How to Read Shinkansen Tickets in Japan

Wondering how to read Shinkansen Tickets? We prepare for you the key vocabulary that you will find on the Shinkansen ticket to ensure a wonderful experience.

Japanese bullet train tickets hold a lot of information on them.  Sadly, almost all of this information is in Japanese. This can be very inconvenient if you are not fluent in reading Japanese.

In this blog, we will provide you with the key vocabulary that you will find while reading your Shinkansen ticket. We will also give you a visual breakdown of the ticket and a list of the Kanji that you will need to understand.

On the ticket, you will find several key pieces of information related to your train reservation.  Below we provide a list of the Kanji and Vocabulary needed for both of the reserved and non-reserved tickets.

Check out: How to buy prepaid IC cards in Japan

Information that you will find on a Shinkansen ticket

  1. 新幹線特急券 Super (Limited) Express reserved Seat Ticket
  2. Departing Station
  3. Destination
  4. Departure date/ time (発)
  5. Arrival time (着)
  6. Train name
  7. Seat number
  8. Car number
  9. 途中下車前途無効 Stopovers not permitted
  10. Station where ticket was issued and date. (Reiwa 1st year, Aug. 23rd)
  11. 全席禁菸 All seats are Non-smoking
  12. Total amount.
  13. 乗車料金 train ticket price
  14. 特急料金 special express ticker price
  15. 学割証明書 携帯して下さい Please bring proper identification for student discount. (* only show on student discount ticket) 
How to Read Shinkansen Tickets, image, photo, picture, illustration

How to Read Shinkansen Tickets

  1. 乗車券 Basic Fare Ticket
  2. 都区内 Ward Area
  3. 市内 City Zone
  4. 日間有効 Available for ~ days
  5. 経由 via
  6. 券面表示の都区市内各駅下車前途無効 Stopover permitted in the City Zone shown above
  7. 発行 issue
  8. 学割証明書携帯して下さい Please bring proper identification for student discount. (* only show on student discount ticket)

For reference, go here.

Want to Learn Japanese? Take a Free Level Assessment and Consultation


Test your Japanese level!


Do a self-test to see which course fits you.

Check your level