Shinagawa station guide. Transfer among Shinkansen, Keihin Kyuko to Haneda, Narita Express

Station information
Pedestrian walkway connects both side of Takanawa and Kona exits. (C) JP Rail
Shinagawa station Takanawa Exit side (C) JP Rail
Shinagawa station Takanawa Exit side (C) JP Rail

Shinagawa is one of the terminal station in Tokyo. It is the transfer point of Tokaido Shinkansen (Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka), Keihin Kyuko (Haneda airport), Narita Express (Narita airport), Yamanote line (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo) and many more lines.

There are many railway lines and it seems to make you be overwhelmed. But this is not very complicated, actually. In this post, I will show you how to transfer among these trains in this station, Shinagawa.

Station structure, tracks and platforms

Taken at track #3 and #4 platform. All JR's platforms are on ground level. (C) JP Rail
Taken at track #3 and #4 platform. All JR’s platforms are on ground level. (C) JP Rail

Please see the map at JR East official website.

At Shinagawa station, there are three railway companies, JR Central (Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka), JR East (Yamanote line, Tokaido line, Yokosuka line, Narita Express) and Keihin Kyuko Railway (a.k.a Keikyu to Haneda airport, Yokohama).

On the ground floor, all JR companies’s platforms are located. Only Keihin Kyuko Railway’s platforms are located at overhead. All platforms are connected with overpass. All ticket gates and exits are located at overpass too. All ticket gates and exits are located on pedestrian walkway. You can access both west (Takanawa exit) and east (Konan exit). You can go through this walkway without ticket.

Pedestrian walkway connects both side of Takanawa and Kona exits.  (C) JP Rail
Pedestrian walkway connects both side of Takanawa and Kona exits. (C) JP Rail

All platforms and tracks of Shinagawa station are the following:

Keihin Kyuko Railway

Track#Lines/TrainsDestination
1Keihin Kyuko RailwayKeikyu-Kamata, Haneda Airport, Yokohama, Misakiguchi
2Keihin Kyuko RailwaySengakuji, Asakusa, Osiage, Aoto, Narita Airport
3Keihin Kyuko RailwayPeak hours trains only

All JR lines

Track#Lines/TrainsDestination
1Yamanote lineInner loop to Tokyo, Akihabara, Ueno
2Yamanote lineOuter loop to Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro
4Keihin Tohoku lineTokyo, Ueno, Omiya
5Keihin Tohoku lineKamata, Yokohama, Ofuna
6,7Ueno Tokyo lineTokyo, Ueno, Omiya, Utsunomiya, Takasaki
6,7The limited express Odoriko, Super View OdorikoTokyo
8Seasonal operation or special train only
9Ueno Tokyo line (limited express to Joban line)
Limited Express Hitachi, Tokiwa
Tokyo, Ueno, Kashiwa, Tuchiura, Mito, Iwaki
10,11Ueno Tokyo line (to Joban line)Tokyo, Ueno, Matsudo, Kashiwa, Toride, Tuchiura, Mito, Takahagi
11,12Ueno Tokyo line Tokaido line
The limited express Odoriko, Super View Odoriko
Yokohama, Odawara, Atami, Ito Izukyu-Shimoda, Shuzenji
13,14Sobu-Yokosuka line
Narita Express
Tokyo, Chiba, Narita Airport
14,15Sobu-Yokosuka lineYokohama, Kamakura, Zushi, Kurihama
21,22The Tokaido ShinkansenTokyo
23,24The Tokaido ShinkansenNagoya, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Okayama, Hiroshima, Hakata
Overpass inside of ticket gates. There are many signage. It is very easy to find the platforms. (C) JP Rail
Overpass inside of ticket gates. There are many signage. It is very easy to find the platforms. (C) JP Rail

So basically you can transfer any trains at same level. This is the biggest reason why I recommend you to transfer from Narita Express to Shinkansen. If you transfer at Tokyo station, Narita Express arrive at deep underground platform. And also it is located at the west side of Tokyo station. On the other hand, Shinkansen’s platform is located at the east end. So you have to take escalator to go up and go through Tokyo station from west end to east end. I think minimum transfer time is 15 minutes.

If you transfer at Shinagawa station, 5 minutes is enough as long as you have a ticket for Shinkansen. You can book Shinkansen ticket at Narita Airport station too.

Ticket gate/Exit

Central ticket gate/exitv (C) JP Rail
Central ticket gate/exitv (C) JP Rail

Now I explain you how to transfer among Shinkansen, other JR lines (Yamanote line, Narita Express, etc) and Keihin Kyuko Railway.

How to transfer between the Shinkansen and JR lines (Yamanote line, Narita Express, other than Shinkansen)

Tokaido Shinkansen south transfer gate (C) JP Rail
Tokaido Shinkansen south transfer gate (C) JP Rail

Please see the movie below to find how to transfer from Narita Express to the Shinkansen which is bound for Nagoya, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka.

