When does booking open?

10:00 JST, one month before travel, on the same date. When that date does not exist a month earlier, sales start on the 1st (31 March opens on 1 March). smartEX and EX take some bookings from 5:30 JST a year ahead on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen. Japan Rail Pass seats also open at 10:00 JST a month before.

How far ahead is that?

1 month; up to a year on smartEX for Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu.

At stations, or online in English: smartEX (Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu), JR-EAST Train Reservation (lines north of Tokyo) and JR-WEST Online Train Reservation.

Rarely a month ahead outside holidays. The hard dates, by JR: 1 to 6 May, 7 to 16 August, 18 to 23 September and 29 December to 3 January, when Nozomi trains are all reserved and seats go fast. There is no published figure.

Can I cancel or change?

Station tickets: one free change before departure; refunds cost 340 yen until 2 days before, then 30% of the seat charge. smartEX: free changes until departure, 320 yen to refund. Japan Rail Pass seats are free to change.

Nationwide, Japan

Shinkansen tickets: when reserved seats go on sale

At 10:00 Japan time, one month before travel, on the same date: seats for 15 November go on sale at 10:00 on 15 October. On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines (Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka), smartEX takes some bookings up to a year ahead.

When does booking open?: 10:00 JST, one month before travel, on the same date. When that date does not exist a month earlier, sales start on the 1st (31 March opens on 1 March). smartEX and EX take some bookings from 5:30 JST a year ahead on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen. Japan Rail Pass seats also open at 10:00 JST a month before.
How far ahead is that?: 1 month; up to a year on smartEX for Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu.
Where do I book?: At stations, or online in English: smartEX (Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu), JR-EAST Train Reservation (lines north of Tokyo) and JR-WEST Online Train Reservation.
Does it sell out?: Rarely a month ahead outside holidays. The hard dates, by JR: 1 to 6 May, 7 to 16 August, 18 to 23 September and 29 December to 3 January, when Nozomi trains are all reserved and seats go fast. There is no published figure.
Can I cancel or change?: Station tickets: one free change before departure; refunds cost 340 yen until 2 days before, then 30% of the seat charge. smartEX: free changes until departure, 320 yen to refund. Japan Rail Pass seats are free to change.

Checked 15 October 2026

How to book

Online, smartEX (website or app, no fee) covers the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen with ticketless boarding; JR-EAST Train Reservation covers lines north of Tokyo; JR-WEST Online Train Reservation covers the west. Foreign credit cards work, though some issuers block the payment: carry a second card, or buy at a station.

With a Japan Rail Pass, seat reservations are free; you can book them online only if you bought the pass on the official JAPAN RAIL PASS site, then print the seat ticket at a station. The pass does not cover Nozomi or Mizuho trains without its separate add-on ticket.

If it’s sold out

Take a non-reserved car: usually cars 1 and 2 on the Nozomi, and more on the Hikari, Kodama, Mizuho and Sakura. In the all-reserved holiday periods, Nozomi non-reserved tickets mean standing in the deck, but the other trains still have non-reserved cars.

Look again on the booking sites (changes free seats until departure), try a Green Car or a slower Hikari or Kodama, or book a JR package that includes seats.

Booking for a group

smartEX and JR-WEST book up to 6 people at once; the JR Pass site buys up to 6 passes per account, with names matching passports. Choose seats from the seat map to sit together; a group of 7 or more books twice, at the same moment.

On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu lines, a suitcase over 160 cm in total needs a seat with an oversized baggage area, reserved in advance.

Good to know

For a holiday date, be online at 10:00 JST a month out, or book on smartEX a year ahead.
If you bought your JR Pass elsewhere, allow time at a station machine or office for seats.
smartEX bookings made between 23:30 and 5:30 JST are confirmed after 5:30, with no seat map.

Sources

JR-EAST Train Reservation: booking periods (official): Tickets one month before boarding, on sale at 10:00; when the date does not exist a month before, sales start on the 1st. Times are JST.
smartEX: reception times (official): From 5:30 a.m. one year before the boarding date until 4 minutes before departure; at most 3 people per booking between 11:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.
smartEX: service overview (official): Free changes before departure and before the gate; a 320 yen refund fee; 1 to 6 people per booking.
JR West: Online Train Reservation conditions (official): From 10:00 a.m. JST one month before boarding; one booking for up to 6 people.
JR Central: changes and refunds (official): Reserved seat refunds cost 340 yen until 2 days before, then 30% (at least 340 yen); one free change before use.
JR Central: Nozomi all-reserved periods (official, Japanese): The periods in 2026 and 2027 when every Nozomi seat is reserved, including 25 December 2026 to 5 January 2027.
JAPAN RAIL PASS: booking a reserved seat (official): Seat reservations are free; online only for passes bought on the official site; seats are hard to get 1 to 6 May, 7 to 16 August, 18 to 23 September and 29 December to 3 January.

Checked on 15 October 2026. Booking rules change; the official site has the last word.