Platt Kodama, one way deal among Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka by the Shinkansen

Rail pass for residents
Shinkansen is the high speed train service in Japan. Kodama is the slowest train on Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen line.
Shinkansen is the high speed train service in Japan. Kodama is the slowest train on Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen line.

When you move among Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka, you may think to take the Shinkansen (a.k.a. bullet train). If you have a round trip between Tokyo and Kyoto/Shin-Osaka, JR pass is the best choice. But even 7 days JR pass price is almost equal to the round trip fare and the seat fee of the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka. JR pass is not the best choice for one way movement.

Platt Kodama may be the solution for the traveler who make only one way trip from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka (or versa). Because it is a sort of the Shinkansen one way trip discount ticket among Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka.

I would like to show you this ticket in this post.

What is Kodama?

Before I explain this deal, I want to tell you about Kodama.

The Shinkansen runs on the exclusive track. The Shinkansen trains does not share the track with any conventional local commute trains and other conventional express trains. But on the Tokaido Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, there are three types of trains running, Nozomi, Hikari and Kodama. These three trains look exactly same and offers exactly same interior. The only difference is the trip time and stop stations. Kodama is the slowest train and make stops at all stations.

Please read the link below to learn more about the Tokaido Shinkansen.

So if you use this deal, you have to accept the extra trip time. You cannot take the fastest train.

What is Platt Kodama?

Platt Kodama is a sort of the discount tickets for taking Kodama only among the stations between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, such as Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Shizuoka, Hamamatsu, Nagoya and Kyoto. This deal is not available further than Shin-Osaka to west destination, such as Okayama, Hiroshima and Hakata.

Kodama is the slowest Shinkansen train and the trip time is much longer than Nozomi and Hikari. But you can get the lower rate than the regular fare.

I mentioned that Platt Kodama is a sort of the discount tickets. But technically this is not a ticket but a package tour product. You cannot purchase this at the ticket window in JR stations. You have to go to JR Tokai Tours that is JR Central’s travel agent.

Sales location

You may find the location of JR Tokai Tours office in Tokyo, Shin-Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka at the link below:

JR Tokai Tours official site

Condition of use

There are several conditions. When you use Platt Kodama, please understand these conditions before you use purchase this deal.

  • Must purchase it be the day before you use. You cannot buy it on the travel date.
  • Fixed trip plan. You have to take the train that is shown on the ticket. You cannot take any other trains.
  • Seat assigned. You cannot use any other seat and cannot change the seat.
  • No stopover allowed. Once you get off the train, your ticket is expired.
  • No trip plan changed. You cannot change the trip plan and refund without handling charge.

Please find the detailed information in the link below:

Platt Kodama, Guidance of Plans (PDF file)

And you will receive a drink voucher. You can get a free drink at Kiosk before on board. And also if you add 1,000 yen for Tokyo to/from Nagoya, 1,500 yen Tokyo to/from Shin-Osaka or Kyoto, you can take Green seat.

Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen 700 series. These seat configuration are the standard on Shinkansen. Green (left) and Ordinary (right
Green (left) and Ordinary (right)

Green seat is much more spacious and very comfortable.

Compare Kodama, Hikari and Nozomi in the trip time

Please see the Tokaido Shinkansen timetable in the link below:

JR Central official site – The Tokaido and the Sanyo Shinkansen timetable

I have picked up three trains in early morning. (The timetable is varied by the season.)
Please find those trains below in the timetable.

Train nameTokyoNagoyaKyotoShin-Osaka
K633
(Kodama 633)
06:5609:4810:4611:00
N203
(Nozomi 203)
07:0008:4209:1909:33
H461
(Hikari 461)
07:0309:1109:4910:05

As you see, Nozomi is 1.5 hours faster than Kodama if you travel from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka. Even Hikari is 1 hour faster than Kodama. But one way trip traveler does not pick up Hikari because it is slower than Nozomi. If you use JR pass, Hikari is a primary choice but I cannot find any reasons why one way traveler use Hikari.

Compare Platt Kodama and the regular fare

You can find the price comparison between Kodama single fare and Platt Kodama in the official site. But I would like to show you the fare comparison between Nozomi regular fare and Platt Kodama. As you see, if you take Kodama, you will spend 1.5 hours extra for Tokyo to/from Kyoto or Shin-Osaka. I think you want to know how much you can save to give up 1.5 extra hours.

