Photo By: Elin Chow

On the fourth day of our 9D8N trip to Japan, we left Tokyo for Kyoto, where we will be spending the next 2 nights before moving to Osaka.

The fastest way to travel between Tokyo and Kyoto is by the Shinkansen. There are three type of Shinkansen: Nozomi, Hikari and Kodama.

Among the three, Nozomi is the fastest type of Shinkansen, which travels between Tokyo to Kyoto in just 2 hours 15 minutes. The next fastest type of Shinkansen is the Hikari, which takes 2 hour 30 minutes to cover the same distance. Kodama is the slowest type of Shinkansen. The Kodama stops at every station on the line, so it takes about 4 hours. I would not recommend you to take the Kodama train to travel between such long distance because you will end up wasting lots of time.

Most Shinkansen trains offer seats in two classes, which are found in two separate cars - Ordinary and Green. Ordinary seats are regular seats and comes in 3+2 seat layout. You can choose to purchase a non-reserved or reserved seat in an Ordinary car. Non-reserved seats are under a first come, first serve policy meaning that you might not be able to get a seat when the train is crowded.

Seats in Green car are larger and more comfortable than Ordinary seats. The seats are arranged in rows of 2+2. It is recommended for people who need a bigger space.

Type	Ordinary Car		Green Car
	Non-Reserved Seat	Reserved Seat	Reserved Seat
Nozomi	13,080 Yen	13,710 Yen	18,490 Yen
Hikari	13,080 Yen	13,400 Yen	18,180 Yen

The price difference between the Nozomi and Hikari trains is not huge.  It will only costs 310 Yen to buy a reserved seat in an ordinary car on Nozomi. The price for a non-reserved seat in an ordinary car on both the Nozomi and Hikari train is the same.

However, the cost of a reserved seat will differ depending on the season. It will be +/- 200 Yen during high and low seasons respectively.

Please note that Nozomi is not covered by the JR Pass. For those who wish to use the JR Pass, the Hikari will be your best choice.

However, if you are on a budget, the cheapest way to get from Tokyo to Kyoto is by bus. There are day and overnight buses available. The day buses costs about 7,000 Yen and take about 8 hours to get from Tokyo to Kyoto. You can book the bus tickets from Willer Express Website.

An overnight bus may be a good choice for those who wish to save some money on accommodation. Overnight buses are slightly more expensive. It will cost about 9,400 Yen and take about 7 hours and 30 minutes to get from Tokyo to Kyoto. You might want to check out JR Bus Kanto website for more information.

Since the price difference is not huge, we decided to book a Nozomi train to get from Tokyo to Kyoto. I actually recommend booking your Shinkansen ticket at least 21 days (3 weeks) in advance in order to enjoy the Hayatoku-21 discount as it will help you save a lot of money. I will explain this further later in this post, so continuing reading if you are interested to know more about it.

Booking Your Ticket Online

To book your ticket online in advance, you will need to download the Free smartEX App on your smartphone. The English app is currently available only in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States.

Fill up all your personal details required by the app to register an account. Please note that you will need to enter your credit card information for payment purpose. Don't worry. The smartEx app is an official app by JR Central and JR West and is very safe and secure. You should receive a notice of credit card authentication after entering your credit card information.  Once done, a screen will appear with your membership ID. Remember to save your membership ID.

With the smartEX app, you can easily book seat and purchase your Shinkansen ticket up to one month before your date of travel for 6 persons at once. The app also enables you to change you reservations as often as you like without any additional cost. Changes can even be made as late as 4 minutes before departure time!


Please note that the smartEX app only covers Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen line. After you logged in,  enter the name of departure and arrival train station, as well as the date and hour you wish to travel. The app will give you a list of Nozomi and Hikari trains at different times for you to choose from. You can purchase your Shinkansen ticket up to 30 days in advance via the smartEX app.

Select the train that best suits your schedule and decide on your seat preference. I really recommend booking a reserved seat, especially during the peak travel season if you do not wish to stand throughout the journey. When travelling in groups, seat reservations are recommended if you prefer to sit together.


