Bullet train - Shinkansen guide
Table of contents
- Main Shinkansen lines
- How to buy Shinkansen tickets
- SmartEX - Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines
- More information
Main Shinkansen lines
Here is the map of the main Shinkansen lines in Japan: 
Hokkaido Shinkansen line
- Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto
Akita Shinkansen line
- Akita
Yamagata Shinkansen line
- Yamagata
Joetsu Shinkansen line
- Niigata
Hokuriku Shinkansen line
- Toyama
- Kanazawa
Tohoku Shinkansen line
- Shin-Aomori
- Morioka
- Sendai
- Fukushima
Tokaido Shinkansen line
- Tokyo
- Shin-Yokohama
- Odawara
- Nagoya
- Kyoto
- Shin-Osaka
Sanyo Shinkansen line
- Okayama
- Hiroshima
- Hakata
Kyushu Shinkansen line
- Kumamoto
- Kagoshima-Chuo
How to buy Shinkansen tickets
There are three websites that you can use to buy Shinkansen tickets:
- SmartEX - run by JR Central; fully supports English.
- Eki-net.com - run by JR East; partially supports English.
- Klook - a third-party website that sells Shinkansen tickets.
How do these three websites compare?
| Website | Coverage | Pros | Cons | Who should use it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SmartEX | All Shinkansen stations south of Tokyo | Fully supports English | Account setup required (30 minutes) | Anyone buying tickets for the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines |
| Eki-net | All Shinkansen stations west and north of Tokyo | Allows seat reservations for JR Rail Pass users | Limited English support | JR Rail Pass users traveling on the Joetsu, Hokuriku, Tohoku, and Hokkaido lines |
| Klook | All Shinkansen stations | Easiest to use | Additional fees; cannot specify exact seats | Casual travelers who want a hassle-free experience; modifying tickets could be difficult |
SmartEX - Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines
I recommend using SmartEX to buy Shinkansen tickets for the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines.
- SmartEX is run by JR Central and offers the best support both online and in-person at stations.
- SmartEX is available in English and is relatively easy to use.
Which train stations are covered by the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines?
The following are the major Shinkansen stations covered by the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines:
- Tokyo
- Shinagawa
- Shin-Yokohama (near Yokohama Station)
- Nagoya
- Kyoto
- Shin-Osaka (near Osaka Station)
- Shin-Kobe
- Okayama
- Hiroshima
- Kokura
- Hakata
- Kumamoto
- Kagoshima-Chuo (near Kagoshima Station)
How to use SmartEX
Confirm, change, and refund reservations
How to change a reservation?
- Steps: How to change
- Details: Change reservations
How to cancel a reservation and get a refund?
- Steps: How to refund
- Details: Refund reservations
Important notes about SmartEX
- SmartEX only supports tickets for the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines.
- Use either Eki-net or Klook for other Shinkansen lines.
- You cannot use SmartEX with the Japan Rail Pass or other passes.
- When you click
Purchase, your credit card will be charged.- After this point, there is a cancellation fee.
- Changing the reservation is free.
- Luggage - you must reserve a seat with an oversized baggage area if you have luggage larger than carry-on size. Details
Additional notes on using SmartEX
- All dates and times are in Japan Standard Time (JST).
- All prices are in Japanese Yen (JPY).
- If you want a paper ticket, you will need the
pickup codeand account login credentials. - If your credit card does not support 3-D Secure Authentication, you will need to enter a security code each time you buy a ticket.
- You cannot mix train classes (regular vs. Green) on the same ticket.
- Example: You need two tickets if you want to use the Green car (first-class car) on the first train, followed by a reserved car (ordinary car) on the second train.
- You cannot mix train types (express vs. local) on the same ticket.
- Example: You need two tickets if you want to use the Nozomi on the first train, followed by a Hikari on the second train.
Quick breakdown of Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines
- Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo to Shin-Osaka)
- Sanyo Shinkansen (Shin-Osaka to Hakata)
- Kyushu Shinkansen (Hakata to Kagoshima-Chuo)