The way to Navigate Japan’s Railway System: Varieties, Tickets & Ideas

Japan’s railway system, often hailed as the most effective on this planet, connects the nation’s main cities, islands, landmarks, cities, and villages, and is undoubtedly probably the most handy and inexpensive strategy to discover this unimaginable place.

Understanding how you can navigate Japan’s railways is, subsequently, completely important to taking advantage of your time on this particular nation and having the easiest journey expertise. If you wish to see as a lot of Japan as you possibly can and make each second rely, then we will inform you how with our professional ideas for navigating the nation’s quick, environment friendly, and clear railway system.

We’ll clarify all the pieces it’s good to know, from practice sorts, seat courses, and shopping for tickets, to why a Japan Rail Cross is such a wise funding, in our complete practice journey information.

Right here’s an outline:

Japan’s Railway System: An Overview

Quick, secure, environment friendly, and clear, Japan’s trains are all the pieces you’ve heard and extra.

Additionally they join your complete nation, from the northernmost island to the southernmost, enabling vacationers to succeed in all over the place they may need to go to in Japan. In fact, a practice system this massive and sophisticated can appear slightly daunting for first-time guests and that’s the place we are available in.

Let’s begin by providing you with a fast overview of the rail system and some key info

• Japan’s Railways are operated by the JR (Japan Railways) Group. The JR Group consists of six impartial practice operators (JR Hokkaido, JR Central, JR East, JR West, JR Shikoku and JR Kyushu). Collectively, these regional rail firms join Japan’s six major islands. There are additionally smaller non-public firms who run further providers.
• Need to see a map of the entire JR community? We’ve put collectively an interactive map of the community’s 4,800 practice stations and 23,000 km of rail traces, which provides an excellent useful resource for anybody planning to discover Japan by practice.

Prepare Varieties

There are a variety of various practice sorts in Japan, from the well-known and futuristic Shinkansen bullet trains to quaint native providers.

• Shinkansen
  The well-known ‘bullet trains’ (the nickname comes from the bullet-shaped nostril of their unique design) join Japan’s major islands, from the town of Sapporo within the north to Kagoshima within the south. In between these two stops, these unimaginable high-speed trains go to nearly all of Japan’s main cities – Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and plenty of extra. The Shinkansen are solely operated by the JR Group and have separate ticket gates and platforms. Touring on a bullet practice is an attraction in itself for a lot of guests to Japan. Try: The Full Information to Experiencing the Shinkansen Excessive-Pace Trains in Japan
• Restricted Categorical
  The quickest non-Shinkansen trains in Japan. Restricted Categorical trains are nonetheless very quick and solely cease at main stations. There are greater than 100 differing types.
• Categorical
  One other quick service. Categorical trains cease at fewer stations than Fast or Native trains to succeed in major locations quicker.
• Fast
  Basically a quicker model of the native trains beneath. These trains skip some minor stations to attain a quicker service. No seat reservations are wanted on fast trains.
• Native
  Common trains that cease at each station. Native trains value the identical as fast trains above. These trains additionally don’t have seat reservations.
• Particular trains
  These are commonly known as ‘joyful’ trains in Japan and are particular trains and providers typically based mostly round characters, particular occasions, or themes, from Mickey Mouse to restaurant trains and resort excursions. These typically include extensive view home windows, particular consolation seats, drinks and meals, and can also contain actions equivalent to a cellular artwork gallery, native dancing, and even sake tasting.

Seat Lessons

Whereas touring on Japan’s trains, there are usually two major kinds of seat courses, though a 3rd, gran class, is offered on some Shinkansen trains.

• Extraordinary
  These are normal seats. Japan’s bizarre seats are snug, spacious, and clear.
• Inexperienced Automotive / Inexperienced Class
  The equal of first-class with extra luxurious seating and additional house. Inexperienced vehicles could be recognized with a four-leaf inexperienced clover image on the carriage. Extras embody drinks, oshibori, hand towels and sweet.
• Gran Class
  Enterprise-class type luxurious seating with perks like eye masks, sake, sashimi, blankets and therapeutic massage seats. Gran class is simply accessible on sure Shinkansen trains.

Introducing: The Japan Rail Cross

The Japan Rail Cross supplies limitless journey on your complete nationwide JR community, together with the high-speed bullet practice traces and transport to and from the nation’s airports.

Whether or not you’re planning to discover the entire nation or simply journey from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka and again once more (for instance), a JR Cross can provide significantly better worth than buying particular person tickets – and it’s solely accessible for worldwide guests.

Passes are legitimate for 7, 14, or 21 days as soon as activated and provide you with entry to all Japan Railways Group (JR) trains, buses, and ferry providers throughout Japan. This contains the well-known Shinkansen bullet trains. One of many many advantages of the JR Cross – alongside limitless journey on JR trains and the Shinkansen – is free reservations and seat choice. Having a cross means you’ll additionally have the ability to hop on and off trains as wanted with out having to purchase a ticket, which supplies you an enormous quantity of additional flexibility as a traveler. You may even improve your JR Cross to a Inexperienced Class JR Cross for limitless first-class journey. 