SegmentRegular fare
for Nozomi
Platt KodamaYour saving
Tokyo to/from Shin-Osaka14,720 yen10,700 yen4,020 yen
Tokyo to/from Kyoto14,170 yen10,500 yen3,670 yen
Tokyo to/from Nagoya11,300 yen8,500 yen2,800 yen
Nagoya to/from Shin-Osaka6,680 yen4,500 yen2,180 yen
Nagoya to/from Kyoto5,910 yen4,400 yen1,510 yen

*These above rates and prices are regular season rates. Rates and prices are varied by season. You can find the complete price table of Platt Kodama in the official site. Nozomi regular rate is also varied by the season. And the seasonality of Nozomi regular rate is different from the seasonality of Platt Kodama. Approximate seasonality of Nozomi is the following:

Peak seasonSpring break (late March to early April)
Golden Week (late April to early May)
Summer break (late July to late August)
Winter break (late December to early January)
Shoulder seasonAll days except weekend and holiday in the following period:
from mid January to February
June
September
November to mid December

The periods are adjusted in each year. You can find the exact fare of Nozomi at Hyperdia. Hyperdia complete guide

Assessment

I would like to show you extra time and saving cost again.

Tokyo to/from Shin-Osaka 4,020 yen for 1.5 hours
Tokyo to/from Kyoto 3,670 yen for 1.5 hours
Tokyo to/from Nagoya 2,800 yen for 1 hour 10 minutes
Nagoya to/from Shin-Osaka 2,180 yen for 21 minutes
Nagoya to/from Kyoto 1,510 yen for 21 minutes

It is hard to say that you can accept this trade off. You cannot purchase a ticket at the station and must purchase day before. These conditions may be considerable for you.

I am glad if this post gave you some idea to build your trip plan.

Comments

  1. Anna says:

    Hello Takeshi,

    What would you suggest for my 2 day trip as follows:

    Day 1 – Nagoya > Kyoto
    Day 2 – Kyoto > Tokyo then Tokyo > Nagoya

    Total of 3 rides on a Shinkansen.

    Should I buy a JR Pass for this? or just purchase the Platt Kodama?

    I would appreciate your suggestion. Thank you so much! 🙂

  2. Nestor says:

    If my Japanese friend purchases a Platt-Kodama ticket for Tokyo-Osaka ticket in his name, can I then use the ticket?

    • Hi Nestor,

      As far as I know, you can use it because the name is not shown on the ticket. But I have never done that before. Please ask your friend to make sure it when he/she will purchase it for you.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

      • Nestor Gounaris says:

        Dear Takeshi,

        Thank you for your reply! May I ask a follow up question?

        My Japanese friend will purchase the Platt-Kodama Ticket (Tokyo to Osaka) on the internet. Is it possible for a Japanese resident to purchase such a ticket on-line?

        I ask this question because I saw a note on the Platt-Kodama English language website that online sales are not possible.

        Thank you!
        Nestor

  3. Inna Mariel says:

    Hi,

    Can you give me the map of where the ticket booth in shin-osaka is or maybe the exact name of the ticket centre? If we miss out on the time that we initially booked, can we still use our ticket for the next available time of the kodama train? If yes, does this have extra fees especially if we booked a reserved seat?

    regards,
    Inna

    • Hi Inna,

      Please see the link below and click “Shin-Osaka”. You will find the map.
      https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/info/station/

      You can find “JR Tokai Tours” at the left side in the lower map. That is the place where you can purchase Platt Kodama.
      You cannot take next train by Platt Kodama because this is not a regular train ticket. You MUST take the designated train. If you miss it, you have to pay full fare.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  4. brandonloo66 says:

    Hi,
    Can I travel by the JR pass, If I am staying in Akasaka?

  5. brandonloo66 says:

    Hi,
    Can I buy this JR pass if I am staying in Akasaka ?

  6. Samantha says:

    Hi,

    Is there online purchase available for Platt Kodomo? As i cannot find it, only have the package with hotel which i dont want. Im only travelling to Osaka on 21 Dec & need the ticket for 27 Dec. Afraid that it will be sold out. Is there anyway to get it advance via online?

  7. Francis says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    Can I purchase the ticket in Osaka for the trip from Kyoto to Nagoya and from Nagoya back to Osaka. Where is the location of the office in Osaka?

  8. WY says:

    Hi,

    My journey is Kyoto to Tokyo (one way). Planning to travel on 29 Dec, will there be a risk that I might not get a ticket for this holiday period?

    It says also to purchase a day before departure, can i purchase a few days in advance then at kyoto /shin-osaka station’s “JR Tokai Tours”?

    Thanks!

    • Hi WY,

      You can purchase from one month prior to departure date. So you can purchase it any day from November 29 to December 28. You should purchase it as soon as possible because as you think, it will be busy day. It may be sold out.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  9. QQ says:

    Hello!

    If I have a JR Pass Kansai Wide, will this allow me to use Hikari or Kodama if I am going to Nagoya and will be coming from Kyoto? Is it worth it to purchase a pass if my route is Osaka – Kyoto – Nara – Nagoya. I will be going around in those areas.

    Thank you!

  10. Agnieszka says:

    Hello,

    I cannot find any information about luggage allowance when using Platt Kodama ticket. We are going to travel with two big suitcases and I am wondering if this could be a problem. Can you please advise?

    Thank you in advance,
    Agnieszka

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