Japan train schedule and price
Shinkansen
©Simon Launay, unsplash
Main train journeys schedule and cost
In Japan, the railway network is the best way to travel but it can sometimes be difficult to find the right way to reach your destination. Here are two tables to help you plan your itineraries within Japan quickly and easily : Japan Train Schedule and Japan Train Costs.
Taking the train in Japan
In Japan, the railway network is the best way to travel, especially with a Japan Rail Pass or pre-ordered train tickets to your key destinations. However, it can sometimes come with some hurdles for navigating around.
Here is some tips to use Hyperdia :
- Fill in your departure station and the system will automatically provide the station that you can click on. It is the same for your arrival station. Then choose your desired departure time.
- Click on "More Options" to choose to go via a certain station, avoid certain types of trains and much more...
- If your journey is quite long, the system will suggest an internal flight, if you do not want these options shown, deselect "Airplane" and "Airport Shuttle Bus."
- If you have a Japan Rail Pass or if you want to know if your journey is eligible for using the Japan Rail Pass, click on "More Options" and uncheck the "Nozomi / Mizuho / Hayabusa (Shinkansen)" (unless you want to ride the Hokkaido Shinkansen to Sendai, Morioka, Shin Aomori, Kikonai or Okutsugaru-Imabetsu) and "Private Railway" boxes.
You will see the details of your trip if possible with the Japan Rail Pass.
Please notice that if you want to travel from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori or Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto (Hokkaido) with the Japan Rail Pass, you can use the Hayabusa train so you must check the Nozomi/mizuho/hayabusa box. You will have the details of your trip as possible with the Japan Rail Pass.
Hyperdia
©Martin Lewison,https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/flicker/,CC BY-SA 2.0,https://www.flickr.com/photos/milst1/32732698633/
Here are the prices in USD for the main routes (1 USD = 113 ¥ ) . The table above represents the train fares of "non-reserved seats". The train is not the cheapest means of transport of Japan (for example night buses are cheaper) but it is the most convenient and comfortable.
You can find the train fares using Hyperdia, you can see the price of the top left hand side, the total price includes :
• The price of the journey : this is fixed.
• The seat prices. This depends on the type of seat you choose :
- Unreserved Seat: in Japan there are un-reserved cars (usually the first three cars) for non-reserved seats, this means you can sit where you want in the car. These tickets are the cheapest and if you have a Japan Rail Pass, you can board the train without reserving a seat by going to the window at the platform.
- Reserved Seat: in that case you will have a designated seat. You can make a reservation for these seats in advance at any ticket office. It is free with a Japan Rail Pass.
- Green Car Seat: these seats are the equivalent of first class. Here you can recline your seat, enjoy the footrest and a larger space for you and your luggage as well as magazines for trip.
Shinkansen
©Manuel Cosentino, unsplash
