Skip to content
¥ Japan Trip Math

How to buy Shinkansen tickets

Four ways in: a JR ticket office, a reserved-seat ticket machine, smartEX for the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines, or a JR company's own online reservation site. Which one is easiest depends on your route, your card and whether you hold a JR Pass.

Buying a Shinkansen ticket at a glance

Sale opens
1 month before, 10:00 JST (JR online sites); smartEX takes tentative bookings up to a year ahead
Tokyo – Osaka – Hakata
smartEX (QR or IC boarding), a ticket office or a machine
Tokyo – Sendai, Kanazawa, Niigata
A ticket office or machine; JR-EAST Train Reservation or JR West's site for the Hokuriku line
With a JR Pass
Free seat reservations at an office, a machine or JAPAN RAIL PASS Reservation

From JR Central, JR West, JR Kyushu, JR Hokkaido, smartEX and JAPAN RAIL PASS pages read on 30 October 2026.

What you are buying

  • A Basic Fare Ticket is needed to ride any train. On the Shinkansen and limited express trains you also need a limited express ticket for the specific train, which shows you have paid the surcharge for that train and seat.
  • Green Cars (first-class cars) need an additional Green Car ticket.

In practice the two parts are usually printed on one ticket or held in one booking. For Tokyo to Kyoto (one adult, normal season) the basic fare is ¥8,360 and the reserved-seat limited express charge on Hikari is ¥5,490, so the ticket costs ¥13,850.

Tokyo to Kyoto ticket prices, one adult, one way, normal season
Seat and trainBasic fareLimited express chargeTotal
Non-reserved, Hikari / Kodama¥8,360¥4,960¥13,320
Reserved, Hikari / Kodama¥8,360¥5,490¥13,850
Reserved, Nozomi¥8,360¥5,810¥14,170

Reserved prices change with the seasonal calendar; non-reserved prices do not. Children: A child pays half the adult price for basic fare, limited express, express and reserved-seat tickets; a 5-yen fraction is rounded down. Every other route is in the Shinkansen fare finder.

The channels side by side

Official ways to buy Shinkansen tickets
ChannelLinesSale opensBoarding
JR ticket office (Midori-no-madoguchi) or Travel Service CenterAll JR lines.Reserved seats go on sale one month before the travel date (JR Central: 'like other reserved seats, they are available one month in advance').Paper ticket issued on the spot.
Reserved-seat ticket machine at a JR stationDepends on the machine and station.not yet verifiedPaper ticket.
smartEX (Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu Shinkansen Online Reservation Service)Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen only.From 5:30 a.m. one year before the travel date (the train, time and seat are confirmed after 8:00 a.m. one month before); up to 4 minutes before departure.QR-Ticket at Shinkansen gates with the 'QR' mark, a registered IC card, or a paper ticket picked up at a station.
JR-WEST ONLINE TRAIN RESERVATION (JR West's English site; e5489 in Japanese)Sanyo (Shin-Osaka - Hakata), Hokuriku (Tokyo - Kanazawa) and Kyushu (Hakata - Kagoshima-Chuo) Shinkansen, plus some JR East sections; Tokaido Shinkansen regular tickets can be reserved but cannot be picked up at JR Central.From 10:00 a.m. JST one month before the travel date; up to 6 minutes before departure.Paper ticket picked up at JR West, JR Shikoku, JR Kyushu or JR Central stations, or at certain JR East Travel Service Centers.
JR-KYUSHU Train ReservationJR Kyushu and JR West trains, regular-price tickets only.From 10:00 a.m. one month before the travel date; reservations taken 5:30-23:00 JST, up to 6 minutes before departure.Paper ticket from a ticket office or ticket machine at a JR Kyushu station (bring the card you paid with, the reservation number and the 4-digit identification number).
JR-EAST Train ReservationJR East and JR Hokkaido trains (Tohoku, Hokkaido, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen).From 10:00 a.m. JST one month before the travel date; up to 6 minutes before departure.not yet verified

At the station

The station works for every JR line, with or without a pass. Staffed ticket offices are called Midori-no-madoguchi; larger stations also have Travel Service Centers. Reserved-seat ticket machines sit next to them.

JR ticket office (Midori-no-madoguchi) or Travel Service Center

Sells:
All JR lines.
Sale opens:
Reserved seats go on sale one month before the travel date (JR Central: 'like other reserved seats, they are available one month in advance').
Boarding:
Paper ticket issued on the spot.
JR Pass holders:
Show your pass to reserve seats at no extra charge. Ticket offices and machines are open at most 4:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (hours vary by station); seats cannot be reserved at unmanned stations.
  • Tell the staff if you are travelling with oversized baggage (161-250 cm in total) on the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu or Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen.
  • The JAPAN RAIL PASS site notes that reserving may take time when the counter is busy.

