Welcome to my Japanese Travel Experience!
Featuring
Japanese's Shinkasen (Bullet Train)
The map of Shinkansen network (JapanStation.com)
& A guide to how to get from Tokyo Station to Tokyo Narita Airport!
Bus fare: 1,500 Yen per person
Journey time: 1 hour 6 minutes (Estimated)
To check out the bus timing, click here for the website.
Introduction
In this blog post, I like to share with you my experience on one of the most popular transports in Japan, the Shinkansen and my travelling experience from the Tokyo Station to the Narita Airport by bus.
Japan has become one of the most developed countries in the world and the government has made life much easier for both the locals and foreigners to travel from one place to another with different options available. Like most of us, we prefer to travel in the most economical way and sometimes we might have to pay a bit more than usual due to the demand especially in peak period. I have taken the bullet train in other countries before (Taiwan's High Speed Railway) but this would be my first Japanese bullet train experience as my previous trips in Japan, I had travelled within the cities by my favourite mode of travel - flight. So this time, with the company of my mum and aunt, we would get to experience the Shinkansen together and I would like to share my experience with you. Hope you find the information useful.
So without further ado, let's begin this Part 3 of my Japanese Trip Series!
About Shinkansen
The Shinkansen which is known as the bullet train, is a train network for high-speed railway lines connecting the major cities. This railway lines were built to connect long distance travel between one end of Japan another, giving the travellers another option other than to travelling by air. The Japan Railway Construction, Transport Technology Agency and 5 Japan Railway Groups (JR Kyushu, JR Shikoku, JR Central, JR East and JR Hokkaido) are the owners of this massive train network. It all started from Tokaido Shinkansen in 1964. The world's first high-speed rail line connecting between Tokyo to Shin Osaka was started and have since become one of the world busiest train routes. JR Central took over this route from 1987 from Japan National Railways. This network gradually grow and expanded to other cities with the initial cities connecting Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. Currently the train company are working to expand the network into Sapporo. Here is the map of the network (Wikimedia)
Booking of tickets
There are a few ways of booking the Shinkansen tickets.
The 1st option and the most recommended method is to book directly with the train operator.
You can download the app on to your respective devices and do the booking directly.
Apple (Iphone devices)
OR
Goggle Play (Android phones)
2nd option is to purchase tickets at the ticket machines at the Shinkansen train stations.
Whether your purchase the tickets online or not, you can booked up to one month in advance. It is highly recommended to do so especially if you are travelling in peak period such as the national week where the tickets can sell out fast and even if they are available on those dates, they can cost more than the standard price.
For more information, check out the Shinkansen's official website over here.
The 3rd option: Purchasing the tickets through a 3rd part website.
I should have booked directly with the offical website but at least I can share with you my experience.
I have made a couple of mistakes and even as a seasoned traveller this can happen and I like to share with you so that you won't repeat the mistake that I did.
1. Always do your research online and seek opinion if you are not sure. Booking directly with the airline or train company is definitely recommended.
2. Before booking, make sure you do a thorough check on the company you opted for (applies to 3rd party companies), such as online reviews.
The pros about booking with 3rd parties is they do the booking for you and update you of any changes to your itinerary. However if you need to make changes, it is likely they charge you. In addition, sometimes they can charge slightly higher than how much the operator is charging so like I mentioned earlier, booking directly with the operator is my recommendation.
I booked my tickets through JapanTravel.navitime. The link can be found over here. My original plan was to book at the Kyoto station a few days before departure but because I was worried about not able to get any assigned seats especially for my mum and her aunt, I decided to book online to ease these worries. I came across this website and booked it after seeing there were a lot of vacant seats on this train timing. The reviews on this website was a mixed bag and I only realise it after booking. This was my 2nd mistake.
For those who book in advance, you can collect your tickets at one of the ticketing machines even if your departure is scheduled to depart a few days later. I always do this to ensure that there is no problem with my ticket especially purchasing from a 3rd party. It's better to make sure everything is alright than to panic at the last minute.
This is the seat map of the train (assigned seats cabin).
