Bullet trains - tips to not miss the train
 

Hi everyone

A friend just warned me that when the bullet train stops you have 5 minutes to get on. They do not dilly dally (unlike here where a normal train DC-NYC, even Acela, will sit in the station for probably half an hour).

I am having a flashback to a trip to Germany as a young lass where I missed a connection in the middle of NOWHERE and then hilarity ensued including crying.

Any tips? I got the green reserved seat which means business class (don't know seat the tickets will be delivered to my hotel), how do you know where to stand to get on, where your car will be? I assume they mark it very well but given how quickly the trains turnover maybe the signage doesn't come up before it's time to scramble.

I don't want to stand just anywhere because the lines could really bunch up and then i'd have to drag my crap through the cars. Is it really well marked and clear in English, or what do I need to know before I wade in?

I am taking the Nozomi bullet train to Kyoto.

Thank you.

If you have a ticket with seat reservation, your tickets will mention the car nr (and seat nrs). On the platform there are clear markers on the ground that indicate where to cue for which car.

See also here the japan guide site, which has a page explaining it. (Cannot paste the link due to posting constraints)

As I recall the platforms are all very clearly marked as to where you have to stand for your particular seat reservation. All very orderly and efficient. Stand anywhere else and you will likely throw the whole of the Japanese train system into chaos :-)

All the tips you could need at https://www.seat61.com/Japan.htm#Travel_tips

The bullet trains do not stop for 5 minutes. If it is not the train's starting terminus, then it stops for only 1 minute.
If you believe in "5 minutes" and take you time you could very well miss the train.

Finding the track was harder than finding my place on the platform, but everything is marked, and I had no issues when I was there. However, I departed from Shinagawa (coming from Shinjuku), not Tokyo Station, so I can't tell you if it's more confusing there. And if you end up walking through the train, it's not the end of the world. Everyone does it. Just make sure you are in place on the platform a few minutes before you depart. One thing I'd strongly recommend is to send any large luggage ahead using the Takkyubin transfer service. It's not expensive, and you can have your luggage delivered overnight to your hotel in Kyoto. That way you just have to bring a small carry-on bag with you on the train.

Even one minute might be a generous estimate. You need to be in place, with your luggage, when the train pulls in. But as Doug says, you can always walk through the train if you get in the wrong carriage.

Note that getting off also requires you to move fast. There will be an announcement as the train approaches the station. You need to be in line at the door, with your luggage, as the train pulls into the station.

Travel light, or use the luggage forwarding service. You don't want to be trying to load/unload a large suitcase.

The ~2 minutes to board is plenty. Even a 1 minute difference between scheduled arrival/departure could give you almost 2 minutes to board.

If you have any luggage that you can't easily handle then you ought to ship it ahead.

The green cars are easy to identify and are often at the platform entrance. That is, take the escalator up to the platform and the green car will likely be there.

The one thing you need to do: be sure to ask to have your seat reservation tickets to be printed in English.

"The one thing you need to do: be sure to ask to have your seat reservation tickets to be printed in English."

So true! I didn't know that and had to have them reprinted.

"The one thing you need to do: be sure to ask to have your seat reservation tickets to be printed in English."

Well, the tickets you get at the JR office are semi-translated. They label car # and seat # in English and label destination in letters as well as Japanese characters.

And no, you don't have 5 minutes (except at Tokyo Station or Shin-Osaka for your Nozomi), you have 1-2 except at a terminal.

Don't be late. These trains run exactly when they da-n well say they do (unless there's a massive earthquake off the coast, which threw off the schedule for us once by 15 whole minutes).

My last trip I had a local run late, but it was a very local local. Bullet trains are precise.

I had a similar situation a couple of years ago, and here is what I did. When I was on the first train, about 30 minutes before our destination, I found the conductor and showed him my ticket. He showed me which side of the train from which we would be exiting. He then showed me an "information card," that gave the platform number of the next train. He explained to me how to get to the next platform (I believe I may have even printed out a platform map of the station in advance). As we approached the stop, he pointed for me where to go. I had my rolling suitcase with me, but I was able to do a quick transfer to a completely different level and area within a couple of minutes.

There are staff around everywhere, so all you have to do is wave the ticket at them, and they will point you in the right direction. The chances are good that someone would even walk you to your train if you ask. And, I agree with the other posters, just hop on any carriage, and worry about getting to your specific car after you have caught your breath.

