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This is the official website to book Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu shinkansen tickets
https://smart-ex.jp/en/index.php
I’d avoid Klook no matter how attractive they are as if something goes wrong you’ll be stuck in never ending loops of who holds the information and then who is empowered to make a decision. You don’t want to be dealing with Japanese bureaucracy when on holiday.
And this is the official website for Kansai-Hiroshima Pass
https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai_hiroshima/
Remember that you cannot book seats for online reservations for any train company between 11:30pm and 5:30am Japan time. So that means that you will not be able to choose and will be allocated seats randomly, but you can change them later free of charge.
And get yourself Suica or IC card to load all the train tickets on and for other useful stuff.
Hi Meta, thanks for the links! yes, looks like i had the right website for the shinkansen, and thanks for the link to the other pass too.
I saw you can add Suica to your apple wallet, so will give that a try!
Hi Meta, thanks for the links! yes, looks like i had the right website for the shinkansen, and thanks for the link to the other pass too.
I saw you can add Suica to your apple wallet, so will give that a try!
I’d definitely recommend adding your Suica to your Apple Wallet. Also, if you purchase your Shinkansen tickets online via the website Meta mentioned, you can link your Suica card number to the tickets you purchased, you can then just walk up to the blue Shinkansen gates, tap your Suica, the gates will open and out will pop your Shinkansen tickets. No need to wait in the god-awful queues for a ticket machine or ticket desk.
This is the official website to book Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu shinkansen tickets
https://smart-ex.jp/en/index.php
I’d avoid Klook no matter how attractive they are as if something goes wrong you’ll be stuck in never ending loops of who holds the information and then who is empowered to make a decision. You don’t want to be dealing with Japanese bureaucracy when on holiday.
And this is the official website for Kansai-Hiroshima Pass
https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai_hiroshima/
Remember that you cannot book seats for online reservations for any train company between 11:30pm and 5:30am Japan time. So that means that you will not be able to choose and will be allocated seats randomly, but you can change them later free of charge.
And get yourself Suica or IC card to load all the train tickets on and for other useful stuff.
Hi Meta, thanks for the links! yes, looks like i had the right website for the shinkansen, and thanks for the link to the other pass too.
I saw you can add Suica to your apple wallet, so will give that a try!
I’d definitely recommend adding your Suica to your Apple Wallet. Also, if you purchase your Shinkansen tickets online via the website Meta mentioned, you can link your Suica card number to the tickets purchased on the website, you can then just walk up to the blue Shinkansen gates, tap your Suica, the gates will open and out will pop your Shinkansen tickets. No need to wait in the god-awful queues for a ticket machine or ticket desk.
Just find your platform/train carriage and you’re off! Just tap your Suica at the other end to get out and you’re all good.
This is the official website to book Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu shinkansen tickets
https://smart-ex.jp/en/index.php
I’d avoid Klook no matter how attractive they are as if something goes wrong you’ll be stuck in never ending loops of who holds the information and then who is empowered to make a decision. You don’t want to be dealing with Japanese bureaucracy when on holiday.
And this is the official website for Kansai-Hiroshima Pass
https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai_hiroshima/
Remember that you cannot book seats for online reservations for any train company between 11:30pm and 5:30am Japan time. So that means that you will not be able to choose and will be allocated seats randomly, but you can change them later free of charge.
And get yourself Suica or IC card to load all the train tickets on and for other useful stuff.
Hi Meta, thanks for the links! yes, looks like i had the right website for the shinkansen, and thanks for the link to the other pass too.
I saw you can add Suica to your apple wallet, so will give that a try!
I’d definitely recommend adding your Suica to your Apple Wallet. Also, if you purchase your Shinkansen tickets online via the website Meta mentioned, you can link your Suica card number to the tickets purchased on the website, you can then just walk up to the blue Shinkansen gates, tap your Suica, the gates will open and out will pop your Shinkansen tickets. No need to wait in the god-awful queues for a ticket machine or ticket desk.
Just find your platform/train carriage and you’re off! Just tap your Suica at the other end to get out and you’re all good.
that’s a great tip, thanks!
Worth noting that you can fly from Tokyo to Osaka from as little as £63 with the JAL Explorer Pass fares
Flying on that route will take significantly longer (twice as much as the check-in closes 30 minutes before, and you’ll need to get to Haneda rather than Tokyo Station/Shinagawa, plus travel from ITM to city).
I know Alex G you prefer to fly, but I wouldn’t recommend it to first timers. Misses the fun of train travel in Japan.
