Train Travel

Frequent bullet trains run between Tokyo and Nagoya. The ride takes 1 hour, 53 minutes on the Hikari Shinkansen and 2½ hours on the slower Kodama Shinkansen, and costs ¥10,880. The trip west to Kyoto takes 40 to 50 minutes, and Shin-Osaka is about 1 hour. JR Passes are not accepted on the faster Nozomi Shinkansen, which does the journey from Tokyo in 1 hour, 35 minutes and costs ¥11,090. Less-expensive Limited Express trains proceed from Nagoya into and across the Japan Alps—to Takayama, Toyama, Matsumoto, and Nagano.