How to Reserve a Shinkansen Ticket in Japan

If you want to travel by shinkansen in Japan – the famous high-speed train – you’ll need a ticket. Makes sense, but how exactly do you book one? In this article, I’ll show you two ways to buy a shinkansen ticket, and how to reserve a seat.

Option 1: At the station in Japan

If you're already in Japan, the easiest way to reserve a ticket is at the station. Keep in mind that not every station offers this service – you’ll need to be at a shinkansen station, which is a station where shinkansen trains depart and stop.

Here’s how it works:

1. Find a ticket machine

   These machines are usually located next to the gates for the shinkansen platforms.

2. Select “English” as the language

   Unless you’re fluent in Japanese, this will make the process much easier.

3. Choose a reserved or non-reserved seat

   A reserved seat means you’ll have an assigned seat. A non-reserved seat means you’re not guaranteed a seat – you might have to stand if it’s busy.

4. Look up your route via Google Maps

   You’ll need to know which shinkansen line to take. Google Maps usually tells you the line name when you search your route.

5. Select the correct shinkansen line

6. Choose your departure station

   This is the station you’ll board the train.

7. Choose your arrival station

   This is the station where you’ll get off the train.

8. Select your travel date, number of passengers, preferred departure time, and class

   You can choose between:

   - Green Car (first class – more space and comfort)

   - Ordinary Car (second class – still plenty of legroom)

9. Optional: choose your seat

   If you picked a reserved seat, you can also select a specific seat. Want extra luggage space? Choose the last row in the car – there’s room for bags behind the seats. Note: each car only has 5 of these spots!

10. Choose a “basic fare ticket”

    You’ll need this to go through the gates. Don’t click “I don’t need this” – you do. Otherwise, you’ll miss your train while scrambling to buy the right ticket (speaking from experience!).

11. Choose if you want a return ticket as well

12. Pay

    You can pay by credit card or cash. After payment, the tickets will print out from the machine. Don’t lose them!

If this sounds a bit complicated – that’s totally understandable. Every shinkansen station also has a ticket office, but the lines can be long. At the office, you just tell the staff where and when you want to travel, and they’ll book the ticket for you. Just note that not all staff speak English fluently.

Option 2: Book online with Klook

Prefer to have everything arranged in advance, don’t want to go to the station, or just find online booking easier? Then Klook is a great option.

Visit this website, fill in your travel details — for example, from Tokyo to Kyoto. You’ll see a list of available train options. Choose the one that suits you best, select whether you want a reserved or non-reserved seat, pick your travel class, and simply follow the steps.

You pay online, and once everything is confirmed, you’ll receive a QR code. You can use this QR code to enter the Shinkansen gates at the station — no physical tickets needed, no lines at the machines. Just scan your code and you’re good to go. Super easy!