When you take the Shinkansen or the limited express train, you may have to book a seat because some trains require you a seat reservation. Though some limited express trains have some non-reserved cars, you should book a reserved seat if you can.
Especially if you use JR Pass, Hokkaido Rail Pass, JR East Pass, Tokyo Wide Pass, Sanyo San’in Area Pass and Kyushu Rail Pass, these passes cover a reserved seat fee. Use this benefit to ride a train with a peace of mind.
I also strongly recommend you to secure a seat if you travel in the peak seasons, such as late April to the first week of May (a.k.a. Golden Week), August 10 to 20 (It is called “Obon” which is a summer break.) and the year-end/New Years holiday (December 29th to the first week of January.)
I would like to explain you how to book a reserved seat in this post
Before you make a reservation
If you intend to use Japan Rail Pass (a.k.a. JR Pass), JR East Pass, Tokyo Wide Pass, Sanyo Sanin Area Pass, Takayama Hokuriku Area Pass, Hokkaido Rail Pass and Kyushu Rail Pass, you MUST turn in your exchange order to the actual Pass before booking your seat. You have to show your pass when you make a reservation. Exchange order does not work to book a train seat. Once you turned in, you can go ahead to make a reservation at any reservation windows and anytime. But if you use JR Easts’ online reservation, you can book a seat in advance before exchanging an actual pass. I will explain about this online reservation site later in this post.
Explaination by movie
You can watch the movie below which explains you about the booking in the station:
If you buy the JR Pass on the official reservation site, you can book a seat online. I explain how to use this site in the movie below:
I explain how to use JR East online booking step by step in the movie below:
Where you can book
First of all, I would like to tell you how to book a seat at the station. I will explain you about online booking later in this post.
You can book a seat at the ticket reservation office that is called “Midori no Madoguchi (みどりの窓口)”. You can find “Midori no Madoguchi” very easily. You will find a big green sign easily like the images above and below.
“Midori no Madoguchi” is located at most of major JR stations. If you are in major cities, such as Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Yokohama, Fukuoka, Sapporo, you cannot miss “Midori no Madoguchi”. 99% of JR stations in these cities have “Midori no Madoguchi”. Some major stations have a few Midori no Madoguchi.
The signage is different in JR Central area.
If you travel in JR Central (JR東海) area, you cannot find Midori no Madoguchi. Because “Midori no Madoguchi” is JR East’s trademark and JR Central avoids to use it. In JR Central area, such as Nagoya, Mishima, Shizuoka, Gifu, Takayama, it is shown as “Shinkansen and JR Line Tickets (新幹線・JR線きっぷうりば)” like image below.
JR Central operates the Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka. JR Central has a ticket office outside JR Central operation area, such as Tokyo, Shin-Yokohama, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka. In these stations, you can find two different kinds of the ticket office, “Midori no Madoguchi” and “Shinkansen and JR Line Tickets”. But you can use either ticket office to book any JR train tickets. This difference does not matter.
What kind of information you need
Please make sure the following information before you make a reservation:
- Date and time
- Train name and number
This is not required. But if you want to take the specific train, please tell the train name and number. It is much easier to make a reservation for the staff and you can save your time. All Shinkansen trains and most limited express trains have the combination of the name and number. e.g. “Hikari 246”. - Departure and Arrival Stations
- Smoking or Non Smoking
Smoking seat is still available on a few trains. If you really want to have a seat in the smoking car, you may ask a staff to look for. If you do not mention, usually you will be assigned a seat on non smoking car. If a seat is available on only smoking car, usually a staff let you know and make sure that you accept it or not. - Passport
If you use JR Pass or other JR passes, you always have to carry your passport. You may be asked to show it by a station officer or a conductor when they want to check it.
When you can start booking
You can make a reservation anytime within one month prior the departure date. The ticket is on sale one month prior to departure date at 10:00am
e.g.
Departure date — August 23 at 10:00 am. the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka
Ticket is on sale at 10:00 am on July 23.
e.g.
Departure date — August 24 at 00:34 am. Sunrise Seto from Osaka to Tokyo
Ticket is on sale at 10:00 am on July 23, not July 24. Because this train originally depart from Takamatsu at 21:26 on August 23. Overnight trains are very few in Japan currently. But if you book a seat on overnight booking, please check the departure date at the original departure station.
The reserve seat on most trains can be reserved at Midori no Madoguchi only. So you have to be in Japan when you book. Online booking is still very limited.
Online booking
Japan Rail Pass official site
If you buy the JR Pass at the official site, you can make a booking through this website.
