Taking the shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto
This is our second trip to Japan, but last time we preferred to fly between Osaka and Tokyo because it was cheaper. This time, we need to go to Kyoto from Tokyo, so we opted for the shinkansen.
The shinkansen website is incomprehensible; JB can’t even create an account because his credit card won’t go through. However, in big cities, there are automatic machines to buy your shinkansen tickets. We were in a small town when we decided to buy a ticket, so we simply bought it at the counter.
They asked us “reserved seats or not?” and we said “reserved seats” since we’re leaving the day before Golden Week and are afraid we won’t get seats. Turns out we made the right call because our train was marked “reserved only”.
Well, you take the shinkansen like a metro or commuter train; there are frequent departures (every 15 minutes, I was told, and every 3 minutes during Golden Week). For info, the Tokyo-Kyoto ticket (departing at 9:09 AM) cost us 14,500 yen per person. There’s plenty of legroom, everything is super clean, there’s a power outlet, and free Wi-Fi.
There are seats with a “large luggage” option, but those are just seats with space behind them. It’s customary to use the overhead storage racks.
Most tourists don’t bring their luggage; they use luggage forwarding services (which arrive the same day) to their next destination. We would have been in trouble if we were staying in central Kyoto (buses in Kyoto ban large suitcases), but since we’ll be in the suburbs and take a JR train afterward, we’re taking our luggage on the train with us. Who knows, for the Kyoto-Osaka leg, maybe we’ll use the luggage forwarding service?
Luckily, the staff member who sold us the tickets gave us two seats on the right side. And on a sunny day like today, Mount Fuji, which we see in the distance, is cloud-free and stunning. It looks photoshopped because Mount Fuji seems to float above the clouds.
JB and I are having fun watching to see if the train departs exactly on the second (it does). Later, we’ll joke that all trains in Japan depart exactly on the second, not just the shinkansen, hahaha. JB also tried to measure the speed. We thought the shinkansen would be faster, but unfortunately it barely exceeded 270 km/h!!! Slower than the TGV.
Anyway, the 2 hours on the train (with free Wi-Fi too) passed very quickly. Since our trip is quite short, we’re not allowed to take a bento (paid) with us, which are sold in all the station shops. We really want those bentos!
Arriving in Kyoto, we have to scan our shinkansen ticket to exit, like in a metro.
So, it’s a pleasant experience, worth trying at least once. It’s a change from SNCF!
