Tag Archives: Shinkansen

How to order snacks in the Green Car on a Tōkaidō Shinkansen train

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”

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.

Rail Report: Tōkyō to Hakodate on the Tōhoku and Hokkaidō Shinkansen, Japan (02 October 2017)

Travelling between Tōkyō and Hokkaidō has never been easier, with new high-speed rail services whisking passengers from the Japanese capital to Hakodate in under four and a half hours. Today, let’s see what it’s like to zoom all the way up to the great big north on an unbroken run along two shinkansen lines: oneContinue reading “Rail Report: Tōkyō to Hakodate on the Tōhoku and Hokkaidō Shinkansen, Japan (02 October 2017)”

Rail Report: Niigata to Echigo-Yuzawa on the Genbi Shinkansen, Japan (30 September 2017)

I’m not a fan of contemporary art. In fact, if I were to speak plainly on the matter, I’d risk saying something unprintable. That said, I’m an incurable railway enthusiast through and through … and when I learned that one of Japan’s famous shinkansen trains had been transformed into a high-speed art gallery, riding thatContinue reading “Rail Report: Niigata to Echigo-Yuzawa on the Genbi Shinkansen, Japan (30 September 2017)”

Rail Report: A touch of trainspotting in Tōkyō, Hiraizumi, and Ichinoseki, Japan (03 July 2015)

On a wet July day in Tōkyō (just a sliver over a year ago now), I decided to escape the dreadful weather by travelling hundreds of miles north to the drier landscapes of Iwate Prefecture … but we’ll save the sightseeing part for a different post. Right now, let’s talk about something else: the trainsContinue reading “Rail Report: A touch of trainspotting in Tōkyō, Hiraizumi, and Ichinoseki, Japan (03 July 2015)”