Official page: https://japanrailpass.net/en/use/reserved-seat-reservation/

Reserved-seat ticket machine at a JR station

Sells:
Depends on the machine and station.
Sale opens:
not yet verified
Boarding:
Paper ticket.
JR Pass holders:
Scan the QR code on your pass (or enter the reservation number printed on it), enter your passport number, choose the train and seat, and issue the ticket. Some JR stations have no reserved-seat ticket machine.
  • JR Central says every ticket machine in its stations has English menus, and some machines sell limited express tickets and reserve seats.
  • At the machine you can choose 'Seat with an oversized baggage area'.

Official page: https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/tickets/buy/

smartEX: Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen

smartEX is the joint online service of JR Central, JR West and JR Kyushu. It is the only channel here that lets you skip paper altogether: you can walk through a Shinkansen gate with a QR-Ticket on your phone or a registered IC card. It covers Tokyo to Kagoshima-Chuo but not the Tohoku, Hokuriku or other JR East lines.

smartEX (Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu Shinkansen Online Reservation Service)

Sells:
Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen only.
Sale opens:
From 5:30 a.m. one year before the travel date (the train, time and seat are confirmed after 8:00 a.m. one month before); up to 4 minutes before departure.
Payment:
A credit card is required to register (card holder 18 or over); no annual membership fee. Accepted brands: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and Discover. Cards must support 3D Secure, and smartEX warns that a card company may limit overseas settlement.
Boarding:
QR-Ticket at Shinkansen gates with the 'QR' mark, a registered IC card, or a paper ticket picked up at a station.
  • Changes are free and unlimited before you enter the gate or pick up the ticket; cancelling before departure costs 320 yen.
  • IC cards for foreign visitors (Welcome Suica, PASMO PASSPORT) can be registered; one bought overseas must first be used at a Suica or PASMO area ticket gate.
  • Paper tickets can be picked up at ticket machines at main Tokaido/Sanyo/Kyushu Shinkansen stations (from 7 days before travel) and at JR East ticket machines in the Tokyo wards, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Odawara and Atami.
  • Supreme Class on the Tokaido Shinkansen can be booked only with a smartEX membership.

Official page: https://smart-ex.jp/en/

Keep the 'Seat Information' slip

When you pass a Shinkansen gate with a QR-Ticket or an IC card, the gate issues a "Seat Information" slip. A conductor may check it on board; without it you can be charged the basic fare and limited express charge again. It cannot be used to pass through gates.

The JR companies' own online sites

JR West, JR Kyushu and JR East each run an English reservation site. Regular tickets booked there are picked up at a station before boarding (JR West also sells e-tickets on some lines), and sales open at 10:00 JST one month before the travel date.

JR-WEST ONLINE TRAIN RESERVATION (JR West's English site; e5489 in Japanese)

Sells:
Sanyo (Shin-Osaka - Hakata), Hokuriku (Tokyo - Kanazawa) and Kyushu (Hakata - Kagoshima-Chuo) Shinkansen, plus some JR East sections; Tokaido Shinkansen regular tickets can be reserved but cannot be picked up at JR Central.
Sale opens:
From 10:00 a.m. JST one month before the travel date; up to 6 minutes before departure.
Payment:
Reserved-seat tickets are paid online when you apply. To pick up a ticket paid by card you need the physical credit card you paid with (virtual cards cannot be used) and the reservation number.
Boarding:
Paper ticket picked up at JR West, JR Shikoku, JR Kyushu or JR Central stations, or at certain JR East Travel Service Centers.
  • One booking covers up to 6 people (adults and children).

Official page: https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/howto/train-reservation/

JR-KYUSHU Train Reservation

Sells:
JR Kyushu and JR West trains, regular-price tickets only.
Sale opens:
From 10:00 a.m. one month before the travel date; reservations taken 5:30-23:00 JST, up to 6 minutes before departure.
Payment:
Credit card, online.
Boarding:
Paper ticket from a ticket office or ticket machine at a JR Kyushu station (bring the card you paid with, the reservation number and the 4-digit identification number).

Official page: https://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/english/train_reservation/service/

JR-EAST Train Reservation

Sells:
JR East and JR Hokkaido trains (Tohoku, Hokkaido, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen).
Sale opens:
From 10:00 a.m. JST one month before the travel date; up to 6 minutes before departure.
  • Read on JR Hokkaido's English page only. JR East's own pages could not be read (HTTP 403), so payment, card and pick-up rules at JR East stations are not verified here.

Official page: https://www.eki-net.com/en/jreast-train-reservation/Top/Index

  • Source: Train Reservation | Rail Passes & Tickets (JR Hokkaido) · Verified on · Describes JR-EAST Train Reservation for JR Hokkaido trains only. JR East's own pages (jreast.co.jp, eki-net.com) returned HTTP 403 to our reader on 2026-10-30.

Paying with a card issued outside Japan

This is where official information is thinnest, so here is exactly what we could read and what we could not.

  • smartEX: A credit card is required to register (card holder 18 or over); no annual membership fee. Accepted brands: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and Discover. Cards must support 3D Secure, and smartEX warns that a card company may limit overseas settlement.
  • JR-WEST ONLINE TRAIN RESERVATION: Reserved-seat tickets are paid online when you apply. To pick up a ticket paid by card you need the physical credit card you paid with (virtual cards cannot be used) and the reservation number.
  • JR-KYUSHU Train Reservation: Credit card, online. The page does not list card brands.
  • Station ticket offices and machines: we found no official English statement on which foreign cards are accepted, so this is not verified.