Flying on that route will take significantly longer (twice as much as the check-in closes 30 minutes before, and you’ll need to get to Haneda rather than Tokyo Station/Shinagawa, plus travel from ITM to city).
I know Alex G you prefer to fly, but I wouldn’t recommend it to first timers. Misses the fun of train travel in Japan.
Significantly longer? No.
Although I suppose it depends exactly where you are staying in each city.
The journey for me is about 3h40m, either flying or by train.
Personally, I didn’t particularly enjoy the Shinkansen. Narrow seats and small windows, and the scenery between Tokyo and Osaka is really nothing special (apart from the view of Mt Fuji, which you also get from the plane). But then I didn’t do it in Green class.
Of course if you staying near to Tokyo station and Shin-Osaka, the train will be quicker.
I think the local trains are more fun. As are the monorails. But each to their own.
Shinjuku to Haneda, 1 hr
Check in 30m
Flight 1:10
Itami airport to Osaka, 1 HrAnd of course I haven’t recommended anything, just flagged up another option that is worth considering.
It will take longer than 3h40 by plane, you won’t be arriving at exactly the check-in deadline (you phyiscally can’t time it that way), recommended minimum is 60 minutes. You also don’t account for getting off the plane and exiting airport. I’ve done this journey by plane hundred times and it takes a minimum of 4h30 if not 5 hours.
Shinjuku to Tokyo station it’s 25 minutes maximum. That’s in total less than 3 hours. And if you flew JAL or even ANA, it’s significantly narrower seat with significantly less leg room than Nozomi.
Obviously your opinion is infallible, and the only one that matters. I am not looking for an argument.
?? Alex G. Unnecessary.
Unnecessary and also an odd opinion. Almost everyone will prefer the train over flying for that route for a multitude of reasons.
I’m not questioning that their position is genuinely held, but it’s completely bemusing to suggest others will share it.
After a brief stint in Japan I thought it might be helpful to provide a few general tips based on my recent experience.
Immigration
– Register with Visit Japan Web in advance with your planned trip details. You will be able to finalise the process 3 days before landing in Japan by completing the customs declaration. Once you have done this, you will be able the generate a single QR code which will be required for both immigration and customs.
– You can enter multiple passengers as part of the same trip, but you must generate a separate QR code for each passenger (you can share this with them by any means, e.g. screenshot).
– If it’s your first time in Japan you will need to go through the manned border gate to be finger printed. More importantly, the guard will also add a temporary visitor stamp in your passport which is required to collect an pre-booked JR passes and also to generate your tax free shopping QR code.
– Obviously always check the official entry requirement before travel in case of any changes.Connectivity
– You will absolutely need data connectivity when in Japan so get an eSIM. I used Airalo as I needed an eSim covering several countries. Klook also have some good deals and actually provided a free eSim as part of a promo on JR passes.Trains
– Unless you are travelling extensively across Japan the full JR Pass is unlikely to be cost effective. However, you can make considerable savings if you opt for one of the many area passes. Use the calculator at https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/ to input your various journeys to see if any passes might save you money.
– You can purchase directly from the train company although I found it easier to purchase via Klook (stacks with TCB). You get a voucher which you can exchange at a JR ticket office (usually the airport train station on arrival) or via a ticket machine. At this point, you can also make any seat reservations for trains included in your pass (Shinkansen for example). If you book direct with the JR train company you can reserve your seats in advance.
– If you are booking Shinkansen trains individually or those not included in you pass, it’s best to register with https://smart-ex.jp/en/index.php and order your tickets directly. You will be able to reserve your seats at the point of purchase and also book seats in the Green cars (slightly better class of travel).
– Don’t leave reservations to the last minute on popular routes or busy times of the year.Metro
– If you have a JR area pass, you may be able to use this to get to many destinations in a major city. For example, I had a Kansai-Hiroshima area pass and was able to get around Osaka by using the JR West Osaka Loop Line which circles 19 stations in central Osaka. However, you will at some stage need to get to grips with the extensive metro systems.
