How to buy Shinkansen (A Japanese Bullet Train) Tickets at the station
3 June 2025
Are you planning to travel on Japan's famous bullet train (Shinkansen)? This guide will show you exactly how to purchase Shinkansen (a bullet train) tickets and board the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines. We'll take you through each step so you can travel with confidence.
Key Points for overseas visitors
Here are the key things that overseas travellers often miss when using the Shinkansen for the first time.
You need two kinds of tickets
Unlike local trains, the Shinkansen requires 2 different tickets: a "Basic Fare Ticket" (乗車券) and a "Super (Limited) Express Train Ticket" (新幹線特急券 or Shinkansen Ticket). When you buy them together at the ticket machine, they usually print as one combined ticket, but the price includes both parts. You cannot board the Shinkansen with just a basic fare ticket.
You cannot buy tickets on board
You must purchase your ticket before boarding. There are special Shinkansen gates that check your tickets, so you cannot board on without Super(Limited) Express Train Ticket (Shinkansen Ticket). There is no way to buy tickets once you're on the train.
Suica and Pasmo IC Cards do not work
Suica and Pasmo can be used as a Basic Fare Ticket (乗車券), but they cannot be used as a Super (Limited) Express Train Ticket (新幹線特急券). In fact, there are ways to set them up for Super (Limited) Express Train Ticket (新幹線特急券), the process is complicated and not practical for short-term visitors. For overseas tourists, we recommend using Mobile Suica on your iPhone or Android phone.
Large Suitcases Need Special Ticket
This is the most important point that visitors often miss. If your luggage measures more than 160cm total (length + width + height), you must reserve a seat with oversized baggage area or compartment in advance. We'll explain how to do this later. If you don't book in advance, you may have to pay an extra ¥1,000 fee.
Luggage that measures 160cm or less can go in the overhead racks above your seat, so no special booking is needed.
Additional fare will be required even if you have a JR Pass
The JR Pass is a special unlimited travel pass for foreign tourists visiting Japan. It allows unlimited travel on JR Group trains, buses, and ferries for a set period and offers excellent value. Except some Shinkansen lines, you can take the Shinkansen by JR Pass.
For the details, please check the article below.
How to purchase Shinkansen Tickets at the Machine
Let's go through buying tickets step by step using the actual machine screens.
Before You Start
Get this information ready:
your departure and arrival stations
travel date and time
number of people
seat preference
your luggage size. If you have large suitcases, you'll need to book special luggage space.
For payment, cash is most reliable, but foreign credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express) usually work too.
Step1: Find the ticket machine
Look for ticket machines near the Shinkansen entrance gate. Make sure you use machines marked "Shinkansen(新幹線)" - they're different from regular JR ticket machines.
Step2: Choose your language
The machine offers Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. Select English and all the following screens will be in English.
Step3: Choose Reserved Seat or Non-reserved Seat
First, you need to choose your seat type: Reserved Seat or Non-reserved Seat. If you would like to board on the 1st class (Green Car), please choose Reserved Seat button.
Step4: Select your arrival station
First choose your departure station (From), then your arrival station (To). all stations appear on screen - tap the your destination.
Step5: Choose Date and Time
Select your departure date from the calendar and your preferred departure time. You can also choose "Next train" to automatically select the next available service. You can book from today up to about one month ahead - book early for weekends and holidays.
Step6: Select the number of Passengers
Select the number of adults (12+), children (6-11), and infants (under 6). Infants can travel free if they don't need their own seat.
Step7: Choose your train
Pick a train close to your preferred time. The screen shows train names, departure times, arrival times, and journey duration. Nozomi is fastest but you need to pay additional fee even though you have a JR Pass. Hikari offers a good balance of speed and stops, whilst Kodama stops at all stations but costs less.
Step 8: Choose your seat
If you tapped a reserved ticket, you can choose window seat, aisle seat, or let the system choose for you. Shinkansen cars have 2+3 seat layout, and window seats offer great views of the Japanese countryside.
Step9: Booking Seat with oversized baggage area or compartment
If you have large suitcases, you must book a "seat with oversized baggage area or compartment". Oversized luggage means bags measuring more than 160cm total (length + width + height). If you book in advance, there's no extra charge. But if you don't book and try to bring large luggage on board, you need to pay a ¥1,000 penalty fee.
There are two types of special luggage seats. "Seat with oversized baggage area" is at the back of each carriage with dedicated space behind your seat. "Seat with oversized baggage compartment" is a special baggage compartment at the ends of cars.
Step10: Basic fare ticket
You can choose to purchase a boarding ticket along with a Super (Limited) Express Train Ticket (新幹線特急券). If you already have a basic fare ticket(乗車券) or will use Suica or Pasmo as a boarding ticket, you do not need to purchase a basic fare ticket.
Step11: Select a return ticket purchase
You can choose a one-way ticket or a round-trip ticket. If the one-way distance is 601km or more, you can get a 10% discount on the Shinkansen fare by purchasing both the outbound and return tickets at the same time.
To be honest, I rarely buy round-trip tickets because it is not easy to get a discount. For example, the Tokyo-Shin-Osaka section is 550km.
Step12: Pay the fare
After the confirmation, you can pay the fare by credit cards, cash, and IC cards. After payments, your tickets print automatically. The basic fare ticket and the special (Limited) Express ticket (Shinkansen express ticket) are usually printed out as one ticket.
How to take local trains
Most people rarely reach their destination only by Shinkansen and will need to transfer to a local train from there. Please see the article below for information on how to ride trains in Japan.
