A few weeks ago I travelled with the Shinkansen Tokaido from Tokyo to Kyoto. Before I took the trip, I bought a ticket online to reserve my seat. I found out that there are a lot of 3rd party websites offering Shinkansen Tickets. I also found out that these 3rd party websites charge 30% to 50% more for the Shinkansen tickets compared to buying them directly from JR (Japanese Rail). Therefore, in this review, I’ll also include a Ticket Buying Guide and directions on how to buy the Shinkansen tickets for the best price!
So please read my Shinkansen Tokaido Tokyo to Kyoto Review and take advantage of the Ticket Buying Guide!
Shinkansen Ticket Buying Guide
Instead of using 3rd party websites to book your Shinkansen Tickets, the best place to purchase them is using the JR website.
Before booking a ticket, you’ll need to register. After that, you can login and start the booking process. I’ve created a YouTube video where I’ll go through all the details from selecting the right train to selecting the rate. One interesting rate is the ‘Hayatoku Green 3 wide’ rate. You can pick this rate when you book at least 3 days in advance and it allows you to book the green car against a discounted rate. The green car is JR’s first class and has more comfortable seats; instead of 5 seats per row, there are only 4 seats. The difference in price between the ‘Hayatoku Green 3 wide’ rate and the Ordinary reserved rate was relatively small when I booked my ticket (less than 10 USD), so I decided to go for that special rate.
The Nozomi trains are the fastest trains from Tokyo to Kyoto, so that’s the one I picked. So, in this case, I booked the Shinkansen Tokaido Nozomi train!
Please see below the link of my YouTube video;
After you have booked your ticket, you can print out the ticket with the QR code. Printing out the ticket is probably the best thing to do since it’s stated on the website that having the QR code on the phone, doesn’t always work. When you will pass the Shinkansen gates at Tokyo station, you’ll get another seat reservation ticket. But it’s important to keep the ticket with the QR code, because you’ll still need that one when you’ll exit the Kyoto station!
Getting to the Shinkansen Tokaido Platform
Getting to the Shinkansen Tokaido Platform in Tokyo station can be quite tricky when you’re traveling for the first time with the Shinkansen. It’s important to remember that you’re traveling with the Tokaido Shinkansen when going from Tokyo to Kyoto since there are different Shinkansen platforms at Tokyo Station. The Shinkansen platforms are located at the Yaesu side of the station. I’ve some navigation instructions in the same YouTube video. But if you make sure you follow the directions of the Yaesu side, and then the Shinkansen Tokaido Tracks, nothing could go wrong! One tip; don’t forget to buy some snacks and drinks on your way to the train. There are a lot of food options in Tokyo Station so you’ll always find something to your liking. In the Shinkansen train itself, you cannot buy any food or drinks!
The Shinkansen Tokaido Green Car
After I made my way to the Shinkansen platform in Tokyo Station, I already saw some Shinkansen trains waiting for departure. These trains really look spectacular and I was in for a special treat since Dr. Yellow paid a short visit to the station; this yellow bullettrain is a very special train which performs rail inspections. There is no published schedule of this train so it’s just a matter of luck seeing this specific train. And when you do, it will bring you happiness!
After all that excitement, it was time to get in the train and get ready for departure. Seats are really comfortable with plenty of leg space. Seats can also decline a little bit and there is a power socket next to the seat. There is also free wi-fi but wi-fi wasn’t that reliable during my trip.
One highlight of the trip to Kyoto – which takes 130 minutes with the Nozomi train – is passing Mount Fuji. When you’re sitting on the right site of the train, you have the best views. The rest of the trip is pretty uneventful. Traveling with the Japanese Bullet Train is just very comfortable, fast and reliable. Of course the train left exactly on time and arrived exactly on time in Kyoto Station. And when you’re buying your ticket directly on the website of JR, the prices are very reasonable. I paid less than 100USD for a ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto with the green car. I think that’s an excellent value!
Also have a look at my review of my flight with ANA from London Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda in Business Class “The Room”. An amazing experience and the best Business Class product I’ve ever flown with!