– By far the best way to use the metro system is with an IC card (Suica, Pasmo, Icoca). You can download the IC card into your phone wallet and load it up using any FX friendly card you have in your wallet (I used Revolut & Curve). There’s very little difference between the cards…Suica is probably the best know but they all work in the same way and you can also use in them to pay for stuff at convenience stores.Taxis
– Can be expensive depending on the city and distance. The main ride hailing apps are Go and Uber. Despite what I was told, I actually found Uber cheaper to use than Go.Money
– Despite credit cards and IC cards being widely accepted, you will still need cash for some food stalls and shrines. 7 Eleven ATMs are supposed to have no withdrawal fees but this depends on the card you are using.Getting around
– Google is your best friend here. It provides pretty good directional mapping and is excellent for train/metro journeys (providing information on entry/exit gates plus platform number which is key).Tours/Attractions
– I used GetYourGuide and Klook (stacked with TCB). Highly recommend doing a food tour if it’s your first time in Japan…we were taken to places we would never have found.Restaurants
– By far my biggest frustration in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo was getting a seat at a restaurant. Many of the good ramen restaurants don’t take reservations so you may have to queue (and it can be a huge queue). If you have a particular place in mind (Ramen Beast is a good app), best to get there at opening time. For more traditional restaurants, your hotel concierge is your best friend as they will provide recommendations and make resevations for you.Tax Free Shopping
– You need to generate a QR code from Japan Web to use in store (this is time stamped). You need to generate a code each time you visit a new store. Many stores still operate using the old method of scanning your passport and temporary visitor sticker.A note for future reference on picking up the Kansai-Hiroshima area pass… I used Chase to pay, but they had trouble when I went to pick the pass up, because it has no numbers on the physical card (apparently it’s the same if you use a virtual card too). They had to help me go back into the online booking and change card details, which means I’ve paid again on a different card and having to wait for a refund on the Chase card.
Thanks TJ and Biki. Useful information.
A note for future reference on picking up the Kansai-Hiroshima area pass… I used Chase to pay, but they had trouble when I went to pick the pass up, because it has no numbers on the physical card (apparently it’s the same if you use a virtual card too). They had to help me go back into the online booking and change card details, which means I’ve paid again on a different card and having to wait for a refund on the Chase card.
Literally just happened to me in Tokyo trying to pick up Shinkansen tickets to Kyoto. Paid with my Chase card on line but unbeknown to me the actual card number is different to the ‘virtual’ card number you see on the app so there is no ‘match’ when you try to pick up tickets. They could not help me even though I showed them proof of purchase! Good grief. After lots of stress and getting angry for what seemed an eternity they told me to cancel the reservation ( and got charged a penalty ) then buy the same seats again at the ticket office. Yes beware DO NOT USE CHASE on JR railways on line reservations!
Checkin cutoff (well, conformance in reality) is 20 minutes and the trip to airport from shinjuku station is 45 minutes by train or 55 minutes by bus. So Alex G has at least 15 minutes buffer there. As mentioned if you’re not going to Shin-Osaka you wont save as much time as it seems.
I had a 0522 Daimon departure and 0834 IC Osaka arrival using the plane (JL101), 3 hr 15 mins and I didn’t take bus from ITM which is faster than the train.
Shinkansen option is 3 hrs +-1 mins on google maps so I see the 2 options comparable in time. Not to mention flying is usually cheaper than 14000 JPY JR charge if you dont have a JR Pass.It will take longer than 3h40 by plane, you won’t be arriving at exactly the check-in deadline (you phyiscally can’t time it that way), recommended minimum is 60 minutes. You also don’t account for getting off the plane and exiting airport. I’ve done this journey by plane hundred times and it takes a minimum of 4h30 if not 5 hours.
Shinjuku to Tokyo station it’s 25 minutes maximum. That’s in total less than 3 hours. And if you flew JAL or even ANA, it’s significantly narrower seat with significantly less leg room than Nozomi.
I would add a couple of small amendments to this thread, based on my trip in October/ November (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara):
You can complete the customs element of the QR entry earlier than three days before entry (we did our forms two weeks ahead of entry).
We needed far less cash than we thought. Only needed at a few shrines and some small (cheap) restaurants. Ended up paying cash for a proposition of our last hotel.
Making restaurant reservations is a complete pain. Best route is to use your hotel concierge / reception (if possible). There are also some sites that claim that they can make a booking for a fee of around 10USD per person.
Bullet train reservations are flexible. We changed to an earlier train, with minimum hassle. The trains that we took had three carriages with no reserved seats – so it’s first come, first served.
Our kids loved the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Tokyo. Funky building, with a bar serving wine and cocktails until 10pm – and a branch of Princi bakery inside. Champagne at £45 per bottle.
The flights to/from UK are long. Thank goodness for iPads.Regarding cash, it will depend where you go/shop. If you’re going to more remote places, you’ll need cash. Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka is usually fine. And weaker yen, you do need less cash anyway.
