Tokaido and Tohoku Shinkansen – Japan Train Travel Guide
This is a Japan train travel guide regarding Tokaido and Tohoku Shinkansen. If you are planning a Free and Independent Travel (FIT) to Japan, one of the transportation modes you can’t miss out on would be trains. Japan has one of the most advanced and extensive rail network in the world. There are more trains than you can ever imagine traveling around all major cities in all areas of Japan.
Japan Railways or JR is the major rail operator in Japan contributing 70% of the whole rail networks. JR trains cover the nationwide network of urban, regional and inter-cities train lines, night trains and Shinkansen (bullet trains). What I’m sharing here are the 2 most popular and important JR high speed train lines in Japan Honshu (本州) island , the Tokaido and Tohoku Shinkansen.
The Tokaido Shinkansen (東海道新幹線) is the most busy bullet train line with departures every few minutes that connects Japan’s three largest cities of Tokyo, Nagoya and Kyoto. When opened in 1964, the Tokaido Shinkansen was also the world’s first high speed railway line.
Nowadays the trains maintain speeds of 270 km/hour. The fastest Nozomi trains require less than 2.5 hours to reach Kyoto from Tokyo, which is good for travelers who wish to visit both cities on a same trip. Measuring about 500km distance in between Tokyo and Kyoto, you will need at least 6 hours to reach either side if by driving.
The train tickets depends on where you go and the average cost to travel from Kyoto to Tokyo is around JP¥13,500 or USD140 per trip. JR Rail Pass is valid for this line (except Nozomi trains).
This Tokaido Shinkansen is highly recommended for tourists who are arriving at either Kansai Airport in Kansai region or Narita Airport in Kanto region. Taking one of this Shinkansen trains which depart every few minutes, can lead you to 3 of the most popular travel regions of Japan.
While Tokaido Shinkansen line connects the south western regions of Honshu, Tohoku Shinkansen line (東北新幹線) connects Tokyo with Aomori at the northern tip of the island. It is operated by the East Japan Railway Company, commonly known as JR East, and is covered by the JR Pass.
As shown in the above photo, Hayabusa is the fastest train along Tohoku Shinkansen as well as the whole Japan, with speeds of up to 320 km/h. The whole journey from Tokyo to Aomori needs about 3 hours and cost JP¥17,500, or USD178.
Travelers from Tokyo can take Tohoku Shinkansen to the Northern Tohoku region of Japan to visit popular travel destinations such as Sendai, Matsushima and Aomori.
Most important part of this Shinkansen line is, from Aomori station, one can reach Hokkaido island by taking another regional JR Hakucho train to travel pass the undersea Seikan tunnel and reach Hakodate. The journey takes slightly more than 2 hours. Hokkaido is the second largest and northern most island of Japan and is the next most popular travel island of Japan besides Honshu.
By fully utilizing the Tokaido and Tohoku Shinkansen line with your JR Pass, you can explore most of the popular travel destinations in Japan effortlessly and efficiently by trains.
You can read more about Tokaido and Tohoku Shinkansen on Japan-guide.com.
Start planning your holiday to Japan this Autumn to view the awesome Autumn colour. Please let me know if you find this idea worthwhile by commenting below. 🙂 – Travel Feeder
About The Author
Cecil Lee
The author is an avid traveler and photography hobbyist who loves to share with others his travel and photo-taking experience in many popular tourist destinations around Europe, Asia and Australasia. Read the exciting stories with many photos captured on his journeys.