The good thing about booking at least 21 days in advance is that you will be able to enjoy the Hayatoku-21 discount from JR. With the Hayatoku-21 discount, a reserved seat Ordinary class seat on Nozomi will only cost 10,800 Yen! That was 2,910 Yen cheaper than the non-discounted ticket on Nozomi. The price was even cheaper than a reserved seat Ordinary class seat on Hikari, so there was absolutely no reason for us not to choose Nozomi. Please note that this will only apply to trains that departs from 6.00 - 6.59 am and 11.00 am - 3.59 pm.

The Hayatoku-21 discounted ticket does not only apply to a reserved seat ordinary class seat on Nozomi. It is also offered on the Hikari trains, but only on a reserved seat Green class seat. With the Hayatoku-21, a reserved seat Green class seat on Hikari will only cost 13,860 Yen. The discounted ticket is 4,320 Yen cheaper than the original ticket price. So, if you need a more spacious seat and bigger leg room, this would be a good option for you.

Other than the Hayatoku-21, there are also other discount plan offered such as the EX Hayatoku and Hayatoku Family. The EX Hayatoku is a discount on ticket booked up to 3 days in advance and the Hayatoku Family is for group of 2 or more.


If you have selected a reserved seat, you will arrive at the seat map next. Select the seat you want and click next.


This should bring you to the payment page. You will need to make your payment by credit card. So make sure the credit card information that you enter during your account registration is correct. Once your payment is successful, you should receive a booking confirmation number in the app.

To take the train, you will need to redeem a physical ticket either from a dedicated ticket vending machine at any Tokaido Sanyo Shinkansen stations or ticket counters at any main JR Central and JR West Station.


Once at the station, look for ticket vending machine with smartEX logo. You need to present the credit card that you have used when you made the reservation and the password you used to login the smartEX app to pick up your ticket at these machines. So please remember to bring your credit card that you have used for the payment as you will not be able to collect your ticket without it.

If you have some issue with the vending machine, you can queue and collect the ticket from the ticket counters too.


In Tokyo, all the train departs from Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station and arrives at Kyoto Station in Kyoto. I recommend getting on at the train at Tokyo Station, especially for those who have purchased a non-reserved seat. This will give you a higher chance of getting a seat since Tokyo Station is the first station of the Shinkansen rail lines.


Price: 151 Yen (C Water) | 144 Yen (Cafe Au Lait) | 151 Yen (Green Tea) | 113 Yen (Mount Fuji water)

Since we were early, we decided to grab some drinks from the convenience shop before boarding. I was intrigued by this Vitamin C drink that I was seeing everywhere in Japan. Since I was still feeling a little unwell, I decided to purchase it to try as it is said to help ward off cold and sore throat. It is actually just a lemon-flavored drink that is a little sweet and taste really good.


After you passed through the ticket gate, you will need to check which platform your train departs from. Look at the electronic signs that will display your train number, departure time and platform number. Make sure you are at the correct platform.


Do not be late as the trains will depart right on time. All trains will undergo a quick and extensive cleaning process before passengers are allowed to board. You will see cleaners lining up in front of the track minutes before train arrival so as not to waste a second. They have only 7 minutes to clean the entire train, including the toilets. In that limited time, the staffs will wipe down all the tray tables, floors, collect all the rubbish, check for any forgotten items, turn all the seats around and even change the seat covers if they are dirty. Wow! We were truly impressed by their incredible speed and efficiency.

However, our favorite part was that all staffs will line up and bow to the train on its arrival and departure from the station, and to the passengers before they board. It actually made us feel very welcome!


The seats are spacious and comfortable with generous amount of foot space. Above the seats, there are overhead shelves that can store small to middle sized luggage. You will find some space at the front of each car for bigger luggage. However, try not to bring too many luggage because space are quite limited. Signs and announcements in trains are in both Japanese and English, so you have nothing to worry about.

