This is a in-dept guide for those who are hoping to experience the Sunrise Express. This will be broken down into five main sections: booking your tickets, getting the tickets, getting to the train, aboard the train, and exiting the train/station. Please note that this is all anecdotal so YMMW
Booking Your Tickets:
TLDR: Book 1 month in advance the moment tickets become available, pre-fill the information on the site so that you can hit search the moment 10:00am JST rolls around, and select 1 passenger as the number of passengers regardless of being a party of 1 or 2.
There is an English version of the JR west website where you can book your tickets if you cannot read Japanese. While the English version of the site does not explicitly point this out, there are two types of rooms on the Sunrise Express that can sleep two people. There is the Single Twin room and the Twin room. The Single Twin room is in a bunk bed configuration and has less space whereas the Twin room has the beds side by side and there is more space. These rooms tend to sell out extremely quickly, within 3 minutes of release for purchase, as you are competing with people others who are trying to book them online and JR staff helping people book in person. Reservation for tickets open 1 month in advance at 10:00am JST and that's when you'll need to make the reservation if you want to get yourself any type of twin rooms. I've seen other posts online stating that you have a better chance of booking the twin style rooms at a station in person, but that wasn't an option for me so I can't confirm nor deny that will increase your odd of getting yourself a twin style room.
When it comes to the actual booking, be sure to double check details of your route to ensure that the stations you select are applicable. For example, the train stops at Osaka station when the train is headed for Tokyo, but skips Osaka station when the train is leaving from Tokyo. To book the train, I suggest having multiple tabs open with the necessary information on the site prefilled such that you can click on search button the moment 10:00am JST comes around. Also, you should have your credit card handy so that you're ready to pay assuming you're able to get a room. Since you're likely travelling with another person when booking a twin style room, both you and your travelling companion should do this to further increase your odds of booking the room. Booking the twin room (beds are side by side) is a bit easier since you can pre-select the train and twin as the room type. However, if you'd like book the single twin room (bunk bed configuration) you can pre-select just the train. After 10:00am JST and hitting search, you will then select "Sleeper Car B". For more details on a break down of how to book the different room types, take a look at the post by u/NightHawkCanada here. The next portion will focus on booking the twin room. Unfortunately I don't have any experience booking the single twin room so I won't be able to comment on that.
With the information pre-filled, click on search at 10:00am JST. You'll be brought to a page asking you to select a smoking or non-smoking room. Even though I don't smoke, I selected the smoking room as that was the only option available. I was concerned about the room potentially smelling like cigarettes, but at least for the twin room I rode in, it was a non-issue. Once you've selected a room, you will be asked for the number of passengers. Even though there were 2 of us who were going to be sleeping the room, my understanding is that you're supposed to put 1 as the number of passengers. According to the Google translated version of the Japanese version of the site:
As the price is set per room, please select "1 adult" for the number of guests whether you are booking for 1 or 2 people (including children)
If anyone has had success with reserving a twin room when putting 2 as the number of passengers, please let us all know. After putting in the number of passengers, you'll need to fill out your name, email, a 4 digit confirmation pin that you'll later use, and your credit card information. Make sure you use a credit card that you plan to bring with you when you will be riding the Sunrise Express and that you DO NOT lose your confirmation pin. You'll be asked to confirm your information and assuming all goes well you will receive an email from [westjr@jr-odekake.net](mailto:westjr@jr-odekake.net) confirming that your reservation is complete. I was charged 21,320 yen for the room and 8,910 yen for 1 basic fare ticket for a trip from Osaka to Tokyo.
Getting the Tickets:
TLDR: Get your reserved tickets from a green vending machine using your credit card and confirmation pin. Buy another basic fare ticket if you are party of 2 and only received 1 basic fare ticket from the vending machine.
You're able to receive tickets from a ticket vending machine or a station attendant right after you reserve them; you don't have to wait till the date that you'll board the train to get your ticket. Please note that you are only able to receive your tickets during certain times of day as station booths with attendants and vending machines are not 24/7. For more information on when tickets can be received by station, check the JR West website here. To get my tickets, I used one of the green vending machines, inserted the credit card I used to pay for the ticket online with and supplied the 4 digit confirmation pin. For a step by step guide with pictures on how to use the green vending machine to receive your tickets, follow the link here. Assuming you want to get receipt you will end up with four slips of green paper. They will be your ticket for the room,1 basic fare ticket, and your 2 receipts for the 2 tickets.
