platform and seat tickets on shinkansen

3 comments

1. you need to buy “seat ticket” anyway, non-reserved are just a bit cheaper. you should also use eki-net or smart-ex to buy online as there’s some discount and you can manage schedule changes before departure. and if you have a suica/pasmo/etc you can register that card as a ‘ticket’ and don’t have to print paper stuff.

2. There are cars with unreserved seating that are open on a first come first served basis. Look for 自由席 by the door. There should also be some signs on the platform.

3. What you are calling the “platform” ticket is the basic fare ticket. It is the fare for the route, not the fare for the shinkansen. You cannot board a shinkansen without either a reserved or unreserved seat ticket.