Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen (2026): Which Train, What It Costs, How to Buy Tickets

Short answer: take the Nozomi if you are paying per ticket (about 2 hours 15 minutes, ¥14,170 for a reserved seat at the station fare), and the Hikari if you hold a Japan Rail Pass (about 2 hours 40, no extra charge). You can book online from abroad with a credit card in Smart EX, or buy at a station machine on the day.

Nozomi, Hikari, Kodama: what is different

Times are the approximate figures on Kansai Airports' guide, not a timetable. The Nozomi runs up to 13 trains an hour at the busiest times (JR Central). Check the exact departure in Smart EX or JR Central's timetable; the Kodama is only worth it if you need a small station.

What it costs (adult, one way, regular season)

Fares are from the JR Shinkansen Net page dated 2026-09-23. Reserved seats cost a little more or less depending on the date (Kansai Airports lists a ¥200 discount in the off season and ¥200 to ¥400 extra in busy seasons). Children pay roughly half. Smart EX also sells limited-quantity early-booking ("Hayatoku") fares at a discount; the price depends on the date and train.

Option 1: book online in Smart EX (before or during your trip)

• Who can use it: anyone with a Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club or Discover card, aged 18 or over. No annual fee. You pay in yen and your bank may add a foreign transaction fee, including again for each change you make.
• When you can book: JR Central says Smart EX can reserve up to one year ahead for some products, and the number of seats you can reserve that early is limited. Standard reserved seats go on sale at 10:00 a.m. one month before travel (same date of the previous month).
• 3-D Secure: your card must be registered for it, or sign-up can fail. Use a regular card if you can: Smart EX warns that debit and prepaid cards are sometimes refused, and that virtual cards lose some services such as refunds after you pick up a paper ticket. Symbols such as hyphens and periods in the cardholder name should be replaced with a space or left out.
• If the app rejects your foreign card: one traveler on Reddit reported that registering on the desktop website instead worked, because the app could not load their bank's verification page (r/JapanTravelTips; a user's report, not an official fix).
• Big suitcase? Tick "Seat with oversized baggage area" when you search. See the oversized baggage rules.

How you board with a Smart EX booking

• QR ticket: hold it to the Shinkansen gate. Smart EX says it must be printed out or added to Apple Wallet (iPhone only).
• Registered IC card: if you registered a transit IC card, you can touch it to the gate. The fare is still charged to your credit card, not taken from the card's balance. A foreign visitor IC card expires 28 days after purchase and will error at the gate afterwards (see Welcome Suica).
• Paper ticket: pick it up at the station before boarding.

Option 2: buy at the station

• Reserved seat tickets are sold at JR ticket offices, reserved-seat ticket machines and travel agencies, from 10:00 a.m. one month before travel.
• Station price for a reserved Nozomi seat is ¥14,170 against ¥13,970 in Smart EX, a difference of ¥200 by the fares above.
• You cannot exit the ticket gate at a station other than your arrival station; the rest of the ticket becomes invalid and you would need a new ticket to board again (Smart EX notice).
• An unreserved ticket works on any Hikari or Kodama and, outside the peak periods, on the Nozomi's unreserved cars.

Peak periods: a reserved seat is not optional

• JR Central publishes the peak dates for 2026 on its Nozomi page. In those periods every Nozomi seat is reserved. With an unreserved ticket you can only stand on the deck of an ordinary car (not in the Green Car, cars 8 to 10), and you may not be able to board a crowded train.
• Hikari and Kodama still sell unreserved seats, but JR Central warns they can be very crowded.
• If you hold an unreserved ticket and want a Nozomi seat, exchange it for a reserved ticket before boarding. JR Central says you can change once without a fee, paying the price difference, at a major station counter or some machines.

If you have a Japan Rail Pass

• The pass covers the Hikari and Kodama. For the Nozomi you must buy the "Nozomi Mizuho" ticket: ¥4,960 for Tokyo or Shinagawa to Kyoto, the same for a Green Car, reserved or unreserved ordinary seat.
• It is sold only at reserved-seat ticket machines, JR ticket offices and some travel agencies, from one month before you ride. JR Central says it cannot be reserved online before you arrive in Japan.
• Whether the pass is worth buying is a separate sum: a Tokyo to Kyoto return alone is at least ¥26,640 at the unreserved fare above, which is a bit over half of the ¥50,000 online price of a 7-day ordinary pass. See Is the JR Pass worth it?

Left out (not confirmed on an official page today): exact timetable and platform at Tokyo and Kyoto stations, which side has Mt Fuji views, seat-side advice, and the amount of each early-booking discount. Check these in Smart EX or at the station.

Quick answers

Which Shinkansen should I take from Tokyo to Kyoto?

The Nozomi, unless you have a Japan Rail Pass. It takes about 2 hours 15 minutes, against about 2 hours 40 for the Hikari and about 3 hours 40 for the Kodama (Kansai Airports' approximate figures). The Nozomi is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass; pass holders can add a special ticket for ¥4,960 from Tokyo or Shinagawa to Kyoto, or take the Hikari at no extra cost.

How much is the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto?

At the regular-season adult one-way fare, ¥13,320 for an unreserved seat on any train, ¥14,170 for a reserved seat on the Nozomi and ¥13,850 on the Hikari or Kodama. Booking the same reserved Nozomi seat in Smart EX is listed at ¥13,970.

Can I book the Shinkansen online with a foreign credit card?

Yes. Smart EX takes Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and Discover cards from account holders aged 18 or over, with no annual fee. The card must work with 3-D Secure; if it fails Smart EX says to ask your card company or try another card. Debit and prepaid cards are sometimes refused. Payment is taken in yen.

Do I need to reserve a seat?

Not outside the peak periods: unreserved seats exist on every train type. During the peak periods JR Central lists each year, every Nozomi seat is reserved, and an unreserved ticket only lets you stand on the deck of an ordinary car. Hikari and Kodama keep unreserved seats but can be very crowded.

Can I ride the Nozomi with a Japan Rail Pass?

Only with the extra Nozomi Mizuho ticket, sold at reserved-seat ticket machines and JR ticket offices from one month before you ride. JR Central says it cannot be reserved online before you arrive in Japan.

More Japan trip guides: Japan trip checklist (all guides) · Big suitcase on the Shinkansen · Is the JR Pass worth it? · All "before you go" guides