2017 busiest period to travel by train. Tips to book your seat in even busy period.

Timetable and reservation
(C) Calendar* / DafneCholet
(C) Calendar* / DafneCholet

(C) Calendar* / DafneCholet

Many readers have asked me about busy period to travel. I wrote about the calendar of the peak period in 2016 season. Now I would like to tell you about 2017. And also I would like to give you some tips when you travel in the peas season.

Don’t travel same direction as local tourist

Before I show you the calendar, I would like to tell you how Japanese tourist move in the peak period. Please keep these in your mind when you build your plan.

1. Trains from major cities are busy in the beginning of the peak period.
2. Trains to major cities are busy at the end of the peak period.

Major cities, like Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka have huge population. Huge number of travelers get out of the cities. So you have to avoid to leave cities in the beginning of the peak period. On the other hand, if you travel opposite way, train is not crowded.

The following movie is only 40 seconds. It is Japanese local news and shows you how busy Tokyo station was on December 29, 2015.

If you stay in the cities in peak period, it is not much different from regular weekend. Of course attractions, such as USJ, Tokyo Disneyland are busy. I do not recommend you to visit very popular attractions in the peak period. You have to spend a couple of hours to take just one ride. You will not be satisfied.

I would like to show you some more tips about getting a seat during peak period later. First of all, I would like to show you the calendar of the peak period in 2017.

*If you look for the information about 2016-17 New Years peak period, please see the link below:
2016 busiest period to travel by train. Tips to book your seat in even busy period.

Golden Week (late April to early May)

2017’s calendar is the following:

Apr 29 (Sat) Holiday
Apr 30 (Sun)
May 1 (Mon)
May 2 (Tue)
May 3 (Wed) Holiday
May 4 (Thu) Holiday
May 5 (Fri) Holiday
May 6 (Sat)
May 7 (Sun)

There is five consecutive days off from May 3 to May 7. I expect May 3 and May 7 will be busiest days. However some of Japanese residents will take extra days off on May 1 and May 2. Apr 29 and 30 will be busier than normal.

Obon (mid August)

Obon is not National holidays. It is Japanese traditional summer break. Usually Obon period is August 13 to 16. 2017 calendar is the following

Aug 11 (Fri) Holiday
Aug 12 (Sat)
Aug 13 (Sun)
Aug 14 (Mon)
Aug 15 (Tue)
Aug 16 (Fri)

I expect the busiest day is August 11 for outgoing and August 16 for incoming.

New Years holidays

In Japan, Christmas is not holiday season. Most of public schools have winter break from December 25 to January 7. And December 23 is holiday. Christmas period is a bit busier than usual. But it is not a big issue. The busiest period in Japan is New Years Holidays. It usually starts on December 30 and finish on January 3. 2017-18 calendar is the following.

Dec 29 (Fri)
Dec 30 (Sat)
Dec 31 (Sun)
Jan 1 (Mon) Holiday
Jan 2 (Tue)
Jan 3 (Wed)

The beginning of New Years Holiday will be Saturday on December 30. Many of Japanese travlers will start to get off the cities in the afternoon on December 29. For outgoing, I expect train will be busy from afternoon on December 29 to the end of December 30. January 3 will be very busy for incoming. Most of local travelers want to settle before New Years Eve. Usually December 31 is not such a busy day.

January 1 is very slow too. However most of Japanese visit shrine or temple to pray on New Years Day. Local trains run all through the night from December 31 to January 1. Some of local lines are very busy in this period.

How to book a seat in peak period

How to reserve the train seat of Japan Railway.

However you can find the availability of the trains in advance.

How to find seat availability of trains. JR Cyber Station guide.

You must know the booking status of the trains that you want to take in advance. It will be much easier to find a seat after you arrive in Japan.

The first thing you need to do is trying to book a seat right after you arrive in Japan. But you may not be able to make it. I introduce some tips to expand the possibility to book a seat.

Take early or late trains

Nobody want to travel in early morning and late night. That is why trains in early morning and late night are slower than daytime trains. Late night trains are usually slower than early morning train.

Take slower trains

Everybody wants to get the place as early as possible. That is why slower trains have lower demand than faster trains. I do not recommend you to take local trains to move for a long distance. This technique can be used for Shinkansen only. I recommend you to take slower trains on Shinkansen line, such as Kodama.

Please see the links below to find Shinkansen timetables:

Tokaido Sanyo Shinkansen (Tokyo-Nagoya-Kyoto-Shin Osaka-Hiroshima-Hakata)
Tokaido Sanyo Shinkansen (Hakata-Hiroshima-Shin Osaka-Kyoto-Nagoya-Tokyo)

You will find the trains that stop at all stations. That is Kodama. It’s way slower than other Shinkansen trains. But it’s much easier to get a seat on this train. If you are okay with spending extra hours but want to get a seat, try to book a seat on Kodama.

Take Green seat

Green seat is more spacious but more expensive. So usually Green seat is easier to book than Ordinary seat. However in peak period, even Green seat on some trains are booked out. Especially if you are wondering JR pass ordinary or Green, it maybe expand the possibility to get a seat. But if you cannot get Green seat, you have to take ordinary seat even if you have Green pass. It maybe gamble.

Try to book separately

If you cannot find a seat, divide into two segments and try to book. You may find a seat. For example, if you want to get a seat for Tokyo to Shin-Osaka, you can try to book for Tokyo to Nagoya and Nagoya to Shin-Osaka.

How to get a seat on non reserved seat car

I explain about reserved seat and non reserved seat in the link below. You can find some tips to get a seat in non reserved car. You may be able to use this way even in peak period.

Reserved seat VS Non reserved seat. How to get a seat on non reserved car?

I hope these information will help you to travel smoothly in the peak period.

Comments

  1. Sk says:

    Oh Takeshi,
    My flight is on a Saturday 15 dec, if that makes a difference in weekday or weekend travel.

    Thank you.

    Sk

  2. Sk says:

    Hi Takeshi
    I’ve 5 persons and 2 large luggages.

    I need to get to Narita Airport from Ryogoku View Hotel.

    What would be the best way to travel from Ryogoku View hotel to Narita? My flight is 1130am.

    Thank you.

    SK

  3. Ellen Marakowitz says:

    Hi,

    How hard will it be to travel on December 31 from Tokyo to Osaka or Kyoto? We are planning to get the train pass with the green seats. Thank you.

    Ellen

  4. Eventius says:

    Hi Takeshi-san,

    This is eventius here. I would like to find out the following:

    1) Where can I get the lastest timetable for Koshino Shu*kura train from Jōetsumyōkō to Tokamachi and also the Gembi Shinkansen ?

    2) I will be using JR East Pass (Niigata, Nagano Area) for a Japan trip from 11 March 2018 to 27 March 2018. Do i need to reserve a seat to get on the Koshino Shu*kura train and Gembi Shinkansen ?

    Please advise.

    Thank you.

    • Hi Eventius san,

      Seasonal train schedule for March has just been released. I will update it in next few days.
      Reservation is required for Shu*kura but not for Genbi.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

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