How To Read Shinkansen Tickets

If you are traveling by Shinkansen (bullet train), you may not know how to read the tickets, and you may wonder why there are two tickets. This article will help solve these questions in 3min!

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Why are there two tickets for riding a bullet train in Japan?

Basic Fare Ticket and Super Express Reserved Ticket

When you are taking the Shinkansen, you will have two tickets, the Basic Fare Ticket ( 乗車券 ) and Super (Limited) Express Reserved Ticket ( 新幹線特急券 )

The Basic Fare Ticket is necessary for all train rides. The Super Express Reserved Ticket is necessary only when you are taking the Shinkansen.

For example, when you take a train from Osaka Station to reach Tokyo, first you need to take a local train to reach Shin-Osaka station. Here, you will use the Basic Fare Ticket to get to Shin-Osaka, and when you go through the gates at Shin-Osaka to take the Shinkansen, you will be inserting two tickets at once.

However, if the base fare and supplement cover the same section, then sometimes you get a single ticket that combines the two fares into a single ticket. 

How to read the ticket

① Departure station
② Arrival station
③ Departure date, Departure time, Arrival time
④ Train name and number
⑤ Car number, Row number, Seat number
⑥ Non-smoking car
⑦ Total Amount

Traveling in Japan might feel a little bit intimidating especially with a new language.

I hope you found this article helpful and informational!