Japan Rail Passes could be purchased as much as three months upfront and have to be activated in your arrival in Japan. Regional JR passes are additionally accessible if you happen to’re positively solely visiting one space of Japan. Lastly, you can even buy particular person tickets for single and return journeys from self-service ticket machines or ticket counters at stations, though it’s price noting even if you happen to’re solely planning on utilizing the practice a few times throughout your keep, it’d nonetheless be higher worth to make use of a JR Cross. 

Associated learn: Touring by Rail in Japan with JR Cross

High Ten Journey Ideas for Japan’s Railways

Alongside the detailed info we’ve already offered, we’ve additionally put collectively an inventory of professional ideas for Japan’s railways that can assist you have the absolute best journey expertise.

1. Planning makes excellent

The extra time you spend planning your practice journeys earlier than you arrive in Japan, the much less time you’ll waste on the bottom. When you do your analysis upfront to work out the most effective and best practice journeys to succeed in the locations most vital to you you then’ll spend extra time having fun with the vacation spot and fewer time travelling. 

2. Arrive early, by no means late

Japan’s trains are extremely punctual and nearly all the time go away on time so it’s loads higher to be early than late. Arrive on the station in loads of time and also you’ll be advantageous. In truth, you’ll be amazed at how well timed Japan’s trains are in comparison with the remainder of the world!

3. Fashionable know-how is your pal

The likes of Google Maps, Navitime, and Jorudan, could be extraordinarily helpful for reside updates if you’re out and about. Be sure you spend money on a PocketWifi machine earlier than you journey nonetheless to remain related to the web if you want it. PocketWifi leases provide limitless Wifi from any location, and on as much as 5 gadgets, permitting you to navigate and verify reside timetable updates on the go. Learn extra about ordinary apps in our information to Hyperdia alternate options. 

4. Discover the suitable departure platform 

One fast tip that may be a lifesaver when in a rush is studying to search out the suitable departure platform. There could be lots of info on each your ticket and the departure screens, like practice identify, stops, kind of service and rather more. A quick strategy to discover the suitable platform is to have a look at the departure occasions first, then take a look at all the pieces else. An alternate is to ask what platform your practice will depart from when reserving the tickets and ask the employees to jot down this in your ticket.

5. Pay attention to Japanese practice etiquette

Japan is thought for valuing good manners and its etiquette guidelines positively prolong to coach journeys. Maintain your cellphone on silent, attempt to keep away from taking calls if attainable, take heed to music by headphones solely, hold your voice down whereas speaking, eliminate your litter, and retailer your baggage appropriately, are all good fundamental ideas if you wish to keep within the good graces of Japanese commuters.

Associated learn: Japanese Etiquette: The way to Act Like You’re Japanese

6. Verify your baggage allowance

Baggage rules on most of Japan’s trains are pretty relaxed. Typically, it’s possible you’ll convey any dimension or variety of baggage inside motive, so long as it doesn’t inconvenience different passengers. The one exception is the Shinkansen bullet trains, which do have extra formal baggage rules.

When boarding the Shinkansen, the next rules apply: Chances are you’ll convey as much as two items of luggage on board freed from cost. For every bag the whole of the size, width and peak should not exceed 250 centimetres, the size should not exceed two metres and the load have to be not more than 30 kilograms.

• Baggage items lower than 160 cm (sum of peak x size x width) could be introduced aboard with out prior reservation.
• For baggage items between 160 cm – 250 centimeters, a previous reservation is required, which could be made without spending a dime. In case no reservation is made, then a 1,000 yen advantageous will likely be charged, and your baggage could also be moved by the practice conductor.
• Baggage over 250 centimeters might not be introduced on the practice and can want different transportation. Reservations could be made without spending a dime by the Eki-Internet App, at a ticket machine or in particular person at a ticket window.
• Utilizing the JR Cross, we recommend making your seat reservations and baggage reservations on the identical time. JR Cross holders who improve to Inexperienced Class get an additional baggage allowance of two suitcases per particular person.
• Lastly, you probably have particularly giant baggage, it’s possible you’ll need to think about using the lockers at stations or baggage forwarding providers. 

7. Reserved vs non-reserved

Relying on the kind of practice you’re touring on, you’ll come throughout providers with reserved and non-reserved carriages.

The latter merely means you possibly can sit wherever inside these carriages you probably have a non-reserved ticket. In reserved carriages, you’ll need to pre-book your seat reservation upfront. Reservations are free for JR Cross holders and could be made at ticket places of work. We now have extra detailed info on reserving seats additional beneath, so hold studying.

It’s a good suggestion to order a seat if you happen to can. Seat reservations with out a rail cross can value wherever between 200 and 1,000 yen every, however they’re free with the JR Cross, which is one other good motive to think about shopping for one in your journey.

Making a reservation not solely saves cash, it additionally saves time, as there’s no have to queue for a seat on the station platform. Additionally, you will have the peace of mind that you would be able to sit collectively along with your fellow vacationers. All reserved seats are assured.

