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Seat reservations

Booking seats on JR East Shinkansen and limited expresses

Reserved seats go on sale at 10:00 one month before travel. Book online on Eki-net (Japanese) or JR-EAST Train Reservation (for visitors), or at reserved-seat ticket machines and ticket offices. Hayabusa, Komachi, Kagayaki and the Narita Express have reserved seats only.

Reserved or non-reserved

  • On the Shinkansen and limited expresses you need a basic fare ticket plus an express ticket, either for a reserved seat or for the non-reserved cars. [1]
  • A non-reserved ticket only lets you sit in the non-reserved cars. [1]
  • The Narita Express and Shinkansen such as Hayabusa and Kagayaki have reserved-seat cars only, so book a seat before boarding. [1]
  • With a rail pass alone you can only sit in the non-reserved cars; for a reserved seat get a seat ticket with your pass. [1]

When seats go on sale

  • Reserved seats normally go on sale at 10:00 one month before the travel day. [2]
  • Eki-net early booking: Shinkansen e-tickets can be requested from 14:00 three months ahead until 23:50 one month and eight days ahead (limited seats; seat numbers are sent one month ahead). [2]
  • Early booking covers Hayabusa, Yamabiko, Komachi, Tsubasa, Toki and Asama. [2]
  • Early booking needs Eki-net membership and is paid by credit card only. [2]
  • If the same date does not exist one month earlier, sales start on the 1st of that month (e.g. trains on 31 May go on sale on 1 May). [3]

Booking on Eki-net

  • Eki-net takes bookings from 05:00 to 23:50 and 00:10 to 01:50; outside these hours the system is under maintenance. [3]
  • With a Shinkansen e-ticket you skip the ticket machine: link the booking to your IC card or Mobile Suica and tap it at the Shinkansen gate. It works on the Tohoku, Hokkaido, Akita, Yamagata, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen. [4]
  • Shinkansen e-tickets can be booked on the day until 4 minutes before departure (and by 23:24). [3]
  • Paper tickets booked online can be bought until 6 minutes before departure (and by 23:24). [3]

Picking up paper tickets

  • Collect paper tickets at a reserved-seat ticket machine or ticket office (Midori-no-Madoguchi) at a JR East station. [5]
  • Bring the physical credit card you paid with; without it you cannot collect the tickets. [5]
  • Eki-net tickets cannot be collected in JR West (outside Hokuriku), JR Shikoku or JR Kyushu, or at non-JR stations such as Izukyu or Fujikyu. [5]

Visitors: JR-EAST Train Reservation and passes

  • Visitors can buy tickets online on JR-EAST Train Reservation from Japan or abroad, or at stations after arriving. [1]
  • Tickets booked there are picked up at reserved-seat ticket machines with passport readers or at Travel Service Centers. [1]
  • JR-EAST Train Reservation also sells JR East passes and reserves seats with them, but not with a JAPAN RAIL PASS. [6]
  • Members can also book a Shinkansen e-ticket and ride by tapping their IC card at the gate; each traveller needs their own IC card. [7]
  • JAPAN RAIL PASS holders can book reserved seats in advance only if they bought the pass on the official JAPAN RAIL PASS website. [8]
  • JAPAN RAIL PASS holders can also reserve seats themselves at reserved-seat ticket machines. [9]

Applies to

JR East (East Japan Railway Company)

Sources and quotes checked 2026-10-09
  1. www.jreast.co.jp/en/multi/ticket/guide.html
    • When riding a shinkansen or limited express train, this ticket needs to be purchased in addition to the basic fare ticket.
    • With a non-reserved seat ticket, you can only sit in non-reserved seat cars.
    • Note that the Narita Express and shinkasen including the Hayabusa and Kagayaki only have reserved-seat cars.
    • Just a pass You can only sit in the non-reserved seat cars.
    • You can purchase tickets online (via JR-EAST Train Reservation) from Japan and abroad,
    • Reserved tickets purchased via JR-EAST Train Reservation can be picked up as shown below. Reserved seat ticket vending machines with passport readers Travel Service Centers
  2. www.eki-net.com/top/jrticket/guide/early/index.html
    • JR券の指定席発売開始日は通常、乗車日の1ヶ月前の10時00分ですが
    • 「早期予約」は、乗車日の3ヶ月前の14時00分から1ヶ月と8日前の23時50分まで、新幹線eチケット（基本商品）をお申込みいただけるサービスです。
    • 「はやぶさ」「やまびこ」「こまち」「つばさ」「とき」「あさま」 ※列車・座席数限定
    • お支払い方法は、「クレジットカード等」に限ります。
  3. www.eki-net.com/top/jrticket/guide/reserve/timein.html
    • 乗車日1ヶ月前に同じ日付がない場合は、同月の1日より発売開始となります。
    • 乗車日1ヶ月前発売日以降のお申込みは、「5時00分～23時50分」、「0時10分～1時50分」の間となります。
    • 「新幹線eチケットサービス」のお申込みは、乗車日の列車出発時刻（時刻表に記載の時刻）の4分前、かつ23時24分までとなります。
    • 紙のきっぷのお申込みは、乗車日の列車出発時刻（時刻表に記載の時刻）の6分前、かつ23時24分までとなります。
  4. www.eki-net.com/top/jrticket/guide/reserve/e-ticket.html
    • 指定席券売機や窓口できっぷを受取ることなく、お持ちの交通系ICカードやモバイルSuicaで、東北・北海道、秋田、山形、上越、北陸の各新幹線にご乗車いただけるサービスです。
  5. www.eki-net.com/top/jrticket/guide/uketori/
    • JR東日本の駅 指定席券売機、みどりの窓口にてお受取りいただけます。
    • きっぷのお受取りにはお申込み時に使用したクレジットカードの現物が必要です。
    • JR西日本（北陸エリア以外）、JR四国、JR九州、JR以外の鉄道会社（伊豆急行線、富士急行線など）では、きっぷを一切お受取りいただけません。
  6. www.eki-net.com/en/jreast-train-reservation/Top/Index
    • *Reservations cannot be made if you are using a Japan Rail Pass.
  7. www.jreast.co.jp/en/multi/ticket/eticket.html
    • *Please prepare a transportation IC card for each person. One transportation IC card is required per person.
  8. japanrailpass.net/en/about_jrp/
    • Only when purchasing a JAPAN RAIL PASS online from the official website can reserved seats be booked prior to picking up your ticket.
  9. japanrailpass.net/en/
    • Learn about how to book a reserved seat using a reserved seat ticket machine and how to pick up your ticket

Review status: draft_unreviewed.