I only did the luggage transfer twice on that trip, and only when I made stops on the transfer day. I don't like being without items overnight. To me, it's too stressful to decide what to keep, and what to send ahead. I suppose that, if you are a shopper, you could send your gifts ahead, but that's not me.

I agree with sending luggage ahead if one can do such. But, Flygirl is only going to be in Tokyo for one night, upon arrival, and then off to Kyoto the next day. When I sent my luggage from Kyoto to my hotel in Tokyo, it beat me to the hotel. But, I had to have it down in my Kyoto hotel lobby by latest 5PM to be sent off. This was in summer 2017.

Happy Travels!

I am not sure I understand your confusion. If the schedule says the train leaves at 1201, it leaves at 1201. etc

Hi everyone

Thank you so much. Guenmai is right, this is just two trips - Shinkansen each way, from Tokyo to Kyoto and back. No changes and no others.

I guess it isn't possible to do a dry run because you'd need a ticket to get near the tracks. I'm staying across the street from Tokyo station so i can at least scope out the station. I know it will be large and confusing, maybe I'll plan to be in the station an hour ahead of time to wander around and be ready to pounce on my waiting spot ten minutes early.

I have a 22 inch bag which can be a carry on for international flights with large bins. I *usually* check that one and have a smaller one for carry on. I am going to try to limit myself to that piece of 22" luggage only. It will be one heavy piece though (when full maybe 22-25 pounds if it is just one bag) which is why I usually like to have that one and a smaller one and spread my stuff among both so that neither are heavy. Plus I'd like room to bring stuff home too. I have to figure this out.

If I send my luggage ahead, given that I land Sunday afternoon and take the train Monday, do you mean the luggage would show up on Tuesday? I probably could do that, actually, since if I triage my luggage my small carry on always has the utter essentials. How $ is that service? Can my hotel do it for me? I would prefer the luggage show up on the same day that I do that - both ways - but to not have to carry the bag sounds great.

Thank you again everyone!

I think an hour is overdoing it! Even if you want to pick up something to eat (see the food section in the Travel Tips link).

Did you use the link crellston posted? Here it is again:

https://www.seat61.com/Japan.htm#Travel_tips

There is also exhaustive info on Tokyo station:

https://www.seat61.com/Japan.htm#Tokyo_station

I travel with a 22 inch two wheeler and a day pack. The case usually weighs in at 10-11 kilos - about 22+ lbs. I had no trouble taking them on Japanese trains, but I am used to train travel.

Thank you Thursday, I didn't have a chance yet to look but I will.

I am watching the weather and I arrive in 15 days (Sunday) and so far ten days out looks like it's low-mid 70s as a high and I hope that holds! Slightly cooler in Kyoto.

I anticipate wearing mostly dresses when out and about during the day, easy to pack and comfortable but I'll likely take a pair of jeans and a pair of capris too, with a few tops.

Since I do my laundry in the bathroom sink I never take jeans - they are heavy and they take too long to dry. And I haven't worn dresses in years. I take slacks and tops, with a dressier pair for evening.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...10588a39a4.png

I don’t know if it will show, but in the right hand lower corner is the “gate”- on the ground there’s a giant blue square with a white 8 on it. So look at the car there- green car symbol, with an 8 telling you it’s Car 8. There aren’t stairs like some of the Europe trains, it’s very easy to get on and off.

Having trouble with the photo attachment. Anyway, you just look for the platform sign that corresponds with the car number on your ticket. If you aren’t at the gate when it pulls in, do get into the nearest car and just walk down the train.

And be sure to check train number- if you got into the train 5-10 minutes early, there’s a good chance you got on the wrong train!

i didn’t use luggage forwarding and I don’t think I would unless I had kids or elderly people with me, And I needed to help them.

hope that helps!

* Showing up at Tokyo Station an hour before the train departs is a bit much and you're staying at a hotel right at Tokyo Station.

* As for how much the luggage transfer cost, I paid exactly 1,512 yen in August 2017, for one suitcase, and it had to be paid in CASH. That was when I sent my suitcase from the Park Royal Hotel-Kyoto to the Four Seasons-Tokyo. I took my suitcase down to the reception at 4:30PM as it needed to go out by 5:00PM. I just looked this up in my travel journal as I write almost everything down for all of my overseas trips.

Happy Travels!

No stairs to get on and off? Oh that helps TONS. Thanks!

