The service tiers
On any Shinkansen line there are three broad tiers: a fast service stopping only at major cities, a middle service, and a local one stopping everywhere. On the Tokaido line between Tokyo and Osaka these are Nozomi, Hikari and Kodama; on the Sanyo and Kyushu lines, Mizuho and Sakura sit at the top.
The catch for visitors: Nozomi and Mizuho are excluded from the standard nationwide Japan Rail Pass. Pass holders take Hikari or Sakura instead, which on Tokyo–Kyoto costs about twenty minutes, or pay a supplement.
Reserved, non-reserved and Green
Most trains carry both reserved and non-reserved cars. Non-reserved is cheaper and fine off-peak — queue at the marked position on the platform. In peak periods, on holiday weekends and during Golden Week, Obon and New Year, reserve.
Green Car is first class: wider seats, quieter, roughly 30–50% more. Gran Class, on some northern services, is a further tier again with attendant service.
Buying
- Ticket machines at any JR station have an English mode and take foreign cards.
- Online reservation systems exist for most lines and let you collect or use a QR code; the interfaces are improving but still vary by JR company.
- A midori-no-madoguchi ticket office will do it face to face, which is worth it for anything complicated.
Two things that catch people out
Large suitcases need a reserved oversized-baggage seat on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines. It costs nothing extra when booked with the ticket, and turning up without one can attract a fee. Or send the bag ahead by takkyubin and travel with a daypack.
The platform position matters. Carriage numbers are painted on the platform, and the train will stop precisely on them. Standing in the right place is the difference between a relaxed boarding and a sprint.
Buy an ekiben — a station lunchbox — before you board. It is a genuine regional food tradition, not a convenience purchase.