Individual Shinkansen tickets are now available for purchase through the UK-based online ticketing platform, JRPass.com. The company has been helping Western travelers navigate Japan by rail for seventeen years and has recently partnered with JR Tokai Tours, the travel agency subsidiary of JR Central, to become the first authorized company outside of Japan to sell city-to-city Shinkansen tickets directly to international customers.
The service, which launches today, includes the Tokyo to Osaka and Tokyo to Kyoto routes on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen. One-way tickets are priced at 16,500–17,000 yen (approximately $102-106 USD) and are issued digitally as QR codes, allowing travelers to skip the physical ticket collection process and go straight to the gate.
This new individual ticket option addresses the changing prices of Japan Rail Passes and provides customers with the flexibility to book only the routes they plan to take. Tickets can currently be booked up to 30 days in advance, with plans to extend the booking window to 180 days in the future.
Founder of JRPass.com, Haroun Khan, expressed his excitement for this partnership, stating, “Japan’s railways are one of the great travel experiences in the world, and the Shinkansen is at the heart of that. We at JRPass.com have spent seventeen years making Japan by rail accessible to Western travellers, and this is the moment that work has been building toward.”
The partnership with JR Tokai Tours, an official supplier of Tōkaidō Shinkansen QR tickets, allows for a seamless booking experience and convenient travel for international visitors. Masaya Sugiura, CEO of JR Tokai Tours, stated, “We are delighted to have signed a sales agreement with JRPass.com, making it the first company based outside Japan authorized to sell Tokaido Shinkansen QR tickets. Through this partnership with a company that has extensive sales experience, we aim to make Shinkansen travel more accessible and convenient for international visitors.”
Customers can book their Shinkansen tickets through JRPass.com, selecting their route, travel date, and preferred seat. The service is currently available for the Tokyo – Osaka and Tokyo – Kyoto routes, and prices start at approximately 16,500–17,000 yen ($102-106 USD). Customers receive their ticket as a QR code, which serves as their boarding pass for the day of travel.
Changes to tickets are allowed up to six hours before departure, with free time changes on the same day, route, and class. Cancellations made before departure incur a 10% fee and refunds are typically processed within seven days. The service is currently available in English, with plans to add additional languages in the future.
Individual Shinkansen tickets can be purchased through JRPass.com and are open to passengers traveling on the Tokaido Shinkansen.