As you may have noticed, I said that I got 1 basic fare ticket from the vending machine even though there are going to be 2 people sleeping in the twin room. At the time, I was also a bit suspicious of it asked the information booth about it and they said it was okay even though there were 2 us and only had 1 basic fare ticket. However, due to the language barrier there was likely some miscommunication and I would later confirm my suspicions that for 2 people you would need 2 basic fare ticket. Assuming you are a party of 2, you will need to purchase another basic fare ticket that matches the one you just got from the vending machine i.e if you got a basic fare ticket for Osaka station to Tokyo station from the vending machine, buy another one. Before you board the train, you should ideally have 1 ticket for the room and 2 basic fare tickets. Luckily if you made the same mistake that I did, it isn't the end of the world and the attendants at the gate area can assist.
Getting to the Train:
TLDR: Get to the station 30-45 minutes early and the gate attendants are your best friend if anything goes wrong.
I strongly recommend, getting to the station about 30-45 minutes early, especially if you have luggage, so that you have ample time to deal with any unexpected issues and find your train platform. Even if you arrive a little too early there is likely a waiting area for you to rest at to wait for the train. The first challenge we faced was figuring out what platform was going to be departing from. Your best friend here is making sure to follow the signs for the JR lines and then finding one of the screens showing the trains and platform information. The information on the screens cycle between Japanese and English fairly. If you had 2 basic fare tickets, you could each go through the gate by putting in your ticket through the gate as normal; DO NOT throw away your basic fare ticket as you will need it on the train and to exit your arrival station.
However, since we did not have 2 basic fare tickets and the ticket booths and vending machines were closed, we had to work with the gate attendants to figure out a resolution. Using my very limited Japanese and Google translate, we were eventually able to get a stamped pieced of paper that according to Google translate meant this person entered at Osaka station. After getting pass the gate and arriving at the platform, we waited the aforementioned rest area till the train came. About 5 minutes before the train is set to arrive, take the time to figure out where the car your reserved room will be pulling up at using the guide on the floor so that you don't have to sprint to the correct entrance. Worst case you can find the correct car while on the train, but the passageways are fairly narrow so if you have rolling luggage it will be fairly inconvenient.
Aboard the Train:
TLDR: You can buy a basic fare ticket on the train using cash for the same price as if you bought it at the station or reserved a ticket online.
Assuming you boarded the train using the correct entrance, finding your room using the numbers on the wall is fairly simple; maneuvering with rolling luggage and backpacks not so much. Shortly after settling into the room and departing from the station, the conductor stopped by. We were very worried that there would be a huge up charge to buy a ticket on the train, but we were pleasantly surprised and it was just the same 8,910 yen for 1 basic fare ticket. From what I could tell, you would have to pay in cash and they should be able provide change, but since we paid the exact amount I can't confirm. The conductor will then issue you a paper ticket that you need to hold on to and show to the gate agent at your destination station.
The twin room has a little cubby area that is just big enough to store 2 standard carry on sized rolling luggage. The room was fairly alright and had a huge window. There are communal areas, sinks with mirrors to brush your teeth, fairly roomy bathrooms, and shower rooms that require you to purchase a shower card. Unfortunately, they were already all sold out when we went to try to purchase one. I suspect that if you want a shower card you'll likely have to be one of the passengers boarding fairly close to if not at the stations where the train departs. If you want food while on the train, you'll have to bring your own as there is no food served on the train and the vending machines only sell drinks. My two complaints are the room has 1 plug and you're not gonna get the most restful sleep as it isn't exactly quiet and it is a bumpy ride.
Tips:
- Bring body wipes in case you can't get a shower card
- Bring your own towel for the shower
- Bring your own tooth brush and tooth paste
- Bring a power strip or a power brick that can charge multiple devices
- Ear plugs and eye mask may help you get some better sleep
- Buy food before hand
- Bring motion sickness medication or avoid all together if you motion sickness easily
Exiting the Train/Station:
TLDR: Get ready to exit the train 5-10 minutes before your stop, especially if you have rolling luggage, so you don't miss it.
The train will announce the stations that it will be arriving at in both Japanese and English so you don't have to worry about missing your stop too much; it also helps when your destination is the last stop. That said, I suggest getting ready to exit the train about 5-10 minutes early especially if you have rolling luggage to make sure that you're able to exit the train as the doors tend to only be open for a few minutes.
When exiting the station, if you have 2 basic fare tickets you can each feed them into gate machines and they will "eat" them. However, if you do not have 2 basic fare tickets and had a ticket issued by the conductor like us, you will be giving the standard basic fare ticket and the ticket from the conductor to the gate agent. You can keep the ticket for the room as a souvenir if you'd like.
Overall the Sunrise Express was a pretty fun experience and I would love to do it again. Thanks for taking the time to read this guide and I hope this helps anyone who is planning to take a trip on the Sunrise Express – safe travels!
by bot692021