Please see the movie below to find how to transfer from Yamanote line to the Shinkansen which is bound for Nagoya, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka.

There is the Shinkansen transfer gate between Tokaido Shinkansen and other JR lines. If you transfer between JR trains and the Shinkansen, you do not have to exit the ticket gate. Just go through Shinkansen transfer gate. The Tokaido Shinkansen (JR Central) and other JR trains (JR East) are strictly the different companies. But both companies are under JR group and you can use one same base fare ticket for both JR trains and the Shinkansen. If you use JR Pass, both trains are covered except Nozomi that is the fastest train of the Tokaido Shinkansen.

You can find Shinkansen transfer gate at the bottom of JR East Shinagawa station map. You will find two gates, “Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen South Transfer” and “Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen North Transfer”

How to transfer between JR trains and Keihin Kyuko Railway

There is a huge sign at Keihin Kyuko transfer gate. You cannot miss it.  (C) JP Rail
There is a huge sign at Keihin Kyuko transfer gate. You cannot miss it. (C) JP Rail

These are completely different companies. But you don’t need to exit. For example, if you take Keihin Kyuko train at Haneda airport station, you can purchase one ticket for both JR and Keihin Kyuko Railway.

There is a transfer gate. If you have a ticket for both JR and Keihin Kyuko Railway, you just go through the machine gate. You can find it at the top of JR East Shinagawa station map. It says “Keikyu transfer only” in the map.

The movie below shows you from Keihin Kyuko to the Shinkansen platform.

If you want to take the Shinkansen from Keihin Kyuko Railway, you can go through transfer gates twice, Keihin Kyuko gate and Shinkansen transfer gate.

JR Pass, JR East Pass and Tokyo Wide Pass sales and exchange place

JR Central's ticket office can handle JR Pass exchange. (C) JP Rail
JR Central’s ticket office can handle JR Pass exchange. (C) JP Rail

Please see JR East Shinagawa station map again. Both JR Pass and JR East Pass exchange place are shown by red star beside Central gate. There is one more place to exchange JR Pass. That is JR Central ticket office beside Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen north gate. It’s shown by green solid color at the bottom of the map. Both place are open from 9:00 to 19:00.

If you purchase JR East Pass or Tokyo Wide Pass on the spot, you have to go to JR East Travel Center that is called “びゅうプラザ” (View Plaza). It is located in front of Central gate and it is shown by blue star.

Minimum connection time

These times are minimum. That means you just need to transfer. If you need to purchase a ticket, you have to add some more time.

  • Keihin Kyuko Railway to/from Yamanote line or Keihin Tohoku line (to Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno, Akihabara) – 5 minutes
  • Narita Express to/from Shinkansen – 5 minutes
  • Keihin Kyuko Railway to/from Shinkansen – 10 minutes

Comments

  1. Vladimir Hudak says:

    Hello Takeshi san

    I am planning my Japan trip for 23rd October 2020 (hoping COVID situation will relax back to normal).
    Arrival is planned at Haneda T3 on Friday 5:35am

    Can you please help me to understand few things:
    – I assume customs, immigration and baggage claim will take around 60 min.
    – Then we plan to take a shower, exchange voucher for JR Pass, reserve seat for Shinkansen to Osaka at JREast Office Arrival hall 2nd floor and pick up portable WiFi at JAL ABC (everything 2nd floor) during another 90 min or so.
    – Tap in our PASMOs at Keikyū Airport Line: Haneda T3 station at around at around 8:00am so we will arrive at Shinagawa around 8:30am

    1) Where I should tap out my PASMO at Shinagawa?
    2) I understand that 7:30 – 9:00 we should avoid travel with luggage but given that Friday seems to be even more busy after 9:00 (according to Google) does it make sense to wait until 9:00 or rather try arrive before 8:30?
    3) If I will have my JR Pass from Haneda, can I use manned transfer gate (like in video) without taping out PASMO at Shinagawa?

    It will be my first trip to Japan so I apologise if questions are illogical.

    • Hi Vladimir san,

      1. At the transfer gate, you will go through a manned gate. You will show both your Pasmo and JR Pass. And tell a station staff that you tapped your Pasmo at Haneda. The fare is deducted from your Pasmo manuarlly.

      2. I recommend you to wait until around 9:00. I believe if you leave Haneda after 8:45, you will be okay. As long as you arrive in Shinagawa after 9:00, everything will go smoothly.
      Friday may be busier but I don’t think we can find the difference between Friday and other weekdays. The downtown Tokyo is busy all day anyway.

      3. Don’t tap your Pasmo at the transfer gate but you have to complete your trip by Pasmo. So you must tell a station staff that you use your Pasmo from Haneda. And they will deduct a fare from your Pasmo manually.