There are plenty of trains operating everyday. In order to purchase the cheapest ticket, it is advisable to book in advance. However, if you travelling in a off peak period, you can purchase the tickets on the day itself, usually they are vacant seats or just settled for the free seating cabin (non-reserved seating cars).
Once your purchased the ticket from this 3rd party company, I would received this application detail.
Check the ticketing status and make sure that the ticket is confirmed. Once the status is changed, you will received an email from the company of the ticket confirmation which comes with a QR code and the telephone number needed to obtain the tickets.
Do note that this QR code is not the ticket. You need to use the ticketing machine at the station (for this case, Kyoto Station West Entrance) and head towards one of the machines for the Shinkansen passengers. Once at the machine (Photo A below), you can print out the tickets by scanning the QR code. Follow the instructions on the machine and it will print out 2 tickets per passenger and you need to use 2 of them to insert the tickets into the ticketing gantry in order to access the paid zone area. You need to keep both tickets safely as you need them to exit at the destination's ticket gantry. Furthermore, there may be ticket inspectors on board may inspect your ticket. Do remember to take note of your train number and check the platform number on the monitor screen. It is recommended to be at the platform about 10 minutes before the train's departure. The train does depart on time and once you missed it, you will need to seek more information about this at the ticketing office. According to others, you can take another train with the non reserved seats cabin at no charge but this would depends on the train company on the final decision.
Route: Kyoto Station to Tokyo Station
You have 3 lines heading towards Tokyo direction:
Nozomi, Hikari and Kodama
Journey Time: 2 hours 11 miutes (Extimated)
Collection of the tickets
(Photo A)
My train is Nozomi 330. Nozomi line has the least number of stops compared to the other 2 lines.
When I did the booking for 3 of us, I chose the Nozomi330 which includes the seat assignment and this train offers limited stops. Car 4 is an ordinary car with reserved seats. Each of us received 2 tickets, a base fare ticket and a supplement ticket. The base fare is to cover the cost of the distance traveled between the 2 stations and the supplement ticket is to cover the cost of the high-speed bullet train service which includes the reserved seat surcharge if applicable.
For more information on how the Shinkansen ticket system works, click here for more information.
You can also purchase your tickets at the ticket office or counter in this station.
Expect a huge crowd especially during the peak period.
Where the journey started
My train itinerary
The map layout of Kyoto Station
This is the Kyoto station. It is better to know how to get around as this station is quite big.
There are signboards everywhere so you shouldn't have any problem heading to the entrance of the Shinkansen Hachijo gate. It is located at the south side of the station and provides direct access to the train platforms.
This is Kyoto Tower Building.
Kyoto Station
The train platform display for the Shinkansen
Our train was departing from platform 11.
Trains on Platform 11 and 12 are heading towards the same direction.
This train that was approaching was the train before ours.
We were there about 10 minutes the arrival of our train.
The train at the other platform.
There is an information board to keep you updated on your train's progress.
The arrival of our train. Do note that the train will arrive a few minutes before the schedule departure, it will depart on time.
Here is it, our train has arrived. We were to board the train through car 4. This is one of the reserved seat cabins.
About the Shinkansen train model
There are many different train models and this website has a detailed information about the different models. As I am not a train enthusiast, my knowledge of trains is quite limited. Click here to check this out the different Shinkansen Train Models courtesy of Japan Rail Pass.
Welcome on board!
The cars are connected to each other.
The cabin interior
This cabin (reserved seating) is configured in a 2-3 configuration. This reminds me of the Airbus A220, MD-80/90 and Boeing 717 seating configuration.
Overhead compartment is available.
Each row of seats has a generous legroom space of around 36-38 inches.
This is something the economy class's seat legroom space on an aircraft cannot offer.
I had the window seat for this journey.
Ample amount of legroom space.
There is safety instruction listed on the back of each foldable tray table.
The view of the cabin from my seat.
For the baggage size of up to 160cm for the overall dimension can be placed in front of you. However if your luggage has an overall dimension of 160cm and greater, you are required to either reserve a seat with an oversized baggage/seat with an oversized baggage compartment or pay a baggage fee of 1,000 yen if you do not have a reservation for it.
(Photo: JR Central's website)
We were able to store our luggages in front of us.