** Important Note

Photo By: Matcha-JP

Please note that from May 2020, baggage restrictions will be introduced on all Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen Lines. All luggages that are larger than 160 cm in size (sum of length, height and width) can be carry onto the train with no additional fee. However, prior reservation will be required. A fee of 1,000 Yen will apply for each luggage if you failed to do so. Reservation can done online starting April 2020.

Luggage that exceeds the size of 251 cm will not be allowed on these three Shinkansen Lines. You will need to send them to your destination using a delivery service.

Seeing Mount Fuji

If you are travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka, be sure to book a seat on the right side of the train as you might be able to see Mount Fuji on a clear day. And we were really lucky because we were able to see a beautifully visible Mount Fuji from the Shinkansen! We were so excited the moment we saw it. I quickly took out and placed my camera on the super clean , graffiti-free window, hoping to capture the beauty of the mountain.


Seeing Mount Fuji is absolutely the highlight of the entire ride, especially after a disappointing day spent at Kawaguchiko.  Departing from Tokyo to Kyoto, Mount Fuji can be seen clearly on the right side of the train during 40-45 minutes into the journey. So try your best not to fall asleep before that. You will probably only have 10 minutes to enjoy the view of Mount Fuji.


So remember to book a "D" or "E" seat on the right if you wish to see Mount Fuji. There is no guarantee that you will see the mountain, but at least, you will have a chance to.


Price: 515 Yen

Unlike other trains in Japan, you are free to consume food and drinks on the Shinkansen. Another best part of travelling on a Shinkansen is Ekiben, which means train boxed lunch. You can buy Ekiben from the many restaurants and shops at Tokyo Station and bring them onto the train to eat. We really regretted for not buying an Ekiben at Tokyo Station because I thought you can only purchase them on the train. The only thing we bought at Tokyo Station was a box of Tokyo Banana to snack on.

Price: 1,110 Yen

The train is served by a small food cart offering some snacks and drinks. But sadly, it does not offer any Ekiben. We bought some sandwiches as we were feeling a little hungry. It was very expensive but delicious. However, one thing I hate is the wasabi in the sandwiches. Seriously, I am not a fan of wasabi and I cannot stand the taste of it at all. So there is no way I can accept them in my sandwiches.


About 2 hour 15 minutes after we left Tokyo, we had arrived in Kyoto. It was short but the overall train travel experience was great. The train was super clean, quiet, efficient and reliable. Even though it is expensive, it is definitely worth every penny spent.


Upon arriving at Kyoto Station, we headed straight to check in our Airbnb apartment located near Kyoto Station. Our apartment is located in a convenient location, about 10 minutes walk from Kyoto Station. I always try to stay somewhere near to Kyoto Station because it is a major point for sightseeing in Kyoto.


Our one bedroom apartment was quite spacious by Japanese standard. It comes with a queen sized bed, a sofa, a small coffee table, a standing fan and a very old wardrobe. However, it is a little old and dated and is very poorly insulated. The apartment can get terribly cold at night even when we have turned up the heater. Due to that, I have a lot of trouble sleeping at night.


The apartment has a separate bathroom and toilet. Surprisingly, the bathroom was pretty basic but spacious too. It comes with a deep soaking tub and a sink. Basic toiletries like body wash and hair shampoo were provided.


The apartment also comes with a small kitchenette equipped with a stove, fridge, pans and utensils. But the stove was not working, so it was a bit redundant.

This was definitely not the best Airbnb apartment we have stayed in. But the price was really cheap. It was still quite cozy and comfortable even though it was cold.


If you are interested to know more about our trip, you may want to check out our 9D8N Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka Trip Itinerary + Overview for the list of attractions that we had visited during our 9 days in Japan. For anyone planning your first trip to Japan but have no idea where to start, you should read my "How To Plan A Trip To Japan" post.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates on my 9 days adventures in Japan! You might also want to check My Wanderlust page for some of my other travel adventures.