Click this image. You will be able to understand how to read Kyushu Shinkansen tentative timetable in Japanese.
As probably you know, Kyushu Shinkansen will be opened all section between Hakata and Kagoshima-Chuo on Mar 12, 2011. JR Kyushu released the tentative schedule. You can see the timetable here(PDF).
But this timetable is only in Japanese. So I made some sample timetable with Japanese-English translation. Before you take a look at the timetable, please click this image.
This timetable consists of 4 page as PDF file. Each page has two directions. The top half of the page is the timetable for Shin-Osaka to Kagoshima-Chuo via Hiroshima, Hakata and Kumamoto. The bottom half is the timetable for Kagoshima-Chuo to Shin-Osaka via Kumamoto, Hakata and Hiroshima.
N700 series will be used as Mizuho and Sakura.
We will have four round trips for the fastest train, “Mizuho”. We will have Mizuho or Sakura mostly once an hour between Shin-Osaka and Kaghoshima-Chuo. It takes 3 hours and 46 minutes by Mizuho from Shin-Osaka to Kagoshima-Chuo. It takes about 4 hours to 4 hours 30 minutes by Sakura between Shin-Osaka and Hakata.
We will have four departures an hour between Hakata and Kumamoto, and two departures between Hakata and Kagoshima-Chuo.
Unfortunately JR Group did not announce anything about Japan Rail Pass validity to take these new trains, Mizuho and Sakura. I will let you know right after I get an information.
ANA Hotel Kumamoto New Sky Located by Shirakawa river
Tokyu Hotel Kagoshima Spectacular views of Mt. Sakurajima
Comments
On the Sakura shinkansen from Kagoshima to Osaka, how do you find out which services have a green car ?
Hi Andy,
All Sakura run between Kagoshima-Chuo and Shin-Osaka have Green car. Just some Sakura run between Kagoshima-Chuo and Hakata do not have it.
If you search on Hyerdia, you will find it too.
Cheers,
Takeshi / JP Rail
Do you know if this tentative schedule will carry over into april and may as well?
Yes. It is not much different.
Takeshi / JP Rail
Dear Takeshi,
domo arigato for the most useful link you have posted. I was able to download the entire schedules – just perfect.
Please let us know once the question whether the JR Rail pass is valid on Mizuho and/or Sakura will be decided.
Hello Christoph,
Doitashimasite.
I’ll let you know right after I’ll get info about Mizuho and Sakura.
Takeshi / JP Rail
Thank you very much for all your work with the new schedules. I could only download and print the first (early morning) page with the schedules, but you are offering four (4) pages (Shin-Osaka departures after 8.45 AM and kagoshima-Chuo departures after 8.02 AM until the end of the day are all missing).
Would you be so kind to email me the pdf file of the missing three pages ?
Thank you in advance for your kind cooperation and all the best.
Hello Christoph,
Probably you accessed the timetable that I made. That is the sample for understanding the timetable in Japanese.
Please try to access http://kyushushinkansen.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/jikokuhyo.pdf. You will be able to see 4 pages.
Sorry for giving you confusion.
Takeshi/JP Rail
Hi JPRail, after watching the new schedule, I can notice that there is almost no kodama trains, will this service (and the 500 series) going to disappear then?
This timetable shows Kyushu Shinkansen trains and Sanyo Shinkansen trains that go through Kyushu Shinkansen or are connected with Kyushu Shinkansen trains at Hakata. We will still have Kodama (500 series too). But I’m not sure how many after Mar 12,2011.