Do i need to pre book trains in japan

All types of japanese trains, from local to shinkansen, are typically classified into the following categories. And rightly so as someone who has made a lot of shinkansen journeys over the years, the experience never gets old. Do i need to prebook any train tickets before arriving. Train travel in china a beginners guide how to buy. In some places, the shinkansen station is a fair distance from the main jr. But if you book a seat on overnight booking, please check the departure date at the original departure station.

If you are making a reservation with a rail pass, only you the passholder can do this, and it must be done once you are in japan. Japan may be a common byword for technology, but the country is very oldfashioned when it comes to handling money. I was thinking perhaps my hotel in saigon could help me do it. This doesnt mean you need to have your whole trip pre booked, but itd be nice to have an address to write down. The shinkansen is unlikely to be sold out so you should have no issues booking it when you land at narita, and even if it is sold out you can. The japan rail pass, also known as the jr rail pass or jr pass, is a cost effective train pass offered exclusively to foreign visitors which allows for unlimited use of most jr japan railways trains for travel across japan. You can make reservations right up to train departures, although during national holidays such as golden week, obon or new year, 34 days in advance is necessary. After activating your rail pass, take it to any jr ticket office and present your pass to make a free reservation. W hen you think of transportation in japan, obviously the japan rail pass comes to mind. Elsewhere on the site are more specific pages on shinkansen bullet trains, train tickets, and train timetables, luggage and night trains 1 train categories. Bullet train tickets can be prepurchased 1month ahead, so they wont still be sold out for any given day within that timeframe. Japan rail pass holders are entitled to book a seat on all japan railways trains free of charge.

To obtain the japan rail pass, you need to purchase an exchange order in your own country from designated sales offices and travel agencies. How to buy shinkansen bullet train tickets inside kyoto. Not sure, but if youre in tokyo already then go to the nearest possible jr railroad station. You can use a pasmo card to save time when taking nonjr lines. For public transport, especially buses and shortjourney trains. If you plan to travel to or from hakone on a weekend or friday afternoon, then you might try to book tickets before you leave. Even today, in 2016, many a shop and eatery in japan will only accept cash. A jr pass cannot be purchased easily in japan its available only in limited locations and the prices are higher. All seats should be booked before boarding the train.

In general you cant easily prebook these from outside of japan. An additional charge will be required for the nozomi, so most japan rail pass users ride the hikari or kodama trains. Trains are a convenient way to explore japan, however train stations can be crowded and busy, especially at urban stations during the morning and evening rush hours typically 7. Easiest options to get from narita airport to tokyo and. Travelling by japan s shinkansen, or bullet trains, is a must do for visitors to japan. A pasmo is a type of ic card in japan, a tapandgo pass that is charged with money on it. Similar to the eurail pass, the jr rail pass gives you close to unlimited travel for a set period on japan s jr trains. You foreign visitors can only book the seats of the trains run by the jr east online from exactly 10am one month before, but you cannot book the seats of the trains run y the other 5 jr companies including jr tokai jr central in english which run the tokaido shinkansen between tokyo and kyotoshinosaka. Below is a list of the various railway tickets available in japan. When ordering the pass, the select child passes on the right. Traveling around japan you will need to take the train on small journeys, such as day trips from kyoto to nara or tokyo to nikko, kamakura or even hakone mount fuji, as well as trains that travel great distances such as tokyo kyoto or kyoto hiroshima example. So book as many days ahead as you can or pre arrange tickets online as explained below.

Preferring the personal experience of cars and their drivers over bullet trains and buses, he meets a whole array of locals and learns plenty about the country hes exploring. Exclusively available to non japan residents, a japan rail pass allows you to travel across the country for 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days in a month. Often, trains have some wagons dedicated to reserved seats shiteiseki, whilst others are dedicated to unreserved seats jiyuseki. Options include the limousine bus, other bus and train options, airport shuttle buses, taxi and uber, including the links to pre book. How to reserve a seat of japan railway trains at the.

From 2017, you can also buy the pass in japan on a trial basis until march 2018, but it will be more expensive than buying outside japan. Even then, you should be able to reserve seats on those two trains after you get to japan unless you are taking those trains on the weekend. How to book train tickets japan message board tripadvisor. However, if you want to book a seat you can do so without additional charges before you catch your train by going into a booking office at the train station midori no madoguchi and showing your japan rail pass. The best time to buy your japan rail pass depends on when you are going. How to buy japan rail tickets and shinkansen tickets. Is there a train from narita airport down to osaka or do we need. An easy guide to buying and using the japan rail pass.

For many people traveling to japan, booking train tickets is a major problem. What is a good book on the history of trains railways in. Most shinkansen and limited express trains carry nonreserved jiyuseki and reserved shiteiseki seats, while a few carry reserved seats only. You can make reservations right up to train departures, although. Jreast train reservation is a convenient online service that allows you to reserve seats on shinkansen and limited express trains ordinary cars, green cars and granclass before you come to japan. Check out this article to see a detailed breakdown of the easiest and most cost effective options to travel from narita airport to the area around tokyo station and ginza. The luxury of shinkansen bullet train hopping is exhilarating. Seat reservations cost roughly 300 to 700 yen, but are free with the japan. On most local, rapid and express trains all seats are nonreserved. Booking website are usually in japanese only, and therefore not very easy to use for non japanese speakers. The japan rail pass can only be purchased and used by foreign visitors to japan.

While its easy to buy tickets at train stations in japan. Fyi shinkansen is the japanese word for bullet train bullet trains you can take. The cost of a child japan rail pass is half price compared to the price of an adult. This presentation illustrates the evolution of the bullet train shinkansen, an area of railways that the japanese pioneered. Japan has 23,670 kilometers of rail track across the country, making it easy to travel throughout the country.

The reserve seat on most trains can be reserved at midori no madoguchi only. Japan s shinkansen bullet trains, which run at a maximum speed of 320kmh, connect almost every major city in the country. The following is a guide on how to use trains and subways in japan. As for convenience, very easy to book your tickets when you arrive either at the jr ticket centre at nrt or kix. Im travelling from saigon to mui ne on the 2nd august not sure if im going to bin thuan or phan tihet yet, then back to saigon on the 5th do i need to pre book train tickets online or can i just do it on the day.

Our page about regular train tickets provides an introduction to the various fares and. With the many different types of trains in japan, tickets and reservations and whether you need them or not can get a little confusing. The jr group does not allow to change to a reserved seat once you have boarded the train. How to take your bicycle on trains, buses, and more in japan tour japan. You can buy tickets for express trains, airport express trains. For infants, japan rail states that they do not need a japan. Rail plus will issue an exchange voucher you will receive it by mail which must be presented at any jr station that has a japan. In general you cant easily pre book these from outside of japan.

With this service, you will not have to worry about not being able to ride a train after you arrive in japan. You foreign visitors can only book the seats of the trains run by the jr east online from exactly 10am one month before, but you cannot book the seats of the trains run y the other 5 jr companies including jr. The shinkansen is unlikely to be sold out so you should have no issues booking it when you land at narita, and even if it is sold out you can always buy a nonreserved ticket and try and grab a seat in the nonreserved carriages. Keep hold of your ticket as you may have to present both your japan rail pass and seat reservation to the ticket inspector. However, most local trains dont have reserved seats, whereas other trains. Yes they do, and most longdistance trains get fullybooked days ahead. You can always head to a japan rail jr counter once you arrive or seek help from an agent and pay some extra bucks, however, did you know that you can also book in advance online.