I am not sure an hour early is too much overkill, maybe 45 minutes early will work though (although I dawdle so much when I do anything I probably should be disciplined about this). When I travel Amtrak out of my very own Union Station, if I have an 8 AM train I get there at 7 AM, 715 tops, queue for Starbucks, queue in the too-long line waiting to be let on to the platform, finally the ticket takers open the doors and scan each passenger and then I find my car and board and have 5 mins to get settled before the train pulls out. It sounds like it is much more organized in Japan but also much less margin for error. I'll scope it out first without luggage. In fact if I take the express train from Narita I thought it went to Tokyo station so I'll already be there. The links helped a lot, it sounds like my train will be on one of the platforms 14-19.

Anyway, if it works, yay, and if it doesn't then I have another good travel story. lol

I like wearing dresses when I sightsee - I'm not talking office dresses I mean dresses I bought at REI or Athleta and a pair of sneakers, with a few nicer ones thrown in for evening. Check out "Toad and Co" for cute comfortable dresses, many of them you could wash in the sink if you wanted to. Unless it's hot/humid I get more than one day's wear out of them before needing a wash though.

I wear jeans on the plane and sometimes that is the only time I wear them - on the plane both ways.

Thank you again for all of the advice, this was truly very helpful!

Much easier and nicer than Amtrak (and yes, I've boarded at Union Station). Your ticket is validated by the gates, so no one will check it as you board. You will have a reserved seat, right? So no rush to get the best seat. If you get there too early you will wind up standing around, and getting out of the way of people boarding earlier trains from the same platform.

I won't be at the platform super early, maybe ten minutes because if I don't target early I KNOW I will be running at the last minute because that's how I roll. I really am a bad dawdler - which means I'm good at dawdling - I'll be perusing all the food stalls and look at my phone for the time and then sh*t sh*t sh*t! I literally have to set alarms for myself when I am getting ready for work in the morning (IE already awake and moving) or planning to catch the bus that stops outside my house. lol!

Oh and I emailed the person who emailed me to tell me the Shinkansen order was placed and to expect them at my hotel - I asked her for English and she replied and said English it is.

When you get to the Tokyo station from Narita, you might want to check out where the Shinkansen tracks are, and then exit from that area. Once beyond the ticket machines, make a note of the surroundings, especially the Shinkansen sign. This is where you should enter when you are on your way to Kyoto.

Knowing that you are on a Nozomi and looking at the time the train leaves, will tell you what platform to be on, which you will see on the electronic signs. Getting there too early may not help as your train may not be posted. There are usually stairs, escalators and an elevator for each set of platforms. Then look for the location of where your car will stop. If you can see the photo posted by marvelousmouse, you will see on the train window, Kodama and Nagoya. Yours will say Nozomi and Kyoto.

Don't forget when you arrive in Kyoto, upon exit from the ticket machines, again make a note of your surroundings. If you end up taking a cab to the Kyoto station, ask to be dropped of at the Shinkansen.

I understand your nervousness - our first Shinkansen was Osaka-Shin station to Okayama and the platform was packed; we didn't have a reserved seat and thought we would have to stand. All worked out.

Lol. I am a champion dawdler too. One of the reasons I love train stations!

I wear Toad and Co dresses too, they wash so well and dry quick!

>> Yours will say Nozomi and Kyoto.

I doubt that it would be Kyoto. A Nozomi departing Tokyo station will be bound for Shin-Osaka or Hakata and will stop at Kyoto. The clues to find your train are track number, train number, and departure time. Even if you got on the wrong Nozomi there is no chance that you will go in the wrong direction and it will go to Kyoto (and almost certainly beyond).

Note: For shinkansen, you will need the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station, ie not Marunouchi side.

"Yours will say Nozomi and Kyoto"

No it won't. Kyoto isn't a terminus for the shinkansen. The 75% chance is it will say Shin-Osaka as the final destination.

If you sit on the right side of the train going to Kyoto/left coming back, you'll get a good view of Mt. Fuji en route.

The magical shinkansen order takers did me a favor - correct side both ways!

Much of the "Shinkansen experience" has already been covered but a couple of additional points -

Firstly, just look for the large signs saying "SHINKANSEN" and that'll get you in the right direction. If all else fails, just find a staff member and say "Shinkansen?" and they'll point you in the right direction.

