ・改札・乗り換え）

Why you need two tickets, how to feed them into the gate, ticketless boarding with an IC card, JR Pass gates and Nozomi tickets, big-luggage rules and the Shinkansen transfer gates.

On ordinary local trains a single fare ticket (or IC card tap) is enough. Shinkansen and limited express trains cost more: on top of the basic fare (乗車券) you pay a limited express charge (特急券), plus a seat reservation or Green Car charge if you want one. That is why a Shinkansen trip often comes as two tickets — or one combined ticket — and why the gates work a little differently.

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乗り方の流れ

Step by step

  1. 01Get the right tickets

    Buy a fare ticket plus a limited express ticket (reserved, non-reserved or Green). A non-reserved ticket lets you sit only in the non-reserved cars. JAPAN RAIL PASS holders reserve seats free of charge at ticket machines or ticket offices.

  2. 02Insert all tickets together

    Stack your tickets and put them into the gate slot at the same time, magnetic (black) side down. The gate returns all of them on the far side — take them, you need them to get out. Tickets without a black magnetic back must be shown to staff at the staffed gate.

  3. 03Find your platform and car

    Departure boards alternate Japanese and English and show the train name, time, destination and platform. Your ticket shows the car number and seat; car signs read 指定 / RESERVED or 自由 / NON RESERVED.

  4. 04Board and find your seat

    Line up and board in order, and don't leave suitcases by the doors. On the Tokaido Shinkansen the Nozomi's non-reserved cars are 1–2 and the Green cars 8–10 (subject to change); toilets are in odd-numbered cars.

  5. 05Exit through the gate

    Insert your tickets again at your destination; the gate keeps them. Want to keep a ticket as a souvenir? Ask at the staffed window for an "invalid" stamp.

Ticketless with an IC card or QR code

Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen — Smart EX: a free online service (credit card required; overseas cards may be limited by the issuer). Register an IC card such as Welcome Suica and simply tap it at the gate; take the seat information slip the gate prints. Or use a QR ticket at gates with the QR mark — each passenger needs their own QR code.

JR East Shinkansen (Tohoku, Hokkaido, Joetsu, Hokuriku, Yamagata, Akita) — JR-EAST Train Reservation: book in English, link the seat to your IC card and board by tapping it (one card per person). It cannot book Tokaido/Sanyo trains or JR Pass seats.

JR West — JR-WEST ONLINE TRAIN RESERVATION: tickets are mostly collected at ticket machines; Digital Limited Express Tickets are shown on board while you enter the gate with a fare ticket or ICOCA.

JAPAN RAIL PASS at the gate

Insert the pass into an automatic gate and pick it up on the other side (IC-only gates won't take it), or show it at the staffed gate. A seat reservation ticket on its own does not open the gate — always use the pass itself.

Nozomi and Mizuho trains are not covered, even in non-reserved cars. Before boarding, buy the special NOZOMI MIZUHO Ticket for each ride (for example ¥4,960 Tokyo–Kyoto/Shin-Osaka, ¥4,180 Tokyo–Nagoya); it can't be reserved online before you arrive in Japan.

Big luggage

Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen: bags up to 160 cm (length + width + height) need nothing special. For 161–250 cm, book a seat with an oversized-baggage area (the space behind the last row) — no extra charge. Board without one and you pay ¥1,000 and put the bag where the crew says. Over 250 cm is not allowed.

JR East Shinkansen have no oversized-baggage seats: luggage areas are free and first come, first served (up to two items, 250 cm and 30 kg each).

Changing trains

From a local JR line to the Shinkansen, use the Shinkansen transfer gate (新幹線乗換改札) and insert your conventional-line ticket together with the Shinkansen tickets. Entered the station with an IC card? Insert the Shinkansen tickets, then tap the card.

At Tokyo Station the Tokaido Shinkansen (JR Central) and the Tohoku/Joetsu/Hokuriku Shinkansen (JR East) are run by different companies; JR East allows about 8 minutes for the change.

Good to know

  • In JR Central's peak periods (the busiest holidays — check its Nozomi page for the dates) every Nozomi seat becomes reserved; non-reserved ticket holders may stand except in the Green cars.
  • Missed your reserved Tokaido Shinkansen? You can still ride in a non-reserved car of a later train the same day.
  • Free Wi-Fi is available on all Tokaido Shinkansen trains.

Sources

Rules differ between railways and change from time to time — last checked 3 Nov 2026. Follow signs and staff on the day.