Another look of the seats before disembarkment.
These cabin features seats for reserved passengers and this may cost quite a bit more compared to the non reserved cabin.
The left side seats are the 2-seater.
There is the information panel that gives you the important information of your route and the timing of arrival.
Window view photos
Some random photos I took during the ride.
At this point, we have reached the city of Tokyo.
Complimentary wifi is available.
My rating:
Japan Bullet Train Website: 4/5
Kyoto Train Station (Passenger Friendly): 4/5
Seat Comfort: 5/5
Cabin interior: 5/5
Punctuality: 5/5
Overall score: 23/25
Percentage: 92%
Arrival at Tokyo Station
After arrival, we walked to the bus station to catch the airport bus to Tokyo Narita Airport.
Directions to the bus station (Photo: tyo-nrt.com)
The bus station
Head over to bus stop 7 for the Airport bus to Tokyo Narita Airport.
The view of the nearby office buildings near Tokyo Station.
Do note that cash is not accepted, you have to use one of the IC Cards: Suica, Pasmo and Icoco to pay for the 1,500 yen bus fare (Daytime travel). For early morning and late night flights, the fare would be doubled (3,000 yen). Do note these bus fares are for one-way travel.
For baggages, you can collect the baggage tag from the driver who will store them in the undercarriage compartment of the bus and you can retreive them when you arrive at your destination.
You can check out the company's timetable for the bus operation over here.
Estimated time of travel: 65 minutes
The interior of the bus
Do double check your departure airport as Tokyo has 2 international airports: Tokyo Narita and Tokyo Haneda. If you realise you are at the wrong airport, there is a bus service to Tokyo Haneda Airport from there if time permits otherwise you may have to take a cab over.
The seat pitch is adequate for this one hour journey.
We travelled in light traffic condition and reached the airport slightly ahead of schedule.
This is where we disembarked.
Welcome to Terminal 1 of Tokyo Narita Airport!
To be continued!
My thoughts
I am certainly a fan of how Japanese operates the transport system. It is fast, convenient and are very particular about punctuality. I have tried the 3 types of transport (bus, train and flight) and all of them have have their own advantages and disadvantages. For buses, you have the standard and the luminous buses and if you ask me, stick to the standard one which cost 1,500 yen. The luminous bus fare costs double and I don't find it anything spectacular about it. While for the train, it all depends on your situation and the routes you have plans for. In my opinion, for Osaka to Kyoto (and vice versa), stick to the normal train will do since they are close by. While for journeys between 1 and 4 hours, taking the shinkansen train makes more sense while for any train journey longer than 4 hours, flying would be a better option especially as the time you need to get to the airport, wait and time included for flying and arrival at the destination airport would certainly be lesser than the duration of the train ride, but this of course provided no significant flight delay. Sometimes bad weather can happen occasionally that will affect both the flight and train operation and for that, it is important for us to be understanding and juet let the nature takes its course. It is pointless to get upset over delays which sometimes is beyond our control.
I certainly recommend you to download the Shinkansen app and register the account. You need to add in your credit/debit card in order to do so and do remember that the QR code you receive on your app or email is NOT the offical ticket, you need to collect it at the JR station. Fortunately there is english instructions so nothing to worry about. The Japanese staff working at these train stations are able to help you
For my trip, it was certainly a learning process for me. My biggest fear so far was the train tickets as I booked it on a 3rd party website. I have read reviews from others that they were not able to scan the QR code to obtain the tickets due to various reasons and after paying almost S$450 for 3 tickets, I was worried therefore on the arrival at Kyoto, the first thing I did was to collect the ticket and that was a relief when I was able to do so, I had my remaining days at Kyoto feeling happy and more importantly one less thing to worry about. This is definitely part and parcel of travelling!
Thanks for reading! Hope you find this information useful.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below.
For my previous part 2: ANA Boeing 787-10 HND-ITM Trip Report), click here.
Final Part: Flying home with Air Japan Boeing 787-8 (NRT-SIN), trip report coming up soon!
Have a great one!
Charles
(If you are happy with my work, feel free to contribute by donating any amount over here. Greatly appreciated!
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