Let’s set the scene. You’re in the Green Car (first-class compartment) of a high-speed train on Japan’s Tōkaidō Shinkansen line between Tōkyō and Ōsaka. You start feeling peckish but you’ve neglected to stock up back at the station. “Ah, there’s the cart person who rolls up and down the train selling provisions!” Then it hits:Continue reading “How to order snacks in the Green Car on a Tōkaidō Shinkansen train”
Category Archives: Trains
Rail Report: Tōkyō to Takamatsu on Japan’s “Sunrise Seto” Sleeper Train (28-29 September 2023)
In this post, we’ll hop aboard an overnight service that carries passengers on a 500-mile journey across Japan – all whilst they’re sleeping soundly in bed. (Or as soundly as they can manage on a moving train, anyway!) Welcome aboard the Sunrise Seto.
Japan Rail Pass Guide: How to use a JR Pass at a ticket machine (updated 2023)
In this illustrated guide, we’ll go through the process of using a Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) to make free seat reservations on a ticket machine.
Japan Rail Pass Guide: How to reserve Shinkansen seats with oversized baggage space on a ticket machine
In this guide, we’ll go through the process of reserving seats with oversized baggage space on a ticket machine. Such reservations are now mandatory for Shinkansen services covered by the new rules on large luggage that took effect in 2020. The information presented here is meant to be used in conjunction with my detailed step-by-stepContinue reading “Japan Rail Pass Guide: How to reserve Shinkansen seats with oversized baggage space on a ticket machine”
Oversized baggage on the Tōkaidō, San’yō, and Kyūshū Shinkansen: A summary of the current rules
In this post, we’ll go over the regulations around oversized luggage that were introduced in 2020 for some of Japan’s Shinkansen lines. The key element of these new rules: seat reservations are now required to use the extra space at the back of each train car.
Japan Rail Pass Guide: How to use a JR Pass at a ticket machine
In this illustrated guide, we’ll go through the process of using a Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) to make seat reservations on a ticket machine.
Travelling on the “Caledonian Sleeper” in 2022: A collection of video reviews
As a supplement to the post describing my London-Edinburgh journey on the Caledonian Sleeper, I’ve assembled a gallery of YouTube reviews documenting the experiences of other travellers who’ve recently boarded this special overnight train.
Rail Report: London to Edinburgh on the “Caledonian Sleeper” Overnight Train (06-07 June 2022)
Just a few weeks shy of seven years since my last overnight railway journey, I set off from London to Edinburgh on a night-time trip aboard one of the UK’s last remaining sleeper trains. Welcome aboard the Caledonian Sleeper.
Rail Report: First Class on the KTX from Yeosu Expo Station to Suncheon, South Korea
In my previous post, we saw what it’s like to travel in Standard (Economy) Class on the KTX from Suncheon to Yeosu. Today, we’ll upgrade ourselves to the posh First Class cabin for our return journey.
Rail Report: Standard Class on the KTX from Suncheon Station to Yeosu Expo, South Korea
Today, we’ll see what it’s like to travel in Standard Class on the KTX by doing a short hop from Suncheon to the coastal city of Yeosu, in Korea’s Jeollanam-do province.
Within striking distance 