When sales open

Sale opening times for Shinkansen tickets
WhatOpensCloses / notes
Tokaido / Sanyo / Kyushu Shinkansen tickets on smartEX1 year before the travel date, 05:30 JST (tentative booking)Bookings made more than a month ahead pick a train from the tentative timetable; the train, time and seat are confirmed after 08:00 JST one month before the travel date. Sales close 4 minutes before departure. Payment is taken at booking.
JR reserved seats (Shinkansen and limited express) on JR West's online reservation (e5489 / JR-WEST ONLINE TRAIN RESERVATION)1 month before the travel date, 10:00 JSTCloses 6 minutes before departure on the travel day. On the Japanese e5489 site you can file an advance request from 05:30 one week before the sale date (until 07:59 on the sale date); seats are still assigned only from 10:00 on the sale date. Some discounted tickets have different periods.
JR reserved seats on JR-EAST Train Reservation (Tohoku, Hokkaido, Joetsu, Hokuriku Shinkansen and JR East limited expresses)1 month before the travel date, 10:00 JSTCloses 6 minutes before departure. Read on JR Hokkaido's English page describing JR-EAST Train Reservation; JR East's own site could not be read (HTTP 403).
Nozomi / Mizuho ticket for Japan Rail Pass holders (the surcharge ticket)1 month before the travel dateSold up to the day of travel at reserved-seat ticket machines, JR ticket offices, Travel Centers and some travel agencies.

Other things worth booking early (Ghibli Museum, sumo and more) are in When to book what in Japan.

Which channel for which trip

  • Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka or Kagoshima without a pass: smartEX if your card registers, otherwise a ticket office or machine. Both sell the same trains.
  • Hokuriku (Kanazawa, Toyama, Tsuruga): JR West's online reservation covers Tokyo – Kanazawa; tickets are picked up at a station.
  • Tohoku, Hokkaido or Joetsu (Sendai, Morioka, Hakodate, Niigata): a station, or JR-EAST Train Reservation (sale rules above; JR East's own pages could not be read).
  • With a JR Pass: book seats through the pass channels, not smartEX. See JR Pass exchange and seat reservations.
  • Travelling with a big suitcase: book a seat with an oversized baggage area at the same time (see oversized baggage).

FAQ

When do Shinkansen tickets go on sale?

JR's reserved seats go on sale 1 month before the travel date, 10:00 JST (JR West, JR Kyushu and JR-EAST Train Reservation online). smartEX takes bookings from 1 year before the travel date, 05:30 JST as a tentative booking; the train, time and seat are confirmed after 08:00 JST one month before the travel date.

Can I use a credit card issued outside Japan?

smartEX lists the card brands it accepts for registration: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and Discover. Cards must support 3D Secure, and smartEX warns that a card company may limit overseas settlement. JR West's online reservation needs the physical card you paid with to pick up the ticket. We have not found an official statement on foreign cards at station ticket machines, so we do not claim one.

Can I board the Shinkansen with a QR code or a Suica?

With smartEX, yes: QR-Ticket at Shinkansen gates with the 'QR' mark, a registered IC card, or a paper ticket picked up at a station. IC cards for foreign visitors such as Welcome Suica can be registered with smartEX. A registered IC card replaces the paper ticket on smartEX bookings; the Shinkansen fare is charged to your credit card, not taken from the card balance.

What does a Shinkansen ticket cost and what is included?

You pay a basic fare plus a limited express charge for your train and seat. Example, Tokyo – Kyoto, one adult, normal season: basic fare ¥8,360 + reserved Hikari charge ¥5,490 = ¥13,850; on Nozomi ¥14,170; a non-reserved seat on Hikari ¥13,320.

Do I need to book Shinkansen tickets in advance?

Not always: many Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu trains have non-reserved cars, and tickets are sold up to a few minutes before departure online. Book ahead for peak dates (Nozomi becomes all-reserved in JR Central's peak periods), for seats together, and if you have a bag over 160 cm in total, which needs a reserved oversized baggage seat on those lines.

Can I buy JR Pass seat reservations on smartEX?

The official pages describe a separate route for pass holders: ticket offices, reserved-seat ticket machines, or JAPAN RAIL PASS Reservation for passes bought on the official website. See our JR Pass exchange and reservations guide.

Shinkansen practical guides

All sources for this page

Plan the rest of your trip

The same checklist on every page: tours, insurance, mobile data and the JR Pass.

Japan Trip Math has been approved for the affiliate programmes of Viator, Sakura Mobile and SafetyWing and may earn a commission if you book through links marked "affiliate link". It does not change the price you pay. Other links here are not paid. Affiliate disclosure

We use Google Analytics to count visits and clicks on partner links. Accept to allow analytics cookies, or decline to keep using the site without them. If you decline, no analytics cookies are set from then on. Privacy