Know Your Trains: The Shinkansen

All information is current as of the date this article was last updated.

Edit 6 April 2018: Added information about using IC cards to board the Shinkansen.

Trains are such an invaluable method of transportation in Japan, both for domestic citizens and foreign visitors, that I've decided to start a new series of articles called "Know Your Trains".  Each of these articles will be dedicated to either a certain train line or a specific service.  And in the world of Japanese rail travel, what more notable place to start is there than the Shinkansen network?

A 700-Series Shinkansen train near Hamamatsu station.

The Shinkansen (新幹線, lit. 'new trunk line'), also commonly known as the "bullet train", is the network of high-speed trains in Japan, run by the Japan Railways (JR) group.  Debuting in 1964 to coincide with the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Shinkansen was the world’s first high-speed rail service. Today, there are eight different Shinkansen lines traversing the country.  They are famous for their speed, punctuality, comfort, and safety.

A map of the Shinkansen network. (Current as of March 2017, when the planned Hokuriku Shinkansen route between Tsurugi and Shin-Osaka was announced.)
Hisagi [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

As of 2016, there are 9 different Shinkansen lines connecting cities across the main islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Hokkaido.  A quick overview of these lines, in order of debut, is below:

Name	Operator	Debut	Service	Top Speed
Tokaido Shinkansen	JR Central	1964	Tokyo - Shin-Osaka	285 km/h (175 mph)
Sanyo Shinkansen	JR West	1972 - 1975*	Shin-Osaka - Hakata	300 km/h (185 mph)
Tohoku Shinkansen	JR East	1982 - 2010*	Tokyo - Shin-Aomori	320 km/h (200 mph)
Joetsu Shinkansen	JR East	1982	Tokyo - Niigata	240 km/h (150 mph)
Yamagata Shinkansen**	JR East	1992	Fukushima - Shinjo	130 km/h (80 mph)
Akita Shinkansen**	JR East	1997	Morioka - Akita	130 km/h (80 mph)
Hokuriku Shinkansen	JR East / JR West***	1997 - 2015*	Tokyo - Kanazawa	260 km/h (160 mph)
Kyushu Shinkansen	JR Kyushu	2004 - 2011*	Hakata - Kagoshima-Chuo	260 km/h (160 mph)
Hokkaido Shinkansen	JR Hokkaido	2016	Shin-Aomori - Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto	260 km/h (160 mph)

* The first year refers to the initial debut of the line, and the second year refers to the debut of the (currently) complete line.
** Marked lines are known as "Mini-Shinkansen", meaning they share their tracks with regular trains, and thus have a lower speed limit. Trains on both the Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen are coupled with other services on the Tohoku Shinkansen, then diverge on to their branch lines at certain points.
*** The Hokuriku Shinkansen is jointly owned by JR East between Tokyo and Itoigawa stations, and by JR West between Itoigawa and Kanazawa.

There are plenty of future plans for the Shinkansen network, both extensions of existing lines and entirely new lines.  (Please note that all plans are subject to change.)

• The Hokuriku Shinkansen will be extended from Kanazawa to Tsurugi in 2022-23.  Later on, sometime in the 2040s, it will be extended further to Obama, Kyoto, and Shin-Osaka.
• A branch line of the Kyushu Shinkansen, to Nagasaki, will partially debut in 2023-24.  At the moment, it is planned to stay separated from the main Kyushu Shinkansen.
• The Hokkaido Shinkansen will be extended from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to Sapporo in 2030-31.
• The Chuo Shinkansen, a new line using maglev technology, will open between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027, and will be extended to Osaka by as early as 2037.  Trains on the Chuo line will travel at up to 505 km/h (315 mph), reaching Nagoya in only 40 minutes, and Osaka in 65 minutes.

Seating in the regular (left) and Green Car (right) sections of a W7-series train on the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
Taken on Thursday, 17 May 2018.

Seating on the Shinkansen is very comfortable.  Virtually all seats can recline and offer no less than 100 centimetres / 40 inches of seat pitch, more so than economy seats on most airlines. They are divided into the following categories:

