Japan has seen a huge influx of tourist for the past years. And for us that who travels a lot, public transportation plays a very important role when roaming the country. And Japan's trains are very well known for being efficient and reliable. The only thing that may pose a challenge is navigating through the labyrinth of their train stations. Riding the Shinkansen maybe more convenient than taking a domestic flight but it still has it's own challenges.
I'm going to try make a quick guide on how to ride the Shinkansen. And I can already see that smug of a face. YES, it's not as easy as hoping unto it and looking for a seat and enjoying the scenery till you get to your destination.
Booking/Buying the JR Pass
I immediately jumped to buying the JR Pass since this how we usually go around the country. You can definitely just go to it's official site at JRPass.com. But there are several sites that you can purchase it. Below are a list of sites and their given rates. I will just be posting the 7day pass just for reference
1. https://www.jrpass.com/ $360(regular) - $504(green)
2. https://www.japan-experience.com/ $368(regular) - $505(green)
3. https://www.jtbusa.com/ $353(regular) - $494(green)
4. https://www.jrailpass.com/ $367(regular) $589(green)
5. https://www.klook.com/ $358(regular) $502(green)
But if here's a quick link for a trip calculator if you really need a pass
Knowing when to buy
Obviously before considering buying a pass, you would have booked your flight months ahead. And you should know by now where and when you'll be taking the Shinkansen. How early can I purchase a pass? According to JRPass.com, "Can be ordered up to 6 months before planned activation date. The Japan Rail Pass exchange voucher is valid for 90 days after issue date, so we will send the actual tickets closer to your travel day".
Depending on which site you bought your pass, it can be a few days to weeks upon delivery. So even with today's technology, passes won't be in-hand instantly.
How long is the JR Pass for?
The Japan Rail Pass can be activated up to 3 months after issue date. At point of activation it is possible to select a "Starting date" for up to 30 days in the future.
Now for the hard part
Once you receive the exchange order, you will have to activate the pass once you get to Japan. You can do this at the airport in one of their exchange offices and fill out a form. But the most important part is don't loose your pass. It's not refundable nor replaceable.
This pass will give you unlimited rides on all JR Trains including the Shinkansen. I did rely on two apps when it comes to navigating the stations and train times, Google Maps and Japan Travel by Navitime..
Seat reservation
Seat reservations can be made for all shinkansen trains, but are not mandatory on the trains that also carry non-reserved seating. Only the Hayabusa, Hayate, Komachi and Tsubasa trains along the Tohoku/Hokkaido Shinkansen, and hte Kagayaki trains along the Hokuriku Shinkansen require seat reservations. In addition, Nozomi trains along the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen become temporarily fully reserved on select holidays.
Seat reservations can be made from one month before travel date (from 10am) until shortly before departure time. It can be made at any ticket offices, ticket machines or online.
And the new thing now is doing reservations for your luggage's. A good alternative to this, if you have a lot to lug around, is by doing the luggage delivery services such as Yamato, Sagawa or JAL to name a few. But this is a new topic all together.
What then?
I'm not gonna lie, but it's going to be confusing and chaotic to say the least. It's a lot of stuff to absorb the moment you land and step out of that plane. It actually took me a few days before I was able to breeze through the commute using the trains. And yet, I still managed to loose my pass back then. Good thing was, it was the last day. If you're not a seasoned traveler, all I can say is, Good Luck to you.
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