Yes, if you don’t speak/write Japanese then it’s difficult to make reservations.
All shinkasen have reserved and non-reserved seats. You can buy non-reserved tickets which are slightly cheaper, but at peak times you might have to stand.
I think I mentioned it, but all train tickets (including shinkasen) are flexible and can be changed once without a fee but it has to be done 24 hours before. Otherwise there is a small handling fee to pay for the reserved seat (200-300 yen I think).
However, for shinkansen you don’t even have to change it. If you ‘miss’ the train you can just hop on the next one or later, but you have to sit in the non-reserved section.
Going to Japan for Starbucks Reserve might seem like novelty since they offer items not available elsewhere, but at peak times there are horrendous queues as both Japanese and the tourists come because it’s been marketed to death on Instagram.
I recommend going to one of the kissaten instead. It’s more of an authentic experience.
Hello, I’m off to Osaka and Tokyo in the second and third week of April.
Need some opinions on jackets and coats.
Mrs Aston very recently purged my collection (“you’re too old for denim” and “puffer jackets are for chavs”) leaving me with just a pea coat and my trusty lightweight rain jacket.
I’m not sure if either of those are suitable.
Do I need to go and buy a medium weight / summer jacket?
Should I perhaps just pack the rain jacket and head straight for the nearest Uniqlo and buy something appropriate over there once I’ve gauged the weather conditions?
I’ll be going to Hakone for a day trip and imagine it might be a tad chilly in the evening waiting for the romance car back to Shinjuku.It’s probably in the mid-high teens then, so probably won’t need a big coat (for temperature at least, rain might be another!)
UNi Qlo is very cheap out there though, and you can claim the tax back too. How about you buy one while out there? there are dozens of them in both cities, so never too far away from one!
Don’t forget Montbell is much cheaper for lots of clothing in Japan too. April will be warm – I only use down for the Alps then.
Hi all, we’re travelling in May for 14 days, would appreciate a bit of help on the itinerary as we’re first-timers. So far we’ve got 4 full days in Tokyo (incl. arrival day), 2 days in Hakone, 7 days for Osaka/Kyoto including day trips to nearby towns then a final day in Tokyo.
Would 2 nights in Hakone be too much, could we get away with only spending the one night there? The New Indigo in Hakone looks nice, any other recommendations for a ryokan with a private Onsen?
Would you split your stay in Tokyo between two hotels, or just pick something like Akasaka with good access to everything. (IC ANA looks ok but bit pricey).
The HI Shin-Osaka seems to be very popular on these forums, and handy for day trips to Kobe/Nara etc., but isn’t it a bit too far from Osaka centre itself?Thanks.
Hi all, we’re travelling in May for 14 days, would appreciate a bit of help on the itinerary as we’re first-timers. So far we’ve got 4 full days in Tokyo (incl. arrival day), 2 days in Hakone, 7 days for Osaka/Kyoto including day trips to nearby towns then a final day in Tokyo.
Would 2 nights in Hakone be too much, could we get away with only spending the one night there? The New Indigo in Hakone looks nice, any other recommendations for a ryokan with a private Onsen?
Would you split your stay in Tokyo between two hotels, or just pick something like Akasaka with good access to everything. (IC ANA looks ok but bit pricey).
The HI Shin-Osaka seems to be very popular on these forums, and handy for day trips to Kobe/Nara etc., but isn’t it a bit too far from Osaka centre itself?Thanks.
I would say 1 night in Hakone is sufficient. Either on the way in or the way out you can do the circuit https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5210.html
We stayed at the Tensui Saryo which was great.
Personally, I think Hakkobe is worth a two night stay, but I wouldn’t want to stay less than two nights anywhere. Alternatively, you could do Hakkone as a day trip from Tokyo.
I would stay near Osaka main station, not Shin-Osaka. You can use local JR trains for day trips to Kobe, Nara, Himeji and Kyoto. There is also a private railway (Keihan Electric Railway) from Osaka (Yodoyabashi) that takes you directly to the Gion area of Kyoto. This is more convenient than JR services if you are heading to Gion.
Check out the Monterey Le Frere Osaka, which is a 10 minute walk to the JR station, and close to shops and restaurants, and walking distance from Yodoyabashi.
Oh and for Tokyo, check The Knot in Shinjuku, which has decent sized rooms and is cheaper than the soulless American chain hotels. Or any Japanese hotel for that matter!
Thanks both!
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