Shinkansen Tickets: How to Buy Them in 2026

Three Ways to Buy Shinkansen Tickets

You can buy a Shinkansen ticket online on the official JR sites, at a ticket machine in the station, or at the staffed JR ticket office. With a family, book reserved seats online before you travel, so you sit together and skip the queues.

• Online. SmartEX for the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka). JR-EAST Train Reservation for the lines north of Tokyo. JR West's online reservation for western Japan and the Hokuriku line.
• At the station. Reserved-seat ticket machines in English, or the Midori no Madoguchi ticket office.
• Through a travel agency or app. Klook and similar apps are convenient, but they are no cheaper than the official sites.

For the lines, travel times and seat classes themselves, see our guide to the Shinkansen in Japan, which is part of our Japan travel tips for first-timers.

How Shinkansen Fares Work

A Shinkansen ticket is made of two prices added together, the basic fare set by distance and the limited express charge, which depends on the train and the seat. A reserved seat costs a little extra over a non-reserved one, and the Green Car adds a further charge.

For Tokyo to Shin-Osaka on the Nozomi in the regular season, one ticket costs the following.

Ticket	At the station	On smartEX	Child (6 to 11), smartEX
Non-reserved seat	¥13,870	¥13,870	¥6,930
Reserved seat	¥14,720	¥14,520	¥7,250
Green Car	about ¥19,600	¥19,390	¥12,390

At the station, the ¥14,720 is the basic fare of ¥8,910 plus a reserved limited express charge of ¥5,810. The Hikari and Kodama are a few hundred yen cheaper than the Nozomi.

Reserved seats cost ¥200 more in peak season and ¥400 more in the busiest weeks (Golden Week, mid-August and New Year), and ¥200 less in quiet periods.

Child fares. Ages 6 to 11 pay half the fare and half the express charge. Children under 6 ride free, up to two per paying passenger, if they do not take their own reserved seat.

The Green Car charge is the same for adults and children.

For the discounted tickets (EX Hayatoku, family fares, Platt Kodama), see our guide to cheap Shinkansen tickets.

Which Official Site to Use for Your Line

Each JR company runs its own booking site, and the one you need depends on the line. All have English versions and accept overseas credit cards.

Site	Lines	How you board	Best for
smartEX	Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu	QR code or IC card at the gate	Tokyo to Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima
JR-EAST Train Reservation	Tohoku, Hokkaido, Joetsu, Hokuriku, Yamagata, Akita	Collect tickets at a machine, or link an IC card	Tokyo to Sendai, Kanazawa, Nagano
JR-WEST Online Train Reservation	Sanyo, Hokuriku, Kansai area trains	Collect tickets at an e5489 machine	Trips that start in Osaka or Kyoto
JR Kyushu online reservation	Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu lines	Collect tickets at a machine	Trips within Kyushu

smartEX is the one most visitors need. You register with an email address and a credit card, choose your train and seat on a map, and get a QR code.

You scan it at the Shinkansen ticket gate. There is nothing to collect. You can change the booking free of charge, as many times as you like, up to 4 minutes before departure, within 3 months of the original purchase.

JR-EAST Train Reservation covers the lines north and north-west of Tokyo. You either collect paper tickets at a JR East ticket machine with the QR code from your booking, or link an IC card to ride without paper.

JR-WEST Online Train Reservation takes bookings from 10:00 one month before, and you collect the tickets at e5489 machines at JR West stations. It is useful if your trip starts in Osaka or Kyoto, or for the Hokuriku line from the Kanazawa side.

Buying Tickets at the Station

If you prefer to buy in Japan, the reserved-seat ticket machines are the quickest way, and the JR ticket office is the easiest if your trip is complicated.

Ticket machines. Look for the machines marked for reserved seats or Shinkansen tickets. Press English, choose your departure and destination stations, the date, the number of adults and children, and the seat.

Most accept cash and international credit cards. A Shinkansen trip often comes out as two or more paper tickets. Take everything from the slot.

The ticket office. The Midori no Madoguchi at major stations is staffed, and the clerks handle Japan Rail Pass reservations, oversized-baggage seats and tickets that combine several trains.

Queues at Tokyo Station and Shinjuku can be long in the morning and in holiday periods. Write your dates, trains and number of passengers on paper to save time.

Can You Book Shinkansen Tickets on Klook?

Yes. Klook and several other travel agencies and booking apps sell Shinkansen tickets in English, working with the JR companies. For most routes on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines, you receive a QR code in the app and scan it at the Shinkansen gate, the same way as with smartEX.

On some other routes you still collect paper tickets at the station.

Check these points before you book through any agency.

• Price. Agencies charge in your own currency and can add a service fee or an exchange margin. They do not sell the official early-booking discounts, so the price is usually the same as or higher than smartEX.
• Station names. The Shinkansen stops at Shin-Osaka, not Osaka Station, and at Shinagawa and Tokyo in Tokyo. Pick the right station.
• Seat choice. Some agencies let you choose the seat type (ordinary, Green Car, oversized-baggage seat) but not the exact seat. If a family must sit together or you want a Mt. Fuji window, the official sites show a seat map.
• Changes and refunds. The agency's rules apply, and they are often stricter than JR's. With smartEX, changes before departure are free.
• Screenshot the QR code in case the station signal is weak.

Agencies are fine if you want one app for everything. For the lowest price and free changes, book directly on the JR site for your line.