Japan Rail Pass official reservation website
You can book a seat on most JR trains. However the price of JR pass is higher than the prices at the authorized dealers. If you buy the JR pass at the authorized dealer, you cannot book a seat on this site.
JR East Train Reservation
This online reservation system is operated by JR East. Unfortunately this JR East Shinkansen Reservation is only English online reservation for the traveler who use JR Pass, Hokkaido Rail pass and JR East Passes. If you intend to use a regular ticket, you can use this site too.
This site offers a seat reservation for the trains which run in JR East and JR Hokkaido areas. So you CANNOT make a reservation for the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen (Tokyo-Kyoto or Osaka) and other limited express trains which does not run in JR East and JR Hokkaido area. And also there are some restrictions. The biggest restriction is the ticket pick up. You must pick up a ticket one day before the travel date. You cannot pick up a ticket on the day of travel. Please read Guide (FAQ) before you make a booking.
Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen Reservation App “EX”
This app is available in a few countries only. And also this app is available for a regular ticket user only. You cannot use this app to book a seat for JR Pass or other rail passes. However any rail passes do not meet your trip plan and this app is available in your country, this is very convenient. You can book it in advance from your smartphone.
JR West Online Train Reservation
JR West has launched the online reservation site. However this online booking system does not cover any train pass user. You can use this online reservation as the regular ticket user only.
If you use a regular ticket, this online site may be a good choice. This online booking covers most of JR trains.
Eki-net (えきねっと)
I have received a comment from one of my readers, Tak. He mentioned me that we can use this Japanese online reservation system even for Japan Rail Pass or other travel passes users. This online reservation is in Japanese. So unfortunately this is not available for all of you. However some of my readers asked me that we can use a friend in Japan to make a reservation for Japan Rail Pass user in outside of Japan. You can do it with your friend in Japan and use this site.
This reservation system covers all over Japan. You can book for the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka which is not available on JR East Train Reservation.
How to reserve a ticket from outside Japan in advance
As you saw, online reservation does not cover all trains. I really wish Japan Railway have full online reservation system.
If you want to secure your seat before departure, the local travel agent may be able to help you. This is only way to reserve a ticket before you depart from your country.
One of my frequent visitors, James in Australia, left a comment. He did this way many years ago. But I would like to share this information:
*JTB actually charge MORE than $55 Australian dollar($56 US dollar March 2011 currency) per ticket, in fact JTB charge $75 Australian dollar(US$76) per ticket.
The $75 came from $55 service fee plus $20 courier fee to deliver your ticket to your hotel in Japan, $55+$20=$75 Funny my ticket for SL-Yamaguchi express is only $60 therefore altogether I need to pay $135 to get SL-Yamaguchi express ticket!
So, all I can say is, if you want to get a JR train ticket before you get to Japan, make sure you are ok with paying at least $75( $76 US dollar), it helps if you really need to get on a particular train that is very hard to book or if you are travelling during peak season. But if you are not in a hurry, travelling in leisure pace across Japan, perhaps think twice.
I hope is worthy many people told me SL-Yamaguchi express is the best steam train experience ever in Japan.
Unfortunately this is only way to do it. You can find Japan Rail Pass authorized agent at JR Pass official site. They may be able to reserve a ticket for you too. But some of the agent do not want to reserve your seat. They want to book whole things, like hotel, air ticket, attraction tickets. Because it is too small profit to make a reservation for only train ticket.
Comments
Hello,
Instead of taking the train from Tokyo to Kobe would you recommend flying down?
Many Thanks
Hi Corinne,
I answer all of your questions here.
Actually there is no deals for resident in Japan. Single ticket is the choice for your son unfortunately. Probably you can find better deal for Low Cost Carrier flight, such as Peach Airline, Jetstar Japan.
http://www.jetstar.com/jp/en/home
http://www.flypeach.com/home.aspx
You can fly to Kobe as well.
Both of you can use local deal, such as subway pass, Kansai thru pass.
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/rail-pass-for-residents/how-to-use-kansai-thru-pass-compare-pass-and-single-fare.html
http://www.kotsu.city.osaka.lg.jp/foreign/english/ticket/convenient.html
http://www.insidekyoto.com/special-kyoto-bus-train-subway-passes
If you use JR pass, your son have to pay single fare and it’s not cheap.
https://jprail.com/travel-informations/other-rail-passes/for-non-jr-pass-travellers-guide-to-use-jr-single-ticket-basic-rules-validity-and-stopover.html
I think domestic flight is better way for you..
Cheersm
Takeshi / JP Rail
Hello,I am going to Japan and will purchase a JR pass as I will spend 14 days touring . My son is meeting me in Tokyo as he is working there and has a working holiday visa. Can you advise the best rail pass for him please?
