TIPS FOR RIDING THE SHINKANSEN (BULLET TRAIN) WITH KIDS, JAPAN
The Shinkansen is Japan’s high-speed train also known as the famous bullet train. Japan was the first country to start building railway lines for high speed travel and the name Shinkansen was chosen because it means ‘new trunk line’ in Japanese. It is great for discovering all the beautiful places Japan has to offer in a fast, comfortable, and reliable way. I highly recommend this experience if you are planning to visit more than just Tokyo. It is a fun and unique experience that anyone would enjoy.
Shinkansen Facts:
Comfort: very quiet and comfortable, offers family seat options, quite spacious, free wifi is on the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu lines.
Speed: the nickname ‘bullet train’ is because it really moves like a bullet, reaching a maximum speed of 320 km/h (199 mph)! You can travel from Tokyo to Kyoto in 2- 2.5hrs depending on which train you take. Tip* the Nozomi train is the fastest one between Tokyo and Kyoto or vice versa.
Network and lines: total 7 Shinkansen lines
Tips & things to do on the Shinkansen
To book or not book Shinkansen seats ahead of time?
Whether it’s travel peak season or not, personally I find it easier and one less thing to worry about if I can get it sorted ahead of time. Using the SmartEX website/app you can reserve tickets and exact seats 3 months before your travel date. I’m glad we did this because train stations in Japan can be really hectic and they are large places, trying to navigate to the ticketing booth with luggages in hand and with young kids can be stressful.
Also note that passengers traveling with large suitcases will need to reserve an oversized luggage ticket with a bullet train ticket. However, from our experience it was much easier to use the suitcase delivery service to get them delivered straight to our hotel without having to lug it all around the station and on to the trains with young kids (trust me, your life will be so much easier this way, and you want to definitely check out stores in the station).
*how early should I get to the station when traveling with kids?
We arrived about an 1hr -1hr30 ahead of time which gave us a good chunk of time to grab bento boxes, snacks, check out the many stores at the station and find our way to our track number.
Reserve the Mt. Fuji side seat!
When you travel from Tokyo to Kyoto, reserve seats on the right side of the train, and when traveling to Tokyo from Kyoto, it’s viewed on the left side. For the best views, always reserve the E seat (closest to the window).Enjoy an Ekiben
Ekiben isa special lunch box that is taken on the trains - Eki (station) and Ben refers to Bento (lunch box). At Tokyo Station, you can buy all types of Ekiben according to what you want to eat, there is so much to choose from!Chlld fare
Kids aged 6-11 pay 50% of the adult fare, and children aged 12 and older pay the adult fare. Additionally, 2 kids aged 1-5 can travel for free if accompanied by one adult, but additional children will be charged the child fare.
Tip*For us unless the trip is a short 20-30minute ride we would just buy a ticket for them so that we can all travel in comfort.Wifi
Most trains will have free wifi, but not all. There are signs if wifi is available.
Tip* We still made sure all of the kids shows were downloaded prior to traveling so that we are safe when it comes to boarding a train that has no wifi.Japan Station
Tokyo station is one of Japan’s largest transport hubs and offers many activities, including shopping, dining, and sightseeing. As we got to the station well in advance, we used this time to pick out everyone’s bento boxes for lunch, snacks, some souvenirs to bring back, and just took a stroll around the shopping mall. Other than food shopping there is a Tokyo Ramen street, Tokyo station gallery, Tokyo Character Street, and a Japan rail cafe.
Luggage storage counters
Train stations in japan offer a variety of options for storing luggage, including coin lockers, storage counters, and other services. Even though we were traveling with just 2 carry on’s and 4 backpacks (1 for everyone) these coin lockers came handy. We decided to put everything apart from our wallet and the stroller into the coin locker so that we could shop hands free and not have to worry about carrying it up and down the stairs (there are stairs that connect you to the mall and to the station platforms). Highly recommend using this service especially when traveling with little ones. Taking our stroller around the huge mall was a good idea as we were able to use it to store our souvenirs and things we bought while shopping.
Taking the Shinkansen is an enjoyable and efficient way to travel around Japan while experiencing the culture too.
