SHINKANSEN (BULLET TRAIN) AND JR-SHIKOKU TRAIN [1]

SHINKANSEN ( BULLET TRAIN )
Japan’s main islands Honshu, Kyushu, and Hokkaido are served by a network of high-speed train lines that connect Tokyo with most of the country’s major cities. Japans high-speed trains (bullet trains) are called shinkansen and are
operated by Japan Railways(JR).
Running at speeds of up to 320 km/h, the shinkansen is known for punctuality (most trains depart on time to the second), comfort (relatively silent cars with spacious, always forward-facing seats ), safety (no fatal accidents in its history) and efficiency. Thanks to the Japan Rail Pass, the
shinkansen can also be a very cost-effective means of travel.
SHINKANSEN NETWORK
The shinkansen network consists of multiple lines, among which the Tokaido Shinkansen(Tokyo Nagayo Kyoto Osaka) is the oldest and most popular. All shinkansen lines (except the Akita and Yamagata Shinkansen) run on tracks that are exclusively built for and used by multiple trains categories, ranging from the fastest category that stops only at major stations to the slowest category that stops at every station along the way.

Seats and Classes
Seat Classes – Most shinkansen in Japan offer seats in two classes, which are typically found in separate cars.
Ordinary – As the name suggests, ordinary seats are the regular seats found on all shinkansen trains. Although the size and foot space of ordinary seats
varies between train sets, ordinary seats on shinkansen are generally comfortable and offer a generous amount of foot space. they usually come in rows of 3 + 2 seats.

Green Car
Comparable to business class on airplanes, green cars offer seats that are
larger and more comfortable than ordinary seats and offer more foot space.
The seats are arranged in rows of 2+2 seats. Green Cars tend to be less crowded than ordinary cars.
Furthermore, Gran Class is available on a new train set along the Tohoku Shinkansen, Hokuriku Shinkansen, Joetsu Shinkansen, and Hokkaido Shinkansen. Comparable to first-class on airplanes, Gran Class offers seats
that is even more spacious and comfortable than Green Car seats in rows of 2+1 seats and additional amenities and services.

Seat Reservations
Seat reservations allow you to secure a seat and travel with peace of mind.
They can be made for all shinkansen trains but are not mandatory on the
trains that also carry non-reserved seating. Only the Hayabusa, Hayate and
Komachi trains along the Tohoku Shinkansen and Hokkaido Shinkansen and the Kagayaki trains along the Hokkaido Shinkansen require seat reservations.
Seat reservations can be made from one month before travel date (from
10:00am ) until shortly before departure time. They can be made at ticket offices, at ticket machines or online.
SHINKANSEN TICKETS
Regular paper tickets for the shinkansen can be purchased at the ticket
counters at ticket machines or online. Alternatively, IC cards can be used
on selected shinkansen lines. last but not least, there are several rails passes and other types of discount tickets that can be used on the
shinkansen.
BUYING A TICKET AT THE TICKET COUNTER
Shinkansen tickets can be purchased at any ticket office found at all major
and many minor JR stations nationwide. Credit cards are accepted at most ticket offices. In order to purchase a ticket, the following information is
needed:
1.Number of travelers
2.Date of travel
3.Departure station
4.Ordinary or green car
5.Reserved or non-reserved seat
For a seat reservation, the following additional information is required:
Train name (e.g. Hikari ) and train number or departure time
If you do not speak Japanese, it is recommended that you write the data on
a piece of paper and present it to the salesperson in order to make the
purchasing process smoother. Salespersons are generally familiar with
English vocabulary needed for the purchase of train tickets and seat
reservations, but many have limited English conversation skills.
BUYING A TICKET AT A TICKET MACHINE
Selected ticket machines can be used to buy shinkansen tickets. Most
of them offer English menus. Some machines sell only non-reserved
seats, while others can also be used to make seat reservations. Although ticket machines can be very useful if you know how to use them, the process of buying shinkansen tickets is not always straight forward and some machines do not accept credit cards that are issued outside of Japan.
BUYING A TICKET ONLINE
Although such websites exist in Japanese, there is currently no single
English website for buying tickets for shinkansen nationwide. Instead,
there are multiple systems that each cover only selected lines. Note that these systems (except the one for the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen ) do not
issue e-tickets. Instead, actual tickets need to be picked up from ticket machines before boarding the train. Furthermore, tickets can only be picked up in the region covered by each system.