How to Buy Shinkansen Tickets in Tokyo (2026): Apps, Machines and Big Suitcases

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Buying a Shinkansen ticket in Tokyo is not difficult. What confuses most visitors is that there is no single booking site for every bullet train. Which one you use depends on which direction you are going.

Here is how to work out which system you need, how the official English booking site for the Kyoto–Osaka line works, and the luggage rule that catches travellers with big suitcases — all checked against the rail operators’ own pages.

The short answer

• Going west (Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka)? You are on the Tokaido–Sanyo Shinkansen. Book on smartEX, the official English site and app.
• Going north (Sendai, Niigata, Nagano, Kanazawa)? You are on JR East’s lines. Book through JR East’s own English reservation service or at the station.
• Carrying a large suitcase west? You may need to reserve a special seat. See the luggage section below before you book.
• Using a Japan Rail Pass on Nozomi? You need an extra ticket each time.

Step 1: Work out which line you are taking

Tokyo Station is the starting point for all of the lines below. The Tokaido Shinkansen also stops at Shinagawa, which can be closer if you are staying in the south or west of the city.

This split matters because smartEX does not sell JR East trains, and JR East’s service does not sell the Kyoto–Osaka line. If a train you expected is missing from the results, check that you are on the right site before assuming it is sold out.

If you are not sure how long each trip takes, our guide to day trips from Tokyo to Hakone, Nikko and Kamakura and the Mt Fuji day trip guide cover the most popular short hops.

Step 2: Booking the Kyoto–Osaka line on smartEX

smartEX is run by the operators of the Tokaido–Sanyo–Kyushu Shinkansen and works in English. The points that matter to a visitor, from the official site:

• No annual membership fee. You register, then pay per ticket.
• Payment by credit card. Major international cards are accepted (the smartEX site shows the current list). The charge is in yen, so your own card issuer may add a foreign transaction fee.
• How far ahead: you can put in a request up to a year before travel, but seats for those early requests are only confirmed from 8:00 a.m. one month before the travel date. Sales continue until four minutes before departure.
• Three ways to get through the gate: a QR code on your phone, a paper ticket collected from a station machine, or an IC card (such as Suica) linked to the booking.

The QR option is the simplest for most visitors, but it means your phone must be online at the station. If you have not sorted out mobile data yet, compare Japan eSIM plans on Klook or read our Japan eSIM guide before you fly.

Step 3: Buying at the station instead

You do not have to book online. Every Shinkansen station has two options:

• Reserved-seat ticket machines, which have an English display option. Useful when you are buying the same day and know your train.
• Staffed ticket offices, where you can buy any ticket in person, including the special luggage seats described below.

Buying at the station can suit you if you want to talk through options, or if your card is declined online. At busy times, though, booking ahead gives you more choice of trains.

Travelling with a large suitcase: the rule that catches people

On the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, luggage whose length, width and height add up to more than 160 cm and up to 250 cm needs a “seat with an oversized baggage area”, reserved in advance. The largest suitcases can go over 160 cm, so measure yours before you book.

• You choose this seat type when you book — on smartEX, at a ticket machine or at the ticket office.
• If you board with luggage in this size range without the reservation, JR Central charges a ¥1,000 fee (tax included).
• Luggage over 250 cm in total cannot be taken on board at all.

If you are heading straight from the airport, our Narita and Haneda to Tokyo guide covers getting yourself and your bags into the city first.

If you have a Japan Rail Pass

Since 1 October 2023, Japan Rail Pass holders can ride Nozomi and Mizuho, the fastest trains on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines, but only with a separate “NOZOMI/MIZUHO Ticket” for each journey. According to the official Japan Rail Pass site:

• The price depends on distance. Tokyo to Kyoto or Shin-Osaka is ¥4,960.
• The price is the same for non-reserved and reserved seats.
• It goes on sale one month before the travel date.

Whether that extra cost is worth it depends on how many long trips you are making. Our breakdown of whether the JR Pass is worth it in 2026 walks through the math.

Three mistakes to avoid

1. Booking on the wrong site. West of Tokyo is smartEX; north of Tokyo is JR East. Check the table above first.
2. Turning up with a big suitcase and no special seat. On the Tokaido line this costs ¥1,000 on the spot.
3. Assuming the JR Pass covers Nozomi. It does not, unless you buy the extra ticket each time.

Summary

• Kyoto, Osaka and further west: smartEX, no annual fee, requests accepted up to a year ahead.
• Sendai, Niigata, Nagano and Kanazawa: JR East’s booking service or the station.
• Suitcase over 160 cm (L+W+H) on the Tokaido line: reserve an oversized baggage seat.
• JR Pass on Nozomi: buy the NOZOMI/MIZUHO Ticket (¥4,960 from Tokyo to Kyoto or Shin-Osaka).

Information checked against smartEX, JR Central and the official Japan Rail Pass site on 23 September 2026. Fares and rules can change, so confirm on the official sites before you travel.