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An N700-Series Shinkansen train running in front of Mount Fuji. tansaisuketti / CC BY-SA |
Three types of services run on the Tokaido Shinkansen: the full-stop Kodama, and the limited-stop Hikari and Nozomi. Some Kodama services end early at Nagoya. Most Hikari and Nozomi services, on the other hand, continue on to the Sanyo Shinkansen, ending as far as Hakata Station in Fukuoka.
| Name | Colour* | Start Station | End Station(s) | Time | Frequency** |
| Kodama | Blue | Tokyo | Nagoya | 3 hours | 1 per hour |
| Shin-Osaka | 4 hours | 1 per hour | |||
| Hikari | Red | Tokyo |
Shin-Osaka Okayama/Hiroshima (Sanyo) |
3 hours | 2 per hour |
| Nozomi | Yellow | Tokyo |
Shin-Osaka Hakata (Sanyo) |
2½ hours | 6 per hour |
** Departure frequency is based on April 2018 schedules and is subject to change.
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| A map of the Tokaido Shinkansen and its stops. |
| Name (English) | Name (Japanese) | Prefecture | Kodama | Hikari | Nozomi |
| Tokyo | 東京 | Tokyo | X | X | X |
| Shinagawa | 品川 | X | X | X | |
| Shin-Yokohama | 新横浜 | Yokohama | X | X | X |
| Odawara | 小田原 | Kanagawa | X | O | I |
| Atami | 熱海 | Shizuoka | X | O | I |
| Mishima | 三島 | X | O | I | |
| Shin-Fuji | 新富士 | X | I | I | |
| Shizuoka | 静岡 | X | O | I | |
| Kakegawa | 掛川 | X | I | I | |
| Hamamatsu | 浜松 | X | O | I | |
| Toyohashi | 豊橋 | Aichi | X | O | I |
| Mikawa-Anjo | 三河安城 | X | I | I | |
| Nagoya | 名古屋 | X | X | X | |
| Gifu-Hashima | 岐阜羽島 | Gifu | X | O | I |
| Maibara | 米原 | Shiga | X | O | I |
| Kyoto | 京都 | Kyoto | X | X | X |
| Shin-Osaka | 新大阪 | Osaka | X | X | X |
Legend
X: All trains stop at this station.
O: Some trains stop at this station.
I: No trains stop at this station.
Notable stops
X: All trains stop at this station.
O: Some trains stop at this station.
I: No trains stop at this station.
Notable stops
- Tokyo / Shinagawa: The largest city in Japan and the world.
- Shin-Yokohama: Japan's second-largest city, with one of the country's most famous Chinatowns.
- Odawara: Gateway to the Hakone hot springs resort area.
- Mishima / Shin-Fuji: Gateways to Mt. Fuji from western cities.
- Nagoya: An economic centre with industrial and historical sites.
- Kyoto: Japan's history-laden former capital city.
- Shin-Osaka: The economic and culinary centre of the Kansai region.
Apart from stopping patterns, the three services also differ in their
seating layout. Nozomi trains dedicate more of their cars for reserved
seating, whereas Hikari and Kodama trains have more non-reserved seats.
Tips
| Service | Total Cars | Non-Reserved Cars | Reserved Cars | Green Cars |
| Kodama | 16 |
10 (Cars #1-7, 13-15) |
3 (Cars #11-12, 16) |
3 (Cars #8-10) |
| Hikari | 16 |
5 (Cars #1-5) |
8 (Cars #6-7, 11-16) |
3 (Cars #8-10) |
| Nozomi | 16 |
3 (Cars #1-3) |
10 (Cars #4-7, 11-16) |
3 (Cars #8-10) |
Tips
- Nozomi services are NOT covered by the Japan Rail Pass. Even if you have a JR Pass active, if you take one of these trains, you must pay the full fare out of pocket. On the Tokaido line, services are marked by different colours on signboards. If you're using a JR Pass, beware of yellow text/backgrounds -- this denotes a Nozomi train!
- The "Platt Kodama" travel plan, offered by JR Tokai Tours, is a package which includes a ticket for a one-way ride on any Kodama train, and a voucher one free soft drink or beer. This package can save users ¥2,000 to ¥4,000 over regular fares.
- Multiple regional passes sold by JR East and JR West cover some regular trains in the areas crossed by the Tokaido Shinkansen, but do not cover the Tokaido Shinkansen itself, which is instead owned by JR Central.
- If departing from, or arriving at, Tokyo, you may want to consider using Shinagawa Station instead of the eponymous Tokyo Station. Shinagawa serves some of the same JR lines as Tokyo (Yamanote (JY), Keihin-Tohoku (JK), Tokaido (JT), and Yokosuka (JO)), but is somewhat smaller and more manageable. It also serves the Keikyu Main Line, which goes to Haneda Airport on one end, and through the Asakusa Subway (A) line on the other.
- Some Kodama trains terminate at Nagoya. If you wish to use a Kodama train to get to Kyoto or Osaka, please be mindful of your train's terminal station before boarding.
- Most trains continue beyond Shin-Osaka station on to the San'yo Shinkansen. Most Nozomi trains terminate at Hakata Station in Fukuoka, and Hikari trains terminate at Okayama or Hiroshima stations.
- Do not confuse Shin-Osaka Station with Osaka (a.k.a. Umeda) Station. The latter is closer to the city centre, but is not served by the Shinkansen. The two are still close together and are linked by the JR Kyoto (A) line (4 minutes, ¥160) and the OsakaMetro Midosuji (M) subway (6 minutes, ¥230).
- On the older 700-Series trains, cars #10, 15, and 16 are smoking. All cars are non-smoking on the newer and more common N700-Series trains; smoking rooms are available at the ends of certain cars.
- It is possible to see Mount Fuji from the Tokaido Shinkansen, between Mishima and Shin-Fuji stations. Look to the right when heading for Osaka, or to the left when bound for Tokyo. If you wish to reserve a seat where you can see Mt. Fuji, get a seat in row E for regular cars, or row D for Green Cars; this is true whether the train is going to or from Tokyo.
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Signboards on the outside of a Nozomi train. If you have a
Japan Rail Pass, beware of the yellow background!! JKT-c / CC BY |
Trivia
- The name Tokaido (東海道, Tōkaidō) means "eastern sea road" in English. It originally referred to a road linking Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto during the Edo period. The old road roughly paralleled the modern-day Tokaido Main Line and Tokaido Shinkansen.
- The name Kodama (こだま) means "echo" in English. It was previously used for a limited express service, running between Tokyo and Osaka in under 7 hours one-way. At the time, this was the first train service with which it was possible to travel from Tokyo to Osaka and back in one day, hence the name "echo". It operated from 1958 to 1964, ending the day before the Tokaido Shinkansen launched.
- The name Hikari (ひかり) means "light" in English. It was previously used for a limited express service, running between Fukuoka and Beppu. Like the old Kodama, it operated from 1958 to 1964, ending the day before the Tokaido Shinkansen launched.
- The name Nozomi (のぞみ) means "hope" or "wish" in English. The Nozomi service was added in 1992, and used faster trains to cut the time between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka from 3 hours to 2½ hours. Hikari used to have a similar limited-stop pattern as the Nozomi; additional stops were added to the Hikari's schedules to let Nozomi trains pass.