When to Book (Opening Times and Busy Periods)

Reserved seats go on sale at 10:00 Japan time, one month before the travel date, at stations, travel agencies and the JR sites. On smartEX you can also apply up to one year ahead from a provisional timetable.

The train and seat are then confirmed after 8:00 one month before travel, and you get an email.

How early you need to book depends on when you travel.

1. Ordinary weekdays. A few days ahead is usually enough, even for a family sitting together.
2. Weekends and school holidays. Book a week or two ahead.
3. Golden Week (late April to early May), Obon (mid-August) and New Year. Book at 10:00 on the day sales open. In these periods the Nozomi between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka is all reserved, with no non-reserved seats.

Tickets for Children and Families

Buy a child ticket for every child aged 6 to 11, and decide whether a child under 6 needs a seat. Under-6s ride free only on a lap or sharing a seat.

If you want them in their own reserved seat, you buy a child ticket. On a 2- to 3-hour ride with a 4- or 5-year-old, a seat of their own is usually worth it.

Seat tips for families. On the Tokaido line a row of three (seats A, B and C) fits a parent and two children. The last row of each car has space behind it, which is useful for a folded stroller. Strollers do not count as oversized baggage.

Family car. In some Japanese school holidays, JR Central runs a family car in car 12 of selected Nozomi trains between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, so families with small children can ride without worrying about noise.

Dates are announced about two months ahead. At New Year 2025 to 2026 it ran on 64 trains over 10 days.

Large Suitcases and Oversized Baggage Seats

On the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu lines, a bag measuring 161 to 250 cm in total (length plus width plus height) needs a seat with an oversized baggage area, reserved when you buy your ticket at no extra cost. Without one, you pay a ¥1,000 fee on board.

Bags over 250 cm are not allowed. Choose this seat type on smartEX, at the machine or at the ticket office.

On the lines run by JR East (to Sendai, Niigata and Kanazawa) there is no such reservation. Use the racks and luggage spaces on a first-come basis.

With a family and big cases, sending them ahead by a luggage delivery service is often easier.

Using Your Ticket at the Gates

How you get through the gate depends on how you bought the ticket.

• QR code (smartEX and many agencies). Scan the QR code on the reader at the Shinkansen gate, at the start and the end.
• IC card. If you linked an IC card such as Suica to your booking, touch it at the Shinkansen gate.
• Paper tickets. Insert all your tickets together into the gate and take them back as they come out. At the end, the gate keeps them.

At big stations such as Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, you pass through a separate Shinkansen gate inside the station. Allow 15 minutes at Tokyo Station to find your platform and buy lunch. Our Tokyo Station guide explains the layout.

Changes, Refunds and Missed Trains

You can change a reserved ticket bought at the station once, free of charge, before the departure time. SmartEX bookings can be changed any number of times before departure.

Refunds. At the station, a reserved ticket costs ¥340 to refund up to two days before travel, and 30% of the charge (at least ¥340) from the day before until departure.

On smartEX, the refund fee for an ordinary seat before departure is ¥320.

If you miss your train. A reserved ticket cannot be refunded after the train leaves. You can still ride the non-reserved cars of a later train on the same day with the same ticket.

In the peak periods, when the Nozomi has no non-reserved seats, that can mean standing.

With a Japan Rail Pass you do not buy tickets, but you still reserve seats, free of charge. On the Nozomi and Mizuho you first buy an extra Nozomi ticket (¥4,960 from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka).

Our Japan Rail Pass guide explains when the pass pays off.

Our private tours are on foot in Tokyo and Yokohama. Your guide rides the trains with you, and each of you pays your own fare with an IC card. See our private tours in Tokyo.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I buy Shinkansen tickets online before I arrive in Japan?

Yes. SmartEX, JR-EAST Train Reservation and JR West's online reservation all work from abroad with an overseas credit card. Seats open at 10:00 Japan time one month before travel. SmartEX also takes provisional bookings up to a year ahead.

Can I book Shinkansen tickets on Klook?

Yes. Klook and other travel agencies sell Shinkansen tickets, usually with a QR code for the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines. They do not offer JR's online discounts, and their change rules are stricter, so smartEX is usually cheaper and more flexible.

How much is a Shinkansen ticket from Tokyo to Osaka?

A reserved seat on the Nozomi from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka costs ¥14,520 on smartEX and ¥14,720 at the station in the regular season. A non-reserved seat costs ¥13,870. Children aged 6 to 11 pay about half.

Do I need to reserve Shinkansen seats?

Not always, but with a family it is wise. Some trains, such as the Hayabusa and Kagayaki, are all reserved, and in Golden Week, Obon and New Year the Nozomi has no non-reserved seats at all.

Can I use a foreign credit card at Shinkansen ticket machines?

Most JR reserved-seat ticket machines accept major international credit cards as well as cash. If a card is declined, try another machine or the staffed ticket office.

What happens if I miss my reserved Shinkansen?

Your reserved seat is lost and cannot be refunded, but the ticket is still valid in the non-reserved cars of a later train on the same day. With smartEX, change the booking before departure to avoid this.

Sources

https://smart-ex.jp/en/product/plan/service/
https://smart-ex.jp/en/product/plan/service/pdf/service_fares_reserved.pdf
https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/goldenroute/shinkansen/
https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/tickets/change/
https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/tickets/type/adults_children.html
https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/info/oversized-baggage/
https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/nozomi/
https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/overview/
https://www.jreast.co.jp/granclass/en/
https://japanrailpass.net/en/use/special-ticket/
https://jr-central.co.jp/news/release/_pdf/000044710.pdf