If you are ready to go on a trip or have a business trip coming up, here is some useful e-ticket information! A Shinkansen e ticket can reserved and purchased via the Eki-net website. It is really quick and easy, and like all Online sales platforms, they are accessible 24hrs a day.
What are the steps involved
- Sign up or Log in
2. Search for the ticket(s)
3. Purchase your ticket(s)
4. Link your IC Card
You will see 設定済み if it is registered and linked correctly.
Pros and Cons
These are some of the pros and cons of using an e-ticket.
Pros of using an e-ticket
- Easy to purchase (you can book in the office or lying in bed)
- Transportation IC Cards can be used (you don’t have to pick up a physical ticket from a train station counter)
- There are discounts available for Shinkansen e tickets
- There is a ¥200 discount on all reserved seats
- Changes and Cancellations can be made through the website
- Tickets can be purchased for different kinds of seats, including unreserved seats and green car seats.
- The website will send you an automatic reminder before your ride
Cons of using an e-ticket
- Not all the legs of the journey are covered
- The first time you use your Shinkansen e ticket, you might feel a bit anxious as there isn’t a physical ticket for you to double check and confirm dates and times.
The train rides you take to get to the Shinkansen station are not covered, which means that you will need to make sure that your Transportation IC Card balance is enough to get you there.
What I mean is, usually, for tickets purchased directly from Train Station Counters (Midori no madoguchi), the JR rides are covered. So for example, if you are going from Ikebukuro to Shinagawa to Osaka and getting on a JR train at Ikebukuro, you would need to take a Shinkansen from Shinagawa Station. If you had paper tickets, the Ikebukuro-Shinagawa-Osaka portions of the journey would be covered. But with the e-tickets, you would only be covered for the Shinagawa to Osaka leg of the journey.
Pro Tip
If you have an existing Transportation IC Card, like a SUICA, PASMO or ICOCA, you can link your reservation to your card and tap your usual IC Card at the ticket gates. If you use the IC Card mobile app or have an apple watch with the app installed, you can simply tap your phone or watch and breeze through the ticket gates!
Can the Shinkansen ticket be cancelled or refunded
Yes, though there might be a cut off date so do check the website for the latest information.
Can changes be made to the e ticket
Yes, this also includes seat changes, and everything can be done through the website.
Where else can Shinkansen tickets be bought
If you have read this far and are not comfortable with the idea of e-tickets, and would still prefer paper tickets, they can be bought at Train Stations, either from ticket machines, or from Midori no madoguchi counters.
And if you prefer cheaper tickets (who doesn’t), you can also try getting tickets from little shops outside Train stations. They are called Kinken shops (金券ショップ) and they usually sell have a variety of tickets, so while you might not be able to get the perfect time slot or seat, you might be able to save a little bit that way.
If you want to search for them you can using the keywords 金券ショップ + area name.
Happy traveling!
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