We are going Tokyo – Kobe – Nara – Hiroshima- Kyoto. – Chino – Tokyo
Many Thanks.
Thank you – I’ll try calling again!
Does this mean that I have to pay over the phone for the seat booking? Or just provide my credit card “just in case”? The woman I spoke to seemed to be saying that I had to pay right then and there.
Hi Ash,
When you purchase express surcharge ticket, you have to buy right away. It’s charged to your credit card when you are on the phone. I think this is a sort of miscommunication. Because JR pass covers express surcharge. But if you understand that and you can pay, you can purchase it.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JP Rail
Thank you, Takeshi! The Hamanasu seems to be booked up for my travel day, so we’re going to take the shinkansen north instead and cross fingers that the other two trains can be booked right. Tomorrow night I will try booking on Hokutosei using your advice, and I won’t tell them that I have rail pass – just that I want to pay the seat fare (and the berth?) now and I’ll pay the rest when I pick up.
Your readers may want to know that when I called, I had to give them a Japanese phone number – the first agent I spoke to said she could not make any reservation without a phone number, and it couldn’t be a hotel phone number. I was able to use my friend’s cell phone (before she found out that I wanted to book with rail pass).
Hi Ash,
I will add phone number issue in the post. Thanks for letting me know.
If you try Hokutosei, you have to book it at 10:00 am sharp, otherwise no chance. All spaces will be booked up in one second now. (not one minutes!) This is one of most difficult to book in Japanese trains with Twilight Express.
Good luck!
Cheers,
Takeshi / JP Rail
Thanks, I hope we can get it! We want a Duet cabin and are travelling on a Tuesday night, but we’ll take any kind of berth honestly as long as we get on the train. I hope that they don’t book up while we are struggling with the system. Yesterday, between me and my friend in Japan, we called O-dekake 6 times total and still never got a reservation…
HI Takeshi,
We will travel from Tokyo to Hakone to Kyoto and Osaka. All one way. So, Japan rail pass does not work for us. Does this mean we have to buy train tickets individually on the counter when we get to Japan then? You said no online booking for Kyoto and osaka route , but there is online booking for narita express from narita to tokyo? How do we do that before we leave?
Thank you for the advice.
Hi Detty,
Narita Express can be booked but you have to pick up the ticket 2 days before. That means you cannot book Narita Express for arrival day. So you have to book all tickets after arrival. It’s easy to book Narita Express and Shinkansen.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JP Rail
Hi Takeshi,
I am not a Japanese and would like to reserve the seat for Sunrise Seto in advance before arriving in Japan. I really do not know how to reserve via on-line. So, I will ask my Japanese friend in Tokyo to purchase the ticket for me.
Can I refund the ticket and use my JR pass to re-purchase the ticket that my friend buy for me when I arrive to Japan?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi GG100,
Basically you can’t refund it. I’ve heard some of travellers tried and made it. But you have to show JR Pass when you book it if you want to get a ticket without any extra in basic rule.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JP Rail
Hi! I’ll be traveling from tokyo to kyoto by shinkansen in the evening of 1 January. will the trains be very crowded ?
Hi Erica,
No. It’s just between peak days. Usually it’s much slower.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JP Rail
It looks like the JR East Eki-net and the “whole country” Eki-net are different and require separate registrations – here is a reply I got from JR East:
Thank you very much for using our online reservation service.
We are writing to respond to your inquiry.
First, please be informed that separate registration will be required to use an Eki-net service(Japanese version) as it differs from our service. Please note, however, that the Eki-net(Japanese version) service is intended for the residents in Japan, and therefore a domestic domicile should be registered when signing up for the service.
Furthermore, please also be reminded that there are some major differences in a cancellation charge and a deadline for a ticket collection etc., since rules and regulations of Eki-net(Japanese version) are completely different from those of JR-East Train Reservation (English version).
If you have any further question regarding its service, please call them directly in Japanese.(*Inquiries are accepted in Japanese ONLY.)
Sincerely yours,
Hi Mark,
As far as I know, both booking sites are operated by same system. I have used both site for same trips. When I showed confirmation by Japanese site, they found both booking by English and Japanese. But I guess JR East does not have approval to sell the ticket to foreign tourists for other JR areas by other JR companies, like JR Central, JR West. When we travel in Japan, it’s very hard to find the difference or border of JR companies. But each JR companies are different. Some companies, like JR East or JR West are very aggressive to foreign travellers market. Other companies, especially JR Central, do not seem to be interested in this market.