8. E-book forward (or keep away from touring) throughout busy intervals

Every day, it’s possible you’ll need to keep away from commuter rush-hour intervals, that are much like these in different nations (8 am-9 am and 5 pm-7 pm). In any other case, you’ll additionally need to concentrate on vacation intervals when trains is perhaps absolutely booked. These embody New 12 months, Obon, and Golden Week, that are common holidays in Japan. The well-known Cherry Blossom season is one other busy time of yr in Japan for vacationers.

Key dates to be careful for are 28 December to six January (New 12 months), 27 April to six Might (Golden Week), and 11-20 August (Obon season). The identical goes for festivals, just like the Gion Matsuri in July, the Takayama Pageant from April 14-15 and Tokushima Pageant August 12-15.

Usually talking, reserving forward and making seat reservations is an effective method to make sure you have a seat no matter time of yr it’s. 

9. You’ll want a pay as you go journey card for Japan’s subways

Alongside a JR Cross for countrywide journey, a pay as you go journey card for inner-city journeys is a should! These IC playing cards – much like London’s Oyster card system – are the best strategy to get round Japanese cities utilizing wonderful public transportation.

As such, you’ll positively need to spend money on a pay as you go journey card equivalent to an ICOCA, PASMO or Suica card. IC playing cards like these could be topped up and refunded as wanted and so they work by tapping or waving them over the cardboard reader as you cross by the ticket gates.

As a bonus tip (and never only for practice journey), make sure you carry money the place you possibly can in Japan as bodily money remains to be used loads throughout the nation.

10. Take a second to get pleasure from Japan’s trains and practice stations

Each Japan’s trains and stations are distinctive, state-of-the-art, and stuffed with issues to see and do. They aren’t simply transport hubs or technique of transport to get from A to B, they’re an expertise in themselves.

Be sure to take some time to cease, go searching, and luxuriate in each the stations and trains themselves as a part of your journey. Some stations are main complexes filled with outlets, eating places, and services, for instance, whereas others are picturesque, quaint, and nostalgic.

You’ll additionally discover the world’s greatest practice meals at stations – Ekiben. Pronounced ‘air key ben’, the Japanese phrase ‘Ekiben’ is a portmanteau of the kanji symbols for ‘practice station’ and ‘boxed meal’ i.e. ‘station-bento’. Its identify completely describes what it’s – a lunch field offered at practice stations for consuming throughout your rail journey. Learn our Information to Ekiben for extra.

Equally, Japanese trains, significantly the Shinkansen, include options equivalent to onboard drinks and snacks providers, energy shops for cellphone charging and laptop computer use, seats that may rotate 180 levels, and extra.

Navigating Japan’s Railway System

On the subject of getting round Japan’s practice stations, shopping for tickets, and boarding trains, it’s possible you’ll be pleasantly shocked to find it’s a lot simpler and fewer daunting than it’s possible you’ll suppose. You is perhaps shocked to know that Japanese practice stations have indicators and departure boards in English in addition to Japanese. You might also see indicators in Chinese language and Korean, reflecting the nation’s standing as a world journey vacation spot. 

The way to Reserve Seats & Board the Prepare

Japan’s trains have each non-reserved and reserved seats in separate vehicles. Sure providers are absolutely reserved, and others could also be switched to completely reserved throughout nationwide holidays just like the New 12 months, Obon, or Golden Week, so make sure you verify earlier than you journey.

If you’re touring with a Japan Rail Cross then one of many many benefits of that is that you would be able to make advance seat reservations without spending a dime. Seats could be reserved freed from cost at Midori no Mado Guchi ticket places of work, recognizable by their inexperienced signal, or at Journey Service Centres and JR-associated Journey Businesses.

For a number of years, JR East trains have been the one service that has supplied a web-based English language reservation system, which could possibly be used to make bookings from outdoors of Japan, with all different traces requiring in-person reservations as soon as in Japan. To order a seat, merely take your JR Cross to the Midori no Mado Guchi, specify which practice you want to reserve a seat on, stating smoking or non-smoking. You’ll then obtain your reserved seat ticket and easily want to indicate your JR Cross on the ticket gate and go to your platform.

Be sure you hold maintain of your ticket as you will have to current each your JR Cross and seat reservation to the ticket inspector. 

So far as boarding a practice goes, it’s comparatively easy – after arriving on the station, you’ll need to undergo the common ticket gates into the paid fare zone and head to the platform. Please be aware if you happen to’re touring on a Shinkansen practice there will likely be a second set of ticket gates. Shinkansen additionally has its personal devoted platforms.

You’ll discover your carriage quantity in your ticket. Carriage numbers can be discovered printed on the bottom and hanging from indicators (non-reserved carriages are normally numbered 1-5). Line up behind the white line and wait in your practice. As soon as the practice arrives, enter your carriage and discover your seat (seat numbers are indicated above the window). In any other case, you possibly can sit in any seat if it’s an unreserved carriage.

After that, merely sit again and chill out!