Why can't I use the Nozomi Shinkansen with a JR Pass?
Shinkansen
©henry perks, unsplash
Tokaido and Sanyo lines
How to use your rail pass even without use of the Nozomi bullet train. Buy your JR Pass today, available in 7-, 14-, and 21-day passes.
Shinkansen explained
The “Nozomi” is perhaps one of the most well-known Japanese bullet trains, but as you may have already seen, it cannot be used with the Japan Rail Pass.
Do not worry ! You can make the same trip using a different high-speed bullet train!
Many travellers who are using or thinking of using a Japan Rail Pass often feel confused by this: what kind of trips are they prohibited from making? Does the lack of Nozomi trains affect their travel?
The Nozomi is the name for the fastest bullet train on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, the line that runs from Tokyo to Osaka, stopping at Kyoto and Nagoya (among other cities) along the way.
From Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka
If you are traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka (or vice versa) with a JR Pass, instead you can use the Hikari shinkansen.
It stops at all of the stations that the Nozomi does, plus one or two more stations.
Kodama Shinkansen
©Tore-F, unsplash
Tokaido Shinkansen
©fikri-rasyid, unsplash
If you are trying to travel on the Sanyo (Western Japan) part of the Nozomi train, you can transfer trains at Shin-Osaka Station and instead take the Sakura Shinkansen to make the same trip as the Nozomi.Lastly, if you still wish to use the Nozomi train, please note that at this time there is no discounted ticket for JR Pass holders; pass holders will still be required to pay the full fare to ride the Nozomi shinkansen.
Itineraries and stations
Learn more about the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen itineraries :
- How to go from Tokyo to Nagoya ?
- How to go from Nagoya to Kyoto ?
- How to go from Kyoto to Okayama ?
- How to go from Okayama to Hiroshima ?