I hope all JR companies will make booking sites for foreign travellers. But as far as I see the situation, honestly I cannot be optimistic.
Cheers,
Takehsi / JP Rail
Hello takeshi,
The information above is for Jr pass users. What about those travelling without Jr pass? Can we still reserve a seat? Where and how do we buy nozomi ticket tokyo-osaka (one way)? Thanks 🙂
Just a point to remember… Reserved seats are 2 + 2 and unreserved are 3+2. If you have a party of 4 make sure you reserve two rows one one side as you can turn the chairs around to face each other.
However if you are 3 and really want to sit together you “may” want the 3+2 seats. They are slightly narrower.
It doesn’t matter if you have a jr rail pass but if you have jr pass reservations are free. The procedure is the same for both.
Thanks for adding info, BlueMeans.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JP Rail
Hi Novita,
It’s same as JR Pass user. The way to book is very limited for overseas travellers.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JP Rail
Hi Takeshi-san
Thanks for your wonderful site! I would like your expert advice. Here is the situation. I am currently in Japan, family is arriving on December 20th 2014. They will have JR Rail Passes (I cannot get one – wrong visa). Staying in and around Tokyo for the first week (I still have to work); will start JR Pass on 30th and travelling to Takasaki for New Year (I will get a 3 day JR Kanto pass – works out a bit cheaper). From Takasaki we will travel to Hiroshima on the 1st, stopping off at Kyoto on the way. I will buy a return ticket (get a discount of 10%); we return to Tokyo and onto Morioka on the 5th. My question is this – for the trips to Takasaki and then onto Kyoto/Hiroshima we will be travelling at peak times. I was going to reserve all the tickets at Narita on the 20th when my family arrives but do you think that that will be too late to be assured seats? I can do the Takasaki leg via the JR East Eki-net but not the Tokkaido legs. Any advice gratefully accepted.
Regards and 4649
Mark
Hi Mark,
1st January is usually slow. I don’t think it’s hard to book.
Do you intend to use Eki-net in Japanese?
https://www.eki-net.com/top/index.html
If so, you can book any trains. Of course you can book Tokaido Shinkansen too.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JP Rail
Thanks Takeshi-san
I applied for a reservation via the JR-East Eki-net (English) system for the Takasaki leg (outwards) and then tried the Japanese whole country Eki-net for the other legs but my JR East username was not recognised. Maybe it needs some time for the system to update etc. I will try later.
Thanks again and 4649
Mark
Hi Takeshi -San,
I’m arriving in Tokyo from Singapore on 27th Dec 2014, and plan to go Nagano on 1st Jan and return on 4th Jan to Tokyo.
May I ask , if I had made a successful seat reservation online for Asama shinkansen from Tokyo station to Nagano station, using the JR East online reservation and has been shown the chargeable seat reservation price, does is mean that I will definitely have a train ticket reserved for this trip as well, when I go to buy the train ticket after I arrive in Japan? Am I right I cannot purchase the train ticket online, and as you have suggested, I may be only be able to buy a train ticket before I arrive in Japan through a Travel agent at extra charge?
Hi Daniel,
If there is no seat available, it does not show any seats. As long as you see it, you can book it.
January 1 is not bad but to Tokyo from Nagano on Jan 4 will be very tough. It will be one of the busiest day because that is the last day of New Years holidays. Everybody will go back to Tokyo from the country side.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JP Rail
Thanks Takeshi – San, but does that mean I am guaranteed to have a train ticket if i managed to book the reserved seat? Thank you.
Yes, Daniel. But don’t forget to collect your ticket by 9:00 p.m. (21:00, Japan Standard Time) on the day before your train reservation date. Please find more info at FAQ.
http://www.eki-net.com/pc/jreast-shinkansen-reservation/English/wb/common/faq/faq.html
Cheers,
Takeshi / JP Rail
Thank you so much Takeshi San, sorry for another question. Do you think it is necessary for me to reserve train tickets for the connecting legs of my journey from Shinjuku to Togari Nozawa Onsen, such as the Chuo Line from Shinjuku to Tokyo JR, and the Iiyama JR line from Nagano JR to Togari Nozawa Onsen on 1st Jan? Similarly, is it necessary for the return journey as you have feared 4th Jan would be crowded? Arigato!
Hi Daniel,
You can’t book the following segments:
Chuo line between Tokyo and Shinjuku
Iiyama line between Nagano and Togari Nozawa Onsen
On these segments, there is only local trains available. It does not have any reserved seat. Those are local commute trains.
4th Jan will be very busy. If you go back to Tokyo, reservation between Nagano and Tokyo highly recommended.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JP Rail