• Non-Reserved: Non-reserved seats are laid out in a 3+2 pattern, or in other words, 3 seats on one side of the aisle, and 2 on the other side.  They have a seat pitch of 104cm (41 inches), and a width of 44cm (17 in.). Electricity outlets are available for window seats, or all seats on some newer trains, such as the E7/W7 trains on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. When using a non-reserved ticket, just use any available seat in the car. If using a Japan Rail Pass, there is no need to get a ticket beforehand; simply show your pass when going through the ticket gates.
• Reserved: Reserved seats are generally the same as non-reserved seats (except for trains on the San’yo and Kyushu lines, which are closer to Green Car seats in terms of layout). The difference is that when purchasing your ticket, you are assigned a specific seat. Reserved tickets cost a few hundred yen on top of the ticket price. If using a JR Pass, you can book seats for free.
• Green Car: Similar to business class on airplanes, Green Car seats are the next level up in comfort. Seats are laid out in a 2+2 pattern, offering greater seat width. Seat pitch is around 116cm (46 in.), seat width is 48cm (19 in.), and seats may have leg rests in addition to footrests. Electricity outlets are available for all seats. All Green Car seating is reserved.  Green Car tickets cost up to one-and-a-half times as much as regular tickets.  If using a JR Pass with a Green Car option, you can book these seats for free. If you have a regular JR Pass and wish to book a Green Car seat nonetheless, you will have to pay a supplement fee, including Green Car surcharges.
• GranClass: Offered on some services on the Tohoku, Hokkaido, and Hokuriku lines, GranClass is even more luxurious than the Green Car. Seating is arranged in a 2+1 layout.  GranClass tickets cost up to twice as much as regular tickets.  If using a JR Pass, even the Green Car version, you will need to pay a supplement fee for GranClass seats. 

Amenities aboard Shinkansen trains are comparable to, if not above, those of commercial airplanes.  Western-style toilets are available at the ends of some cars, in addition to trash receptacles, separate smoking rooms (virtually all Shinkansen cars today are non-smoking), and even drink vending machines.  Refreshment carts also travel down the aisles periodically, selling various drinks and snacks.  As for luggage storage, there are overhead shelves and some extra space behind the last row of seats in each car, but those travelling with larger suitcases may have trouble storing them.

The "Midori no Madoguchi" logo used for JR's ticket counters, seen at Hiroshima Station.

So, how do you use the Shinaksen?

1. Purchase your ticket. This may be done at ticket windows marked either as “Shinkansen Tickets” or with the “Midori no Madoguchi ('green window')” logo (pictured above). You will receive two tickets: one is for the base fare (the equivalent of taking regular trains to your destination), and the other is for the Shinkansen supplement fare (including reservation, Green Car, and other applicable fees).
2. Enter the regular ticket gates. Insert your base-fare ticket into the gates, or show it to the attendant. If using a Japan Rail Pass, you cannot use the automatic gates; simply show your pass to the attendant.
3. Within the ticket zone, enter the separate Shinkansen ticket gates. Insert both the base-fare and Shinaksen supplement tickets into the machine simultaneously -- DO NOT STAPLE THEM TOGETHER -- or show them to the attendant. Again, if using a JR Pass, show it to the attendant. Note: In some stations, you may be able to enter the Shinkansen fare zone directly, without needing to go through the base fare zone first.
4. Locate your train and platform. The display boards (example pictured below) listing upcoming trains alternate between Japanese and English.
5. Once you have identified your train and its track, locate and board the appropriate platform. Line up behind the floor marker for your desired car.
6. Board your train when it arrives. Shinkansen trains wait for a minute or two at each station before departing, longer than regular trains.
7. The PA system will make an announcement, in Japanese followed by English, a few minutes before stopping at a station. If the car has a display board, the station’s name will be displayed as well. When the train is about to arrive at your destination, prepare to disembark.
8. Upon disembarking, exit through the Shinkansen and/or regular ticket gates as needed. Make sure you have your tickets and/or JR Pass available.

As a rule, IC cards (Suica, Pasmo, Icoca, etc.) can not be used to get on the Shinkansen.  However, a few exceptions have recently been implemented:

1. As of September 2017, it is possible to use IC cards to board the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen.  How it works is: you register an IC card and credit card together online, via smartex.jp.  When you book tickets in this fashion, the cost is not deducted from your IC card, but instead billed to your credit card.  When you enter your departing station, you can then simply tap in at the gates with your IC card.  There is an English-language mobile app, called "smartEX", from which you can do so; however, it is only available for citizens of the USA, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.  It is not possible to use this service with a Japan Rail Pass.  More information: (English) (Japanese)
2. As of April 2018, it is possible to use IC cards to take non-reserved seats on certain Shinkansen lines within the Kanto region.  This includes the Tohoku Shinkansen between Tokyo and Nasu-Shiobara, the Joetsu Shinkansen between Tokyo and Jomo-Kogen, and the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Tokyo and Annaka-Haruna.  Before doing so, you must register your IC card at a ticket machine; this service is called "Touch de Go!" (タッチでGo!).  The cost is deducted from your IC card's balance.  More information: (Japanese)

A signboard at Shin-Osaka Station listing upcoming Sanyo Shinkansen services.

Please be aware that different Shinkansen services have different stopping patterns. Do research ahead of time to be certain that your train will stop at your desired destination. I will write separate articles for each of the Shinkansen lines to provide more detailed information on their stopping patterns and more.