The shinkansens on the Tokaido line (to Kyoto and beyond) are usually 16 cars long, whether they're Nozomi (quickest), Hikari (not quite as quick) or Kodama (a lot slower). They all go the same speed, it just depends how often they stop. Going west (to Kyoto) car 1, row 1 will be at the front of the train; going to Tokyo, car 16, row 20 will be at the front. Seats always face forwards (the train doesn't rotate but the seats do....).

Your seat reservation will show the train type (Nozomi), it's # (e.g.Nozomi 233), the departure time and the car and row/seat number. Green cars are usually cars 8, 9 and 10. As already discussed, the car numbers are clearly marked on the platform. Each car has a door at either end so, depending on your row/seat number, it helps to figure out which door to use. Green cars usually have 64 or 68 seats/16 or 17 rows ...... so if, for example, you're going west to Kyoto and you're car 8, row 2, you want to be at the car 8 door that's adjacent to car 7, not the door adjacent to car 9. It doesn't really matter but it helps to use the door nearest to your seat.

As already noted, the car numbers are clearly noted on the platform (and the doors will stop precisely opposite the platform markings). You'll also see, extending at right angles from the platform marking and running parallel to the tracks, two "lines". The line nearest the track is for the next-arriving train, the line further away from the track is for the train after that. Don't get in line (or loiter near the lines) until your train is next or the one after next, otherwise you just get in the way.... several trains may arrive and leave in the space of 15 minutes or so.

The departure boards clearly show the next few trains and the tracks they are leaving from and, once on the correct platform, the board will show the next several trains from that platform. The departure boards switch between Japanese and English, though they alway show the train type/number (e.g., Nozomi 233) even when the rest is in Japanese.

As for trains in general, Hyperdia is your friend. You can see all the train times, where they stop, how much they cost etc. and (usually) which track they are leaving from.
HyperDia SearchResult

Note that the 'From' and 'To' stations must exactly match what Hyperdia is expecting in its dropdown list .... so for example, Saga Arashiyama (to get to the Bamboo Grove) is 'SAGAARASHIYAMA' with no space.
HyperDia SearchResult

While I'm throwing in some random, gratuitous commentary to your thread ( :) ), here's a bit more .....

Things you forget about Japan but soon remember when you get there :-

1. No jaywalking. You stand there until the little man turns green, even if there’s no traffic.

2. No litter. None. Anywhere. You take your rubbish with you. That said, rubbish bins can be hard to find (try looking outside a 7-Eleven/Lawson/Family Mart). You can always spot the foreigners on the Shinkansen - they're the ones who leave their rubbish behind.

3. No eating on the street, at least when you're walking. If you buy a snack at a 7-Eleven, it's ok to stand outside and eat it (which is why you'll likely find a rubbish bin) but don't walk and eat (and even in the Nishiki Market, if you get a snack, most people would stand and eat it, not walk with it).

4. No graffiti (well, almost none).

5. How polite the Japanese are, at least in one-on-one situations. Say hello (at least Konnichiwa, if you can’t remember the other variations) and bow slightly (from the waist, not a nod of the head).

6. Don't blow your nose in public.

7. No tipping. It would be considered insulting.

8. You play by the rules …. so you stand in line on the subway platform; however, once the train arrives and everybody becomes ‘anonymous’, all bets are off and it’s everybody for themselves. If you hesitate, expect to be elbowed out of the way by all and sundry (including little old ladies) and, if you’re a woman, don’t expect anybody to give up their seat for you.

9. Pronunciation. It’s fairly easy to mangle all the words, place names etc. etc. Just try and remember that, whereas in English the emphasis is invariably on the last syllable, in Japanese it’s invariably on the first syllable. Thus, that food in crisp batter (tempura) is Temp-er-a, not Tem-pura, you’re going to (Teshima) Tesh-e-ma, not Ter-sheemer and that subway stop (Karasuma) is Ca-rass-u-ma, not Ca-ra-soom-a. You have to listen carefully to them say it, as they’ll be too polite to correct you.

10. How many vending machines there are. No matter where you go, there’ll be vending machines to sell you a bottle of water, an iced coffee, a hot coffee and an amazing myriad of other stuff. Walk down some back street in Kyoto and suddenly there’ll be a bank of 2, 3, 4 vending machines. Station platform? No problem. Outside a temple or shrine? No problem. Outside some random apartment building? No problem.

Enjoy!