Ultra-detailed Japanese traffic guide 2

type

status

date

slug

summary

🤗 1.3 [How to get on the train]

The reason why "how to get on the train" is a separate topic is that there are two types of JR stations in Japan: manned stations and unmanned stations. Manned stations are easy to navigate, but unmanned stations can be confusing for the first time. Unmanned stations are more common in Hokkaido, so I'll highlight them here.

1.3.1 [Manned Stations - Ticket Swipe/IC Card Pass] Arrive at a JR station => Enter the station (no security check or real-name verification required) => Find a station entrance and swipe your ticket or IC card to enter the station => Find the platform of the train you need to take => Enter the platform => Get on the train according to the compartment when the train arrives => Keep your ticket for later checking => Get off the train at the station => Swipe your ticket or IC card to exit the station.

1.3.2 [Unattended Stations - Organizer Ticket Rides] This is a special way of riding the bus in Japan: Ticket + Cash, which is applicable to some unmanned stations and buses that cannot swipe IC cards, and the way to ride the bus is like this: Step 1: Arrive at an unmanned station, there is no ticket agent or ticket machine inside the station, so you don't need to buy a ticket, just wait on the platform. Step 2: Get on the bus and pick up an "organizer ticket", usually located in a conspicuous place on the bus, which has a number on it that represents the station you got on the bus from. Step 3: Get off the train and pay

If the arriving station is unmanned, then the car will only open one door, after arriving at the station, you need to walk to the front door of the car, give the organizing ticket and money to the driver, no credit card, the cash machine can make change, but try to give change, do not give 10,000 such as large bills. If you arrive at a station that is manned, all doors on the train will be open and you can get off the train. After you get off the train, give the organizing ticket and money to the ticket inspector at the exit and you are done. All unmanned stations, when you arrive at the station, only the front door is open, because you need to show the ticket to the driver, because the stopping time is very short, it is recommended to go to the front car early to wait. The above process is: unmanned station => unoccupied/occupied station; if you are traveling from an occupied station => unoccupied station, you need to buy a ticket at the station where you board the train, just get off the train and give your ticket to the drive

1.4 [How far in advance do I need to arrive at the station? Because Japan JR does not have security checks and real-name verification, the general flow of people is not too big station, 10 ~ 15 minutes in advance is enough, the first time to go unfamiliar with the words can be a little earlier, but stay half an hour is completely enough.

1.5 [What are assigned seats and free seats? Another thing that is not quite the same in JR is the difference between free seats and assigned seats. As the name suggests, free seats are seats that do not require you to sit in a designated seat and you can sit wherever you like, while assigned seats require you to be seated according to your seat number. It's kind of like second class seats and unreserved seats in Japan, except that Japan allocates a few cars for unreserved tickets, and you can sit in any seat in those cars. When you buy a ticket, you will be asked to choose whether you want an assigned seat or a free seat. Assigned seats allow you to choose your own seat number, and the ticket price for assigned seats will be slightly more expensive than free seats, or if you are entering with an IC card, free seats will be the default. In addition, if you buy a reserved seat for a particular train and miss that train, you can take a free seat on the same route on the same day. There are some routes that only have free seats (e.g. Sapporo to Otaru) and some routes that only have reserved seats (e.g. Hakodate to Tokyo Shinkansen), and you will be informed of this when you buy your ticket.

1.6 [What is the difference between a ride ticket and a limited express ticket? Another thing that makes JR more confusing is that some trains will issue two tickets, one that says: Ride Ticket and one that says: Limited Express Ticket. This is because many JR lines are divided into two types of trains: regular and limited express. Ordinary means that the train stops at every station and is slow, similar to the domestic green train, while limited express means that the train stops only at large stations and is fast. If you only have a ticket, you can only ride regular, not limited express; if you have both a ticket and a limited express ticket, you can ride limited express. Some stations offer two-in-one tickets, which will be indicated on the ticket and serve the same purpose.

There is one ticket for the bus ticket and one ticket for the limited express ticket.

A ticket that combines a ride ticket and a limited express ticket, with the price of the ride and the price of the limited express written on the ticket.

1.7 [Ticket changes and refunds] As mentioned above, JR's travel policy is quite flexible. If you buy a ticket for a free seat, you can take any train on that day (if you buy a voucher for an emergency ride, you need to make up for the emergency voucher); if you buy a ticket for a reserved seat, you can take any train on that day, but you don't have a reserved seat anymore. If there is a change of itinerary and you need to take a non-scheduled train, or if you need to return your ticket, you can go to the artificial window to deal with it.

1.8 [How to Transfer] Overall, the transfer experience is very good, and you don't need to swipe your card to enter and exit the station again when transferring between JRs. In Hokkaido, there are not many lines, and many of the trains you transfer to are located on the opposite platform, which is very convenient. There was even a time when the pre-train was a few minutes late, and the next transfer train would wait for the front train to arrive at the platform, and the people on the train would get off before departing, which can be said to be very humane. However, due to the complexity of the lines in Tokyo, the transfer will be correspondingly complicated, especially at several major stations, such as Shinjuku, which are indeed like a maze, so you must leave more time if you are not familiar with the road.

1.9 [JR-pass] Another thing worth mentioning is the JR-pass. If you have a JR-pass, you can ride the JR as many times as you like, within a designated range at a specified time. In the past, it was the first choice for many tourists visiting Japan, because it was much more cost-effective than a one-way trip, but in recent years, the price of the JR-pass has increased several times, and the restrictions on the range and time of the ride have become more and more limited. How to purchase JR-pass: You can buy it directly on the official website, but if you feel that the operation of the official website is too complicated, you can buy it on a third-party software such as klook, and you will receive an electronic or paper exchange coupon after purchase, and you can redeem it at the airport after taking the exchange ticket to Japan. How to use the JR-pass: For non-reserved seats, you can enter and exit directly with a ticket, and if you need a reserved seat, you need to reserve a seat with a pass ticket at a self-service machine or a manual counter.

1.10 [Baggage] Another point to mention is that JR Japan has certain restrictions on oversized luggage, and if you are carrying oversized luggage, you need to reserve a special seat in advance.

🤗 1.3 [How to get on the train]

japan guides