How do I buy a ticket for the JR East Shinkansen (bullet train) useing vending machine?

How does Shinkansen ticketing work?

To get on the Shinkansen, you need two tickets: a base fare ticket and a Shinkansen limited express ticket.
・ "Base fare ticket" – the A to B fare charged to enter the station gates.
・ "Shinkansen limited express ticket" - used for accessing the Shinkansen train itself.

You can choose from either "reserved seating" or "non-reserved seating" for your Shinkansen limited express ticket.
"Reserved seating" - you lock-in a seat when you buy your ticket, guaranteeing you a seat on the train even at the busiest of times.
"Non-reserved seating” – the fare is cheaper than reserved seats, however, as you cannot reserve your seat there is chance that you won’t be able to find a seat on busier journeys.

The advantages of automatic ticket vending machines are that they are multilingual and are installed at many stations, so even if you don't understand Japanese you can purchase tickets without worrying about the language barrier. Also, the ticket-selling windows always have queues, so using the machine is a good way to avoid those queues.

STEP1
First, look for a “Reserved Seat Ticket Vending Machine”.

STEP2
You can choose a "Reserved Seat" or "Non-Reserved Seat".

STEP3
If you choose a reserved seat, then press "For seat reservation on Shinkansen".

STEP4
Select the Shinkansen line you want to use.
There are three Shinkansen line regions: "Tokaido / Sanyo/ Kyushu", "Tohoku / Yamagata/ Akita / Hokkaido" and "Joetsu / Hokuriku".

① Tokaido /Sanyo/ Kyushu: Osaka (Shin-Osaka Station), Kobe (Shin-Kobe Station), Okayama (Okayama Station), Hiroshima (Hiroshima Station), Fukuoka (Hakata Station), etc.
② "Tohoku / Yamagata / Akita / Hokkaido": Tochigi (Utsunomiya Station), Fukushima (Fukushima Station), Sendai (Sendai), Aomori (Shin Aomori), Hokkaido (Shin Hakodate Hokuto Station), Akita (Akita Station), etc.
③ “Joetsu / Hokuriku”: Gunma (Takasaki Station), Nagano (Karuizawa Station), Toyama (Toyama Station), Ishikawa (Kanazawa Station), etc.

STEP5
Choose a departure station.

STEP６
Select a destination station

STEP7
Select the boarding date.

STEP8
Choose the number of passengers.

STEP9
Select your desired train.
You can select time, vehicle type, smoking room, etc.

STEP10
Choose a basic fare ticket (for A to B station access).

STEP11
Choose "one way ticket" or "return trip ticket".

STEP12
Pay the required amount using cash or card. Collect your tickets and enjoy your journey.

Tokyo

Tokyo

View All

Go here

Welcome Suica with JR Lines 1-Day Pass

¥1,500

Update date：2024/04/25

The Tokyo Station Hotel

1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo

• 
• 
• 
• 
•