      I really hope everything will be back to normal as soon as possible.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

      • Vladimir Hudak says:

        Will be transfer less complicated if we just buy paper tickets for Haneda – Shinagawa?
        Thank you for your prompt reply Takeshi san.

        • Hi Vladimir san,

          Even if you use a regular ticket, you have to go through a manned gate at this point. But you can pass a ticket and show your JR pass to go through. It is easier.

          From June 1st, we can slot JR Pass into a machine gate. But this transfer gate is different from other JR machine gate. We may have to go through a manned gate after June 1st. I have no idea at this point.

          Cheers,

          Takeshi / JPRail.com

  2. Eileen Yeo says:

    Hi Takashi san,

    I will be traveling on Odoriko 106 from Shuzenji Station and then transferring to Narita Airport Express 35. I think I will have about 8 mins for the transfer at Shinagawa Station. Is this sufficient time? Do I have to go through the exit gate after I get off the Odoriko 106 train and enter another gate for the Narita Airport Express train. Do you know if the platforms are far from each other?

    Many thanks
    Eileen

  3. Ray Bikramjit says:

    Hi Takeshi san,

    We arrive in Narita on October 12 at 12.55 pm and want to use our JR passes to go to Kyoto from the airport. What time are we looking at for arriving in Kyoto and what is the best route to take. Many thanks

    • Hi Ray san,

      You will take Narita Express from Narita to Shinagawa and then take the Shinkansen to Kyoto from Shinagawa.

      You will spend at least 2 hours to complete immigration, custom, baggage pick up, JR Pass exchange and make a reservation for the seat on the train. And one hour to get Shinagawa and spend 2 hours 45 minutes to get Kyoto from Shinagawa.

      If everything goes smoothly, you will be Kyoto around 19:00.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  4. M. Malik says:

    Hello,

    My husband and I will be taking the Keikyu Line from Haneda International (arrivals terminal) on Friday, April 12th around 5:30 – 6:00pm to Shinagawa Station to transfer to Shin-Osaka to transfer to Hiroshima as our final stop. We’re hoping to catch the 6:10pm (Hikari # 525) or 6:40pm (Hikari # 527) to Shin-Osaka to arrive by 9:13pm or 9:26pm. I was wondering if you could advise specific directions and timing from each point to the next so we have a better idea of where we’re going as first time visitors to Japan. Our timing is also quite tight as my flight lands at 3:40pm into International Arrivals and the last train out of Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima is at 9:32pm (Kodama # 767 arriving at 11:44pm).

    What is the minimum transfer/connection time when we get off in Shin-Osaka to catch our shinkansen to Hiroshima?

    Any tips and recommendations would be most appreciated! We will be traveling with a JR Pass.

    Thank you,
    M. Malik

    • Hi M. Malik,

      Honestly I do not recommend you to try getting Hiroshima on arrival day. Because it is tight and risky.

      First of all, you will spend 1 hour to clear custom, immigration and baggage pick up. And then you will go to JR East Haneda airport travel center to exchange your JR Pass. If the window is very busy, you will spend more than 30 minutes. You might spend more. So in the worst case, you will spend about 2 hours from the flight arrival time which means you will leave Haneda around 5:40.

      You may be able to take 6:10 departure Hikari at Shinagawa. But 6:40 is more realistic choice. So you have 6 minutes to transfer in Shin-Osaka.

      It is not impossible to change trains in 6 minutes at Shin-Osaka. Please see the link below to find more info about Shin-Osaka.
      https://jprail.com/travel-informations/basic-informations/station-information/shin-osaka-station-guide-how-to-change-shinkansen-haruka-thunderbird-and-local-train-access-to-osaka-umeda-and-namba.html

      In this case, Hikari will arrive at track #22 and Kodama will depart from track #20. You have to move the platforms and need to go down and up with your luggage. There are stairs, elevators and escalators. So you must rush.

      The Shinkansen operation is very reliable but if Hikari delay, you cannot catch Kodama to Hiroshima. It may happens.

      This is the reason why I don’t recommend you to do this. But it is your trip and you can make a decision. But if I were you, I stay in Tokyo or Shin-Osaka and take the earliest train in next day.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  5. Alvin Low says:

    Hi Takeshi San,
    On Thursday at 8am, I will be travelling from Haneda international airport to Shinjuku Station using train. I will need to change at Shinagawa station from Keikyu line to Yamanote Line at around 8.30am. I will be carry 2x luggage. Will the station be too crowded and difficult to board the train? Will the limousine bus be a better choice?
    Thank You
    Alvin Low

  6. mrs.james says:

    Hello,

    My family will arrive at Haneda Int. Airport around 1030pm, and our hotel at Kiyosumi Shirakawa. we will take a Keikyu Line from Haneda Int. Airport > Shinagawa > Sengakuji > Daimon [change to oedo line] > Kiyosumi shirakawa.

    1. Is it a correct route?
    2. Did we need to depart at Shinagawa to transfer to Sengakuji?
    3. Did we have enough time to take a later train if we arrive at 1030pm?

    Thank your for ur guidance.

  7. Peter Wong says:

    Dear Takeshi san, my family and 1 (5 persons with luggage) intend to take the Keikyu Train from Haneda International Airport to Shinagawa Station. From Shinagawa, we intend to use our 7 days JR pass on a Shinkansen train to Tokyo Station. This is to avoid the crowds as we are travelling during the morning rush hour (7:30 ~ 8:00).
    At Tokyo station, we need to connect with the 9:32 am Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa.

    Is this possible and what is your advice for the best way to reach Tokyo station in time of the 9:32 Hokuruki to Kanazawa on a Monday morning.

    Thank you and best regards,
    Pete

    • Hi Pete,

      I highly recommend you to take limousine bus. Keikyu Railway in the morning is very very crowded too. If you take Limousine, you can get Tokyo station directly without crowded train.
      Mon to Sat https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/areas/detail/hnd/tokyo/dep
      Sunday and holiday https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/areas/detail/hnd/tokyo_sunday/dep

      Limousine bus is not covered by JR pass. But this is worth paying to get Tokyo station easily.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

      • Peter Wong says:

        Hi Takeshi,
        Noted on your recommendation using the limousine bus. I think the earliest bus arrives at Tokyo Station is at 9:05 am and we might not make it for the 9:32 am Shinkansen.

        Will the Keikyu train be crowded even if we board at Haneda Airport? Is Shinagawa station the first stop station from Haneda Airport?

        Thank you,
        Pete

        • Hi Pete,

          It’s easy to change train and bus at Tokyo station in 30 minutes. I understand arrival time of bus may be late because of traffic. But even if bus delay 10 minutes, you still can do it in 20 minutes.

          Very few Keikyu train go to Shinagawa directly. But most trains stop at Kamata. I think there are lots of passengers will be on board there.

          Anyway the choice is yours. You can take either route.

          Cheers,

          Takeshi / JPRail.com

  8. Cindy says:

    Hi Takeshi san,

    I will be arriving at Haneda Airport and go to Osaka. I need your help to advise whether am I taking the correct route.

    Arrive at Haneda Airport -> activate JRPass -> buy Keikyu Line ticket -> take Keikyu-kuko line train to Shinagawa station -> use the transfer between JR trains and Keihin Kyuko Railway path that you show us above (no need exit gate) -> Shin-osaka station

    Thank you!

    • Hi Cindy san,

      Your route is correct.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

      • Cindy says:

        Hi Takeshi san,

        Thank you for your reply!

        Another question, I’m curious what is the difference if I use Tokyo monorail, transfer to Hamamatsucho? Understand for this 2 route, i can use JR pass.

        May I know which route is better and faster?

        • Hi Cindy san,

          If you use Monorail to Hamamatsucho, the trip is covered by JR pass fully. But you need to take JR Yamanote line from Hamamatsucho to Shinagawa or Tokyo to catch Shinkansen. You have to change trains and spend another 10 minutes. If you are okay to spend 10 more minutes and one changing train, you can take monorail. Obviously Keikyu is easier.

          Cheers,

          Takeshi / JPRail.com

  9. Lilian Png says:

    Hi Takeshi San,
    My family of 6 adults will be visiting Hokkaido 1st time on 10th May till 15th May on free and easy.
    We need your guidance on the transport based on below itinerary. We would like to know what type of pass to use for both train and bus:
    1) Day 1 – Tours in Sapporo – stay one night
    2) Day 2 – Tours in Otaru – Stay one night
    3) Day 3 & 4 – Stay 3 nights
    We intend to visit Noboribetsu- Hell Valley from Hakodate as the accommodation in Noboribetsu is way above our budgets.
    Kindly provide train/bus timetable for us to plane our trips.
    1) From New Chitose Airport to Hotel in Sapporo station
    2) From Hakodate Station to Hakodate / Chitose Airport
    For domestic Flight to Haneda Airport, Tokyo.
    We have not decide which Airport to Tokyo yet.
    Thanks a lots

    Best regards
    Lilian

  10. Sharon Kuroda says:

    Aloha Takeshi san,
    We will be in Tokyo and will meet my son & his family at Shinagawa station. They will arrive from Narita on the NEX. We then need to reserve our Shinkansen tickets at Shinagawa to go to Osaka the next morning.
    Which Shinagawa station Midori no Madoguchi is the closest one to the NEX arrival gate to do that?
    Kindest regards